Oops, looks like loading a photo has changed since I last added a post. That's The Guest Suite used in the email about "setting goals". It's my property and I don't set any goals.
LOL, I have no goals except to do what I always do. I'm laughing, because you used my property and income to head up this topic.
I do have some tips. Go with your gut when making decisions. When I was told to lower prices to attract more bookings, I resisted, then when sufficiently annoyed, I raised my pricing, several times, until I noticed that I was no longer being solicited to lower prices. I also maintained a steady stream of bookings and realized that I was not losing bookings.
I raised my minimum night stays because I live in a city visited by a large number of tourists each year. While not everyone is in this position, I encourage anyone who is to try that. It takes just as long to clean up after a one night stay as it does for a 4 night stay, but your income has quadrupled and your work has been minimized. If it doesn't work you can always reverse it. This accounts for a good portion of my increased income.
I don't charge extra fees for anything. Everything is included in my pricing so I don't appear to be nickel and diming potential guests. I am flexible with check in hours and allow the guest arrival time to determine check in time, even if inconvenient for me, because I still remember waiting 6 hours for my Airbnb in Amsterdam, only to knock on the door to find the other guests had not left and the cleaning crew took another 20 minutes to "clean" it for me. My first priority as host is to keep my place clean enough for guests to notice. I put effort into it. Try to not keep guests waiting for an arbitrary check in time. I wonder why so many hosts select 3:00 p.m. for a check in time, when they can compete better with hotels by offering an earlier time.
I decided to not underprice comps in my neighborhood, because it was like comparing apples to oranges and felt like a race to the bottom; we are all so different. I don't compete with hosts, but with hotels.
I have no instant booking nor self check-in. I need to meet guests and have time to email them several times, to offer personalized service and build some kind of rapport. The charm of the traditional B&B always included talking to the host and getting their input, while learning a bit about their culture. Without that, it's just a bed. Being friendly and hospitable costs nothing, but not putting out that effort can cost a lot. You have the advantage in this business if you really like people and show it.