Stop asking me to lower my price

Dallas1
Level 10
Durban, South Africa

Stop asking me to lower my price

Every now and then I get these emails from Airbnb telling me to "Turn lookers into bookers" and they provide examples of places nearby that got guests for X amount less per night than I charge. That X amount is usually considerably lower than my very reasonable price, sometimes up to 40% lower. 

 

Honestly, I don't want to be compared to places that are so cheap, because the reality is that cheap guests come at a price that is not worth my efforts. Whemever I have lowered my price to suit the Airbnb search algorithm I end up getting less than stellar guests and I really don't want them. Almost every guest I have had with any Airbnb experience tells me that our place is the best value they have ever found. Why can't Airbnb see that? 

 

 

64 Replies 64

@Sandra126 I been back and forth with Airbnb last 3 days (account security) and we got to discuss many things while talking since we could only talk on the phone to bypass the 'listeners', and this came up a few times. They laughed when I told them I even get these, and they said "You got to be kidding, you are booked with US!" I had them laughing about  'Rafael' they run-away crazy computer.

Neil-and-Ellen0
Level 3
Coarsegold, CA

Do the math. They ask you to lower your price 20-30%, to get 10% more bookings. WHAAAT?

Danny21
Level 5
Manchester, United Kingdom

As an experiment, I accepted the 'suggested price' which lowered my already reasonable price down by £/$15 and a day or 2 later got the same email again and I repeated the process again. By the time I'd gone through the 3rd email, the price of my room was £/$5.


Who in their right mind would advertise their room at an insultingly cheap price and secondly, god only knows what sort of person would be in your home.

Suffice to say, I removed the suggestions and reverted back to my standard price. If I do use Smart Pricing, I only budge at most 10%

 

AirBnB are making it more and more of a hostile place to be part of. It's certainly NOT what it used to be when they first started out.

Kathy134
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

This is not the first time I see an issue related to this situation. It seems that many hosts go through the same stressing feeling you mentioned; seeing that their listings are compared with much cheaper places that do not look much like the service offered.

 

It particularly happens to me that they compare my 3-room apartment with shared bedroom listings, which of course should be cheaper but at the end, they are not much cheaper. Could you imagine my outrage at seeing that comparison?

 

Meanwhile, I have chosen to ignore those messages and use tools that seem to have a better suggestion for our prices.

 

Now I am using Wheel House and I have heard that Beyond Pricing is also very good.

 

Best for all!

Dianne71
Level 2
Perth, Australia

Like you I'm a Superhost in Perth Australia, Ive been Airbnb host for 4yrs now, I started my luxury appartment at $120 AUS per night for 2 guests then an extra $20 AUS for extra guests. Airbnb has pushed so hard into the Perth market that there are now over 3,000 listings in this small city. I now charge $85 per night for sometimes 6 guests in a 4 person apartment. It costs me $60 AUS for cleaning and our powere and gas costs are very high. AT thios rate I am paying for my guests to stay with me. I have always done luxuary linen, shampoos, soaps washes laundry powder tea coffees and extras . But now I have NO booking from May on and Airbnb keep sending me emails that I should be $17 per night cheaper, or $22 per night cheaper. I'm sorry but as the price drops so does the standard of Guests. A lot of them lie on their booking info and say theu have 2- 4 people and turn up with more. They break things and dont say anything , they also turn all the Aircon and hgeaters on and walk out the door for the day. 
I feel used and abused by Airbnb and their total mismanagement of what should be sustainable business practices. All their stratergy7 is grabbing a bigger market share by using us the Host to fund ith push and paying to buy guests bookings. WE have to protect ourselfs from the BIOG business hurting and using the little man. Its so common now. Uber, and other business that let us carry the cost of the product.

Ive over it >

Jean-Gérard0
Level 1
Marseille, France

Bonjour ,

Je suis moi aussi super hôte sur Marseille ( FRANCE) et je rencontre le même probléme que vous , et malheureusemnt je pense que airbnb n'est pas vraiment interresé par des maisons particulierement belle et qui sorte de l'ordianaire.

Malheureusement , ce sont des robots informatiques qui font remontés nos annonces auprés des voyageurs et si vous ne vous conformer pas à leur prix à la nuité , votre maison n'est plus présenté au voyageur en premiere page mais plutot vers la fin.

Malheureusement cette politique de location à n'importe quel prix, entraine pour moi une baisse de chiffre d'affaire de 30 %.

Par conséquent , j'ai toujours mon calendrier plein et je travaille 20% de plus pour au final gagner moins 30%.

Je pense que Airbnb fait baisser le marcher et il s'en rende compte , je pense que c'est pour cela qu'il souhaite créer un Airbnb+ , pour les maisons qui sorte de l'ordianaire et qui ne peuve pas être comparé par des robots qui ne voient pas la difference car il ne dispose pas d'oeil , mais que des données comme le nombre de couchage , le nombre de Tv , si l'appartement est buisiness ready Etc.....

J'espere que ce nouveau service ( AIRBNB+) sortira bientot , car je me pose la question d'arreter de louer au travers du site AIRBNB et de placer mon appartement sur des sites plus qualitatif.

Bonne journée à tous.

 

Hello ,
I am also a great host on Marseille (France) and I meet the same problem as you, and unfortunately I think airbnb is not really interested in particularly beautiful houses and sort of the ordnance.
Unfortunately, it is computer robots that make up our ads with travelers and if you do not conform to their price by the night, your house is no longer presented to the traveler on the first page but rather towards the end.
Unfortunately this rental policy at any price, for me causes a drop in turnover of 30%.
As a result, I still have my calendar full and I work 20% more to ultimately earn less than 30%.
I think Airbnb lowers the walk and he realizes it, I think that's why he wants to create an Airbnb +, for the houses that sort of the ordnance and that can not be compared by robots that do not see the difference because it does not have eye, but that data like the number of sleeping, the number of Tv, if the apartment is buisiness ready Etc .....
I hope that this new service (AIRBNB +) will be released soon, because I ask myself the question of stopping rent through the AIRBNB site and to place my apartment on more qualitative sites.
Good day to all.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

When in doubt - do the opposite of what Airbnb's computer asks you to do. 😉

Ceci10
Level 2
Mexico City, Mexico

Yes so true! It’s getting really bad actually., it’s like prostitution of our work, there is more demand so if you want to be in the game you have to put the prices we want to

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

My latest tactic is to raise my prices every time I get those notices telling me to lower them. And every time, I end up getting booked. Making more than I would have at my original (lower) price. Very satisfying, to say the least.

I like your style, Rebecca!

Michael460
Level 3
Woodinville, WA

I disabled the almost-daily “lower your price” emails from Airbnb. Not only is it irritating, but it is offensive to have Airbnb assume I need pricing recommendations in the first place. I’m perfectly capable of looking up pricing on other listings, of posting a question about pricing to community members, and of deciding what my own labor is worth to me. Why would Airbnb assume that any person who is 1. A property owner, and 2. Able to complete all the steps required for listing their property on this platform is somehow incapable of deciding on a price?

Sheryll1
Level 2
Taupo, New Zealand

Every host I know gets really annoyed at Airbnb for sending those stupid emails. I actually checked and found our warm bedroom with own bathroom was being compared to a caravan! And it was the middle of winter. I agree you generally get what you pay for so for goodness sake Airbnb STOP SENDING THOSE STUPID IRRELEVANT EMAILS.  

Elly0
Level 4
Eugene, OR

As it has been mentioned, some lowering their prices, hurts us who don't wish to price any lower.

Everyone who has this valuable feedback, please consider giving it to Airbnb via https://www.airbnb.com/help/feedback where it could make a difference.

I would be curious to see if every guests would lower their price... Should we rent at $10  a night a whole appartment? Hosts who are putting low  prices don't realize how they are makig less money even with more bookings!

Kathie21
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

I too am fed up of those emails (Airbnb suggests I list an entire 1 bed bungalow for £24 pounds a night 😂), and also the ones telling me to accept shorter bookings (it takes me at least 5 hours to do a changeround clean, whether it's for a 1 night stay or a week).  The funny thing is, I used to have it set at 2 nights minimum (now 3) but I only had one 2-night booking - all the rest are/were longer, so obviously "people in my area are NOT booking shorter stays"!  I wish I could turn these emails off, but it appears that would turn off my guest arrival reminder emails too, which are actually useful.