Making a listing more attractive.

[Gillian96]

Hi there,

This is my first foray into hosting, and I have one booking already for January, but am interested to know if there are some general tips and tricks for me to take on board.

We live in Raglan NZ, and January is high season for tourists. I am aware most people have already booked up their holidays by now, but on the off chance that I might get some extra bookings, I thought it would be a good idea to check.

Thanks in advance 🙂

[Graham-And-Michelle0]

Hello Gillian and welcome to Airbnb hosting.

if you search this community centre site , using the search bar at the top of the page , you will find a huge wealth of tips and ideas.

Most guests are aware of the need to pay immediately they make their booking and so we are finding that they book incredibly late, unless it’s for a busy time or specific event.

Instant booking also means that guests can book and do book very near to the dates they require and now that so many people are hosting the guests are pretty secure in leaving booking until the last minute .

We do occasionally get bookings well in advance , up to a year even .

Your listing looks very attractive and as you have been guests  yourselves you will be very aware of fellow travelers needs.

Best luck .

Michelle

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Gillian96 Your listing is very charming. I like the shabby chic dinning table as well. 

1. Place captions on all of your photos to explain the view. It’s an extra opportunity to ‘sell the dream’.

2. In the section for describing the space, use bullet points to indicate the specific features of your listing. Bullet points make getting the information you want in a quick way. 

3. Be patient. Your price is right in line with other listings. No need to tweak that yet. 

4. Add more pictures of the space or add pictures of the town and local attractions. A cool sign with the town name or something. It’s really about branding. The kitchen needs better pics and the bedrooms too. Are there any bicycles in the garage we can borrow? What about the wild flowers in the area? 

I also thought of this, I know in Australia they charge for bedsheets and towels, maybe they do in NZ as well?

Maybe consider placing in your listing ‘no extra charge for linens’, just to see what happens.

I swear the offer ‘free sheets’ might be enough to get a booking.

Also, not sure if you offer breakfast but a nice picture of a bread basket with jams and coffee tea might help. Good luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Gillian96]

Thanks team. Will amend the things you have mentioned! Just got our second booking yesterday-awesome! And they booked for an extra night as they found it good value. Very cool. Appreciate the tips and the wisdom. Happy New Year!