How to get more bookings on Airbnb?

[Janice208]

HELP 

[Paul1255]

Hey @Janice208 there is a lot you could be doing to increase your booking rate!

-Your pictures could be improved- your external ones are bright and breezy and give a great impression as they are good quality. Your internal ones are dark in comparison and don't look that inviting. You want guests to imagine being able to spend a great time at your place when they stay. You could also add more photos of the interior of your place. Maybe look to "stage" it more- add soft furnishings, little touches etc.

-Your listing description is missing- you need to explain to guests all about the local area, what they can do when they visit your area, all about your apartment and the facilities it offers. Have a look at some listings that are in your area to give you some inspiration.

Guests need to feel inspired when they come across your listing!

-Your minimum stay is set at 10 nights, so you could be missing out on a large amount of guests who may want to stay less than 10 nights. Have a think about if you could lower your minimum night stay- could it be 2 or 3 nights? You will then show up in more searches when guests are looking for accomodation. (you could even lower it just until you have some reviews on your profile, and then put it back up gradually)

-Your response rate is currently at 50%, which means you're only replying to 50% of enquries. Aim for 100% as much as you can.

-Your response time is within a day, if you can do it- aim to reply to messages within an hour. If you haven't already download the airbnb app on your phone to respond as quickly as you can!

All of the above should help you increase your visibility on airbnb and appear in searches. You need to work on your listing and profile every day.

Look at listings local to you to compare pricing, get inspiration from their photos and listing information and look at their calendars to see how much they are booked up and how far in advance.

Best wishes

Paul.

[Janice208]

hi paul i downloadthe app on my phone

[Paul1255]

That's great @Janice208 work as much on your listing as you can- do the best you can with what you have, light and bright photos don't have to be taken by a photographer, styling can be done yourself with things you already have etc.

You need to be the best listing possible, if there are plenty of places to stay in Negril, you have to give guests a reason to pick your place over the more established ones.

[Jeff158]

@Janice208 

Unfortunately you have competition, this listing is in the same place, its cheaper and better presented, you'll have to up your game to attract customers. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/14820210 has a 3 night minimum stay and is quite well booked. You have a 10 night minimum stay.

[Pete69]

Set up a light in the bedroom then take the picture. Try with the flash. Looks like a dark dungeon in there, like maybe I might get murdered in there. Remove the broom from the kitchen picture. And aren't there any more pictures of the house that you can post?

And the piture of you is too fuzzy and far away. Take a happy smiling, more close up picture.

Only one of my first 20 guests stayed for 10 or more nights.

[Lilly28]

@Paul1255

I have the same question. And some more specific ones - i.e. how can a reference be written from a friend, I never used airbnb, but I have many friends who know me from my childhood and now travel a lot - using airbnb. So they can compair other places and accomodations with what I have to offer. I have another problem - I have not connection with airbnb to my mobile phone - just stopped to ring about 10 days ago and I have to look at the computer avery 2 or 3 hour,s time if there is a request - did not have IB still then. And I am always worried that I did not done something well in my listing - please, give me your opinion, please!

[Paul1255]

Hey @Lilly28 I don't know about your references question- maybe someone else will be able to answer that for you- but in my opinion your 145 x 5* reviews from guests who have stayed in your home have far more value than a reference.

Have you tried deleting the airbnb app from your phone and then re-installing it, and also updating the app to the latest version on your phone? It must be frustrating to be tethered to your computer!

Your listing is clearly working for you as you have 145 x 5* reviews! The main thing that jumped out at me was that you're not using the 50 character allowance for your listing title- you could look to play around with that, max out your 50 characters to really get across your apartment- what makes your place special/different to others and run with that.

For me, I offer breakfast (no one in London seems to) and I am 15 mins from central London, and I try to give my space a luxury feel, so I went with "Luxe room + breakfast 15 mins from Central London" 

Your pictures really get a feel and sense of your space across and highlight some lovely touches which is great! If I was being really fussy I would adjust the order of your pics- perhaps add all your external shots at the end of your internal shots- and maybe re-take or remove the garage shot, it looks a little scary compared to your other beautiful pictures! 

I have recently taken a few of my best reviews, screenshotted them and added them to the end of my listing photos, so guests can click through them before getting further down the page- most guests look at your photos first then to the reviews, so a little taste of the reviews at the end of the pictures may be a good thing. (and if they aren't taken straight away by the photos, they may get hooked with a taste of the reviews without having to move down the page)

Have you got some particular concerns about your listing Lilly?

[Lilly28]

@Paul1255

Oh, THANK you, Paul!!! 

I will rearrange the pictures, I have done them myself and they are not the best one can have, but I have not got a wide angle camera, besides, my camera is very, very old!

Yes, I have a problem with the title - and I really do not know how to advirstize my flat. Paul, there are so awful flats, really in disgusting destinations - and they have nothing more than beds, new kitchen, no pictures or objects of beauty - and they advirtize their flats as LUXURY - or - IN THE CITY CENTER! My area is comparable to Chelsea in London, the same atmosphere - the same feeling and the same, even less distance from the center. It is not as Bayswater, South Kensington or Oxford street(where mostly rich arabs live) - and I hate when someone is giving me 4 for location - in fact this is the most expensive area in Sofia. I had a title - STOP! The best spot, 2BR+garrage, but then guests were not pleased with that SPOT - they wanted Oxford, Kensington or Regent street for that title...you understand what I mean.

And I have a problem with my OLD mibile-phone - which worked perfectly before - it is even an antique - Nokia 040-045916  CB2-3. I have not got an app... And I am asking for advice because just of a sudden I dropped from 1-st page - 1-st picture - to the last one! In fact - there is only one more page - and my picture is in the middle of the before the last page. In the same time these flats which are advirtized as Luxury - stay in the first page... well, there are also boutiques, designer, ect., but half of them are there just because they have more than 200 reviews!  

Sorry, Paul, sorry to bother you with my worries, but I am really upset - when I went wrong?

[Lilly28]

@Paul1255

You helped me a lot!!! I am at the second page now - up 15 pages - from the 17-th... and 1st place first page in my area!

I so much like English people!!! That is why it is my dream to visit London - I have seen many times all museums there, but did not have the chance to chat or have a long talk with anybody except a lovely family, the woman worked at Sotheby once upon a time.

Sorry that I cannot put thmbs up again! THANKS, Paul!

[Paul1255]

Hey @Lilly28 your pics look much better in their new order 🙂 I see your new listing title, but I think it could be even better!

-What is the chaplain connection that you mention?

-What % of guests drive to you/pick your listing because of the garage?

I'm just thinking if it isn't that many then you could scrap the garage part and add something more relevant...I can come up with a few ideas for you 🙂

Also waiting for your visit to London!

I'd also say, that unless your bookings have drpped off a cliff it isn't that productive to look at where your listing is when you search for it...when guests are looking for somewhere to stay for a trip this isn't how they find us- they put in particular dates, select particular amenities, and so on and so forth that we don't factor in from our side. (my most recent guest conducted her search by selecting the "breakfast" amenity, the one before her the superhost button....

What is way more useful is asking your guests how they found your listing when they were searching for a place to stay- I do it and make changes here and there depending on what they say.

[Lilly28]

@Paul1255

Thanks for your attention!!!

I meant Charlie Chaplin,s film - Modern times - with buttons and chains everywhere inside his room... I think - most people have seen the film and are going to understand what is the meaning of my heading.  I mention this into the short description - that there are buttons and chains - and only beds are staying in their place as on the picture.

Garage is too often very important - as too often I have guests from our own country - with a car, of course, then from Macedonia, Turkey, Greece, Romania... I even had a guest from Danmark who told me that the garage was the most important thing and I should always mention it and give it for free, the same with a couple from Netherlands and even Australia and Israel. Rent a car in Bulgaria is very, very cheap, so too often tourists are renting a car here, staying just a day or two in Sofia, going in one or two other towns in Bulgaria, then going to Macedonia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bosna...even to Hungary! And flats with a garage cage are really a rare find, as free parking on the street is not allowed in the blue (absolute center) and green zones(my flat). It is almost impossible to use the car for seeing the city but too often tourists are going to our beautiful mountains... And the problem with my garage cage is - that it is too far away from the automatic door and fussy guests are not pleased with that situation, besides - you have seen that this part of the building badly needs repair of the ceiling, although the one inside my cage is intact and in good condition.

I do not want to have a higher price for everyone, as half of the guests are not using the garage, but I constantly have a problem how much to charge for using it. I did not charge for using it until our area was with a free parking on the street, but now it is a green zone - so use of the garage is a must.

Oh, I was so circumstantial, sorry! 

[Paul1255]

@Lilly28 ok I see!

The reference was a bit hard for me to connect, but you know your guests 🙂 

And great, the garage is important so keep that in your title! You should add a charge for guests who wish to use the garage...if there is paid parking somewhere around you check that price and come in under that price.

Paul 🙂

[Lilly28]

@Paul1255

I added a quote by Charlie Chaplin in my short description - I think that way helps with connecting the title.

As for the garage - very, very difficult how to charge it - I constantly change the fee, because the garage is not in good condition, you mentioned it. But at the nearest 5 stars hotel there is a fee of 24 euro - just for parking the car in plain air! - not a covered cage. One of my previous guests wanted that I give him the money he paid me for using it for 3 days back! - because - he told me - I have used it just for a day as it was not useful to leave the car so faraway - that is under the bloc of the flat, but having to do 3 rounds to reach my cage, so 100-120 meters, he told me he left the car in the street instead. Fine for that is very high, and usually the car is collected and you cannot have it back for at least a day after paying the money -  but on the other hand it is free to leave the car in the street after 8.30 p.m. until 8 a.m.  And my cage is o.k. - that is only the ceiling of the garage - these 120 meters - which is awful and in need of repair.   

[Paul1255]

Hey @Lilly28 Ok I see now 🙂

Tricky with the parking situation for you- I guess not everyone will be happy about the location of your parking space, but if they are prepared to take the risk on the street!

99% of my guests come by public transport, but a few drive- I can buy visitor parking permits for visitors cars, so if they are driving I buy a day pass and add the cost to the resolution centre for the guest to pay for it.