Very slow bookings

Kamar0
Level 2
Kingston, Jamaica

Very slow bookings

Last year around this time, I'd be booked out and receiving so many inquiries. I'm getting my property viewed and faved alot but not many booking for this summer period. I've been a super host from the beginning, instant booking turn on, along with great reviews.

Let me know what you think I should improve on. Thanks

21 Replies 21

Though reading this forum almost a year after, I agree with @Florencia61. We are in the Kingston Market, a supervisor with 60+ five stars and started in 2014.

 

We not the cheapest rental but more premiu m priced, we have research rd and applied various algorithm strategies to rank high (except) reducing our prices and we noticed that we are relegated to first page 13th or sometimes on the second page of searches in Kingston.

 

Properties with thr e or four stars but cheaper prices are ahead of us, their photos tend to be low quality, incomplete portfolio and they still rank higher. 

 

This is ridiculous!

Joanna85
Level 10
Las Vegas, NV

@Jann3 You need a thick skin and you need the total understanding that it is A LOT of work for very little return.  There are a lot of hosts who pride themselves in all 5 star ratings and invest their time and money to ensure they get these ratings, regardless of who stays with them or what the request is. Not only that, but I find it hard to believe we all get different guests. I think all the guests are pretty much the same mindset and budget level or they wouldn't choose Airbnb in the first place---Airbnb is for the budget traveller.  We are not hotels.  The idea of Airbnb was to help our fellow person a night's stay in a clean, safe room for a night and share our cultures----not to provide Ritz accomodations at below hostel prices and not have some sort of exchange with who is staying with us. We are far, far from that if my clean sheets and private bath and greeting the guests in person are not good enough for the price I have set in my home in an above-average neighborhood.  

Spencer28
Level 3
Los Angeles, CA

I've noticed the identical phenomenon.  Frankly, it's maddening.  The only thing I can perhaps attribute it to is the fact that more and more people are doing this.  I never thought I'd say this, but there needs to be a system where it's regulated.  Just issue permits and have the city inspect the properties.  There are simply too many people who are doing this now who are jumping on the bandwagon.  The early adopters who actually know the system and have achieved superhost status are suffering due to this saturation.  I've been doing this for several years and I've never experienced a slowdown quite like this one.  It's come to a screeching halt.  I have properties in several different markets and this is happening across the board.  I'm fed up.

Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

Hi @Spencer28

I wonder if its a backlash at airbnb, my airbnb bookings have disappeared and its now all Tripadvisor or direct bookings with guests saying they will either not go through the airbnb verification or not willing to pay the booking fees.

I'm contemplating replicating my listing, snoozing the original and seeing if a new one with the new listing boost will do any better. It might not have any reviews at first but the superhost badge remains.

Hi Jeff, have you tried snoozing and creating another listing ? If so, let me know how it has been going so far?

Michael1624
Level 2
Christchurch, United Kingdom

Hello

same here the main problem is to many people now on the bandwagon!

Almost everyone I know is letting a room/cabin/Annexe hotels are using Airbnb I’m my opinion the Airbnb cash flow for hosts is pretty much over.

i have a one bed luxury Annexe £60 per night out of that is my cleaning cost laundry food Airbnb fee 

I net around £46 Airbnb are suggesting a price of £48 Get real Airbnb! just not worth the hassle at that price.

mike.

Susie5
Level 10
Boston, MA

@Kamar0, I have also noticed some slowing down in bookings. I just looked at AirDNA and apparently, the number of hosts has more than doubled in the 3 years since I started hosting - so the competition is much more fierce.  I did a search for Kingston JM on this Airdna.co site - 
https://www.airdna.co/market-data/app/jm/default/kingston/overview 

and found the following basic info: rentals on the market went from 282 in 2014 to over 2,300 in 2018... so the competition has become super-fierce.  You can have a look and find some useful info even if you don't subscribe.

I use "beyondpricing.com" for my pricing - they take a 1% commission but I think it is very worthwhile. They adjust prices within a range  I set and they have a lot of seasonality data, hotel occupancy, etc. and it is adjusted for events which I might not know about e.g. gaming conventions etc.  I believe their site will have some good info for you (if they do JM, not sure...) - good luck!