Listing not getting bookings

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

Hi there fellow hosts! I am seeking your help and input. My listing is not getting very many bookings and I don't know if it is just due to the competition in our area or if there is something(s) I can do to make my listing more appealing to prospective guests. If some of you with more experience than I have could take the time to look at my listing and give me advise/suggestions on ways I can make my listing more appealing it sure would be appreciated . Please also tell me what you do like about my listing (if anything). I am not very experienced at this and would really appreciate some feedback from more experienced hosts! I have already posted a question very similar to this one but only got one response. Would sure appreciate more than one opinion!

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 Hi Huma, I have made some changes to my listing could you please give it another look and let me know what you think? I really do appreciate all the time and trouble you are taking to help me out. You seem to understand the look and ambience I am trying to acheive and your suggestions have been extremely helpful.  I am definitely not finished but just want some input on what I have done so far. Thank you so much, Mary M.  ( when you have the time of course. )

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

That's already a big improvement! The living area seems to make much more sense now. Just changing the pictures has given it a more coherent style. I'm still not crazy about the purple rug, but it does seem to tie in better with the colour scheme now, perhaps because there aren't as many different styles going on, or perhaps because the lighting is better in your new photos so it doesn't look as dark as before. 

Great also that you've taken a photo of the shower with the curtain pulled back. Before, as a guest I would have been worried about what is lurking behind the curtain and if you were hiding something! Now, I'd be reassured that there's a nice clean shower available.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks with the new paint colours. Out of interest, what are the darker colours you have chosen for the feature walls and are you going to use the doe skin shade in all of the other rooms or just the living area?

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 Hi again Huma, and again thank you for taking the time to look at my listing it is very much appreciated! As for my feature walls if you look at my listing the color in the entryway behind the tree sculpture is one of my accent colors. That color is being used in the entryway and dining area with the other walls being the doe skin color. In the bedroom and living room for my feature walls I plan on using a dusky purple and haven't decided yet what color to do the other walls in those rooms. I don't think the purple goes with the doe skin might leave the other walls white. What is your opinion? Thank you, Mary M

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

When you say dusky purple, do you mean a kind of lavender shade, or something more like plum?

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 It is more lavender than plum. The paint I have is called lavender suede. I do like the idea of plum just thinking that might be too dark and close the room in. Thank you, Mart M

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

That sounds really nice. Yes, I think a lavender shade would work better with the country cottage theme than plum.

[Huma0]

It's hard to say whether the lavender will work with the doe skin or not without having seen the paint as even a slight variation in tone, e.g. how warm or cool the colour is, can make or break the combination. Do you have any photos, perhaps from the paint manufacturer's catalogue or website?

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 Hi again Huma, I have painted my feature wall in the living room. Could you please take another look at my listing and see what you think? I value your opinion and suggestions as you seem to understand the look I am trying to achieve and I definitely appreciate you taking the time and interest to help me out! By the way since I have made these small changes I have gotten 3 bookings! Yay! Thank you, Mary M

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

Sorry, I only got back from my work trip late last night. Tht's fantastic that you have got three bookings just by making a few simple changes.

I looked again at your living room photos but I couldn't get a clear idea of the colour of the feature wall, perhaps because of the lighting. It doesn't look lavender in the photo, or did you end up using the doe skin on this wall? It might be a good idea to take these with a bit more natural sunlight if you can (I know it's not easy at this time of year!)

By the way, I couldn't find the post with photography tips that I mentioned as it was a while ago, but here is a list of tips, at least some of which should help.

• Make use of the free Airbnb photography service if it’s available to you, but still make sure you prepare your place well before the photographer comes and that it is clean and tidy and looking its best.
• Make sure your header image works in the cropped header format.
• Only use in focus, high resolution photos, including any maps.
• One of the most important aspects is lighting. In general, natural daylight is much more flattering. Pick a nice bright sunny day, open the curtains/blinds as wide as possible. Unless you have professional lighting equipment, minimize the use of artificial light, which can give photos a weird yellow tone, or flash photography, which can make them look stark and bleak.
• If you have problem focusing using natural light use a tripod. If you haven’t got one, steadying the camera on a stable surface at the height you want works just as well.
• If the view from the windows isn’t so attractive, shooting interiors on a bright, sunny day helps to ‘blow out’ the view, i.e. you won’t really see it. Don’t focus on the windows though as it can make the rest of the room look dark.
• If, however, you have nice views, make sure you take images of them on a nice, bright, dry day, but remember shooting exteriors is very strong sunlight in the middle of the day can cast harsh shadows. Morning or late afternoon light is usually prettier. So, this goes for images you take of your neighbourhood as well. Don’t shoot your street on the day the bins are put out for collection!
• Think about angles and composition, including where you crop the images. Try not to chop off bits of the main features you are showing.
• Shoot straight on if possible, not from above. Or, sometimes you need to get low down, even on the floor, to get the best angle. Think about what is important to show in that image, e.g. do you need to show that much ceiling, or would it be better to lower the angle?
• Step back as far as you can to get more of the room in shot, but if you are taking pictures of ‘details’ don’t have lots of unnecessary space around them.
• Try to get your horizontal and vertical lines as straight as possible, e.g. the edge of the floor, sides of the doors, chimney breasts etc. It just looks neater, as does closing the door if you are taking an image from inside a room (unless there is something particularly lovely visible through that door).
• You may want to photograph some of the conveniences you offer guests, e.g. washer/dryer, storage etc. but if these are not particularly photogenic, maybe include them in your description instead. If you really want to show these conveniences, first try to make them look as attractive as possible. E.g. if it’s the inside of wardrobe, invest in a set of matching wooden or fabric hangers.
• If you have the budget, matching bedlinens look great. Pick plain, neutrals that go with your room, or if you want to use pattern, make sure they match each other AND the décor of the room. Plump up pillows/cushions, but tuck in duvet covers and blankets etc. neatly. Think about how a bed looks when you go to a hotel, or look up images of hotel bedlinen.
• Hide away cables, extension plugs etc. In the bathroom pics, put the toilet lid down and hide away as many toiletries and cleaning materials as possible. If you want to show that you provide toiletries, take a close-up pic of the nicest looking ones you have.
• When photographing guest books or similar, make sure you shoot them straight on, against a plain, uncluttered background and that the comments are in focus.
• Edit your selection of photos and make sure they are of a similar quality, including those of your neighbourhood/surroundings. Twenty photos are probably enough. Don’t use two or more shots that are almost the same, just pick the best one.
• Make sure you include relevant and descriptive captions.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 Hi Huma, thank you for looking again.  I did do the lavender shade on that wall the picture was just too dark to see it. I have taken a new picture this morning with better lighting. So if you could take another look and let me know what you think I would really appreciate it. I thank you for all the help you have given me so far it has proven to be good advice. Just the small changes I have made so far has increased my bookings. They have not moved me up in search results (nothing seems too) but I have gotten 4 new bookings since making the changes! Thank you, Mary M

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

Every time you post, you've got more bookings, which is really good to hear!

I like the colour of the wall. It doesn't look that dark, so have you considered painting the other walls in the same colour? If that seems too dark, you could always paint the others in a tint version of the lavender, i.e. mix some of the lavender paint with white.

If you decide to do this, make sure there's enough of a difference between the two shades of the same colour though. Also, it's important that you mix enough for the number of coats you need to cover the entire area you want to paint because it's very hard to mix it again to the exact same shade. Perhaps the paint shop you use might offer a paint mixing service if you don't want to do it yourself? 

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Huma0 Hi Huma, I am so glad that you suggested mixing white with the purple for the other walls. That is exactly what I was thinking! Thank you so much for all of your great suggestions they have proven themselves! No new reservations to report. Any other suggestions you have for other rooms would be greatly appreciated! Again thank you, Mary M

[Huma0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

I had some ideas for the bedroom, but it would be good to know what colours you decided on for the walls. Were you going to paint it in the doe skin and will there be a feature wall in another colour, if so, which?

[Huma0]

Also, getting more bookings is supposed to push you up the search results, so hopefully if you continue to get more reservations, your ranking will improve too after a while.

[Dani36]

Reciently AirBnb have been flooded with hotel listing thier rooms and it has pushed the house listings to the back of the search results.