When I began as a host with AirBnB, it was so much simpler and I was so proud of all I learned and of myself as a host. Now it's so much more complicated with 24 hours to reply, declines affecting you as a host and so many other things. It has really taken away my own intuitive sense at times of what works for me and what doesn't as the host.
I have a very special listing because my listings are dedicated to people who prefer or need an eco-friendly chemical free and fragrance free space. I am happy to be able to provide that and I need to be able to maintain it as I am sensitive to commercial laundry detergents, etc. I have been very successful because there is a great need out there for people looking for places to stay without harsh cleansers and chemicals.
In an area of five colleges on parent weekends. parents are informed all at once and you get a tremendous flood of inquiries for a weekend.
There are two factors at work here: the uniqueness of my listing and needing to decline if people do not read the description carefully to see whether they are a good fit. And on these special weekends of so many inquiries, I need to choose eco-friendly guests, but I also need to choose the bookings that will pay the most (numberr of guests, etc.). The flood of inquiries penalizes my popularity, because I have to decline until the right one comes along. I am starting to lose my great judgment/intuition, feeling so hemmed in. WhenI first began hosting, you were encouraged to take as much time as you need to make sure it's a good fit and that was great! I felt like I was choosing the listings that I know would work well for me and for the guests. Now I feel more like I'm expected to be a hotel.
I have a preference over people who have profiles that they have filled out and with more verifications as those are the people that really bothered to be part of the sharing community. Now I am pressured to take a request of someone who has not bothered to fill out the profile and maybe has two verifications. So what's the point? How can I be discerning and not be penalized for it? I look for longer stays, and I and the shortest days when the calendar month begins to fill up. I state it very clearly in the description. This makes the most sense and is something I learned through the years. But I feel I can no longer manage it in the way that I wishand so I am more likely to have bad experiences.
I wonder if there are others out there who experience this? I would love to hear from you.
