What have you added to your listing that has been a flop?

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

What have you added to your listing that has been a flop?

Hey all, just wondering if you've made any changes or additions to your listing that you thought were going to be a great idea that ended up not working out the way you thought they would. Maybe you can stop other hosts from wasting their money on things that sound good in theory but don't get much play in reality.

 

To set the scene, I host a separate apartment that's part of my primary residence. No spaces are shared. I host about 300 nights a year; my average stay length is 2.6 days.

 

Earlier this season, I had a few enquiries from people who wanted a barbeque, but I didn't have one. Because I got multiple questions about it, I decided to add one. I picked up a very gently used good quality propane barbeque. It's been out all summer, and only one group has used it. One of the groups who asked for one stayed on the weekend: they weren't the ones to use it. 

 

The other one was about two years ago. Some of my direct competition had laundry available for guest use. I thought that adding a washer dryer might encourage longer stays or business travelers to book. I was worried about overuse, and asked in here at the time about how to prevent that. In two years, it's probably been used by 5 groups of guests. 

 

Has anyone else had a brainwave that ended up being a bit of a dud?

 

 

 

82 Replies 82
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Laura2592 @Huma0 @Mark116  Maybe it's because I just host a private room in my home, but I have gotten a lot of positive comments on the flowers I leave, as guests realize I made an effort to put them there for them, rather it being part of the general decor.

 

However, I don't leave a "bouquet" of purchased flowers- it's a very small pewter vase that I arrange a few of whatever plants I have in my garden that may be flowering in, along with some greenery. If there's nothing currently in flower, I make up the vase with interesting foliage of different colors and shapes. 

 

I'm lucky to live in the tropics where there is no shortage of plants and flowers.

 

It would be an interesting experiment to try leaving just a tiny vase with 3 flowers and some foliage on the bedside table and see if you start to get some appreciative comments.

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Sarah977 

 

Personally I think that guests (or at least some of them) would appreciate home grown flowers more than shop bought ones. Unfortunately, my tiny, shady garden combined with the London weather doesn't produce enough blooms to fill many vases, although I could occasionally do you as you suggest and have a tiny arrangement of something. I also find they don't last that long though.

 

One year (before I started hosting and when I was first getting into gardening), I decided I was going to try to grow some flowers for cutting. I sowed trays and trays of seeds indoors (no green house so the were covering every window sill, which is not really an option now with guests staying) and religiously cared for the. I did have quite a spectacular display on the roof terrace that Summer but it looked so lovely, I couldn't bear to cut them!

 

However, I did manage this tiny vase from roses and some random bits from the garden and was quite pleased with myself!

 

flowers.jpg

@Huma0  Very pretty. Even that, that you call a "tiny vase" is way bigger than what I leave. And yes, they don't last long- by the time my guests check out, the bouquet is quite wilted or dried up. But I don't concern myself with that- the guests just seem to appreciate that it's there when they check in- what Airbnb refers to as "special touches", which sounds like something off a soppy Hallmark card.

@Huma0I absolutely love that. I love flowers, and I would be delighted with any that a host wanted to leave for me. 

@Huma0 That looks awesome. You have a really sense of colour. 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Rich-and-Yan0 

 

Thank you! I didn't actually select that colour combination when picking the flowers. That was just what was blooming at the time, but looking at it now, I must have done it subconsciously as that is one of my favourite colour combinations at the moment!

Wende2
Level 10
Church Creek, MD

@Alexandra316   Hi all.......funny you mention the BBQ, I bought a small electric BBQ end of last yr, ashamed to say I've yet to put it on the porch, my listing is also a separate apt.  I already had the washer/dryer as the apt had been on a lease agreement before listing it, I don't think it's been used more the 3 - 4 times.

Wende2
Level 10
Church Creek, MD

Hi all......This is probably going to sound crazy but...I have an old, very old ginormous world map over the daybed with post-its for people to leave an arrow where they're from.  I've had people from all corners come here, some guests have told me it's interesting to see where people come from.  I also have a Hummingbird feeder on the porch all summer, you can see it from pretty much anywhere, and guests are happy to change the nectar if they're staying more then 3 days.  That's been a big hit, even had someone leave a message in the guest book that that was the first time they'd ever seen one.  And just recently had a guest say...BTW the Hummingbird feeder is a nice touch.

 

The only thing I'm on the fence about is the fact that I can have small children stay.  I've had an air mattress compressor broken, not a cheap one either, I feel for sure it's because the parents let their 3 yr old jump on it.  They also let the children...3 and 9... "redecorate" moving my things around.  I had made my mom a ceramic set of bunnies some 40 yrs ago, I had those in the bedroom.  Who would think someone would let their kids play with those, yep they did, and broke an ear.  Needless to say anything breakable no longer decorates the apt.  I'm thinking about having the list mention age appropriate 10 years and up.  Then again what are the chances anyone will even read it.

@Wende2  The map doesn't sound crazy at all- and the hummingbird feeder is cool. I don't need a feeder where I live- I have a plant that the hummingbirds love right next to the outside dining table on the covered terrace. Many of my guests have had an intake of breath when they saw one there.

 

 I think maybe it's the out-of the ordinary little features that a guest wouldn't just find anywhere that would make a impression, even quite simple things. maybe that's why they make no comment on the nice big bouquets that hosts here have said they left- a bouquet of flowers, while a lovely touch, isn't anything really unique.

 

 As far as the kids go, I guess that's just a decision you're going to have to weigh- if you get a lot of family bookings, it seems a shame to disallow children, on the other hand, if you're going to allow young ones, you certainly can't have anything breakable around that is precious to you. 

 Some parents just let their kids run wild and don't supervise them. But I raised 3 daughters and I can tell you that they never broke any more things than an adult might. However, if I was staying somewhere with them, the first thing I would do is put anything that might be attractive to them and breakable out of their reach.

 When I was abut 5 years old, my mother gave me a little tea set she'd had as a child and was saving for me. She made a big production out of presenting me with it and of course I loved it. But I managed to break one piece the first day I was playing with it. She got really upset, and even at that young age, I remember thinking "Why would she give me something so fragile if she was going to get upset if I accidentally broke it?" 

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

I was the kid who always took care of her toys, because my mother taught we early that there wasn't money available for replacements.  I had a Spirograph set, and lost one piece, and I kept looking for it until I moved out of the house for college.  My younger cousins inherited from me complete board games and toys (except for one Barbie doll that had suffered an alopecia scalp due to my curiosity to see if her hair would grow back).

 

@Wende2, the map sounds very cool, and a great way for guests to feel connected to your space.  Thankfully, like @Sarah977, I have plants, particularly very large Passionfruit vines that attract Hummingbirds.  Regarding the acceptance of smaller children, I agree with her advice.  On Airbnb you can choose to accept children are 0-2 years and 2-12 years. 

@Debra300  Those age designations Airbnb came up with are loco. There's no comparing a 2 year old with an 11 year old. Here's what I think the age ranges should be:

 

Infant not yet mobile on their own

Toddler- 6

6-12

 

While there's big range of mental and emotional development between individual children, an infant who can't crawl or toddle around can't do any damage- if there's damage, it's because the parents were responsible for it, like letting a baby pee on the bed. 

By the time a kid gets to be 6, they can be reasoned with, they can listen to and absorb the concept of what is and isn't allowed, and unless they are just brats who rule the roost, and who aren't well-supervised, they normally can behave pretty well.

 

@Sarah977  I like those ages.  Still wonder if parents would even see that in the listing.  Every question I get the answer is right there in the listing.  A friend said the parents are probably on their phones not paying any attention, guessing that could be true.  What ever happened to that does not belong to you don't touch it, or give me that.  Had a family stay that booked for 2 adults, 2 children, then came early before I was ready and pretty much barged their way in.  A little later I took a few things to them, there was everything under the sun all over the floor, and she was holding a baby, that was a big surprise,  even more surprising the place wasn't a wreak when I went thru it.

 

Do you still have what's left of the tea set.?

@Wende2 Nope, I have no idea what happened to that tea set- I moved away on my own as soon as I left high school and never went back. My dad saved some stuff he thought I'd want to have, but the stuff he saved wasn't anything I wanted, although my granddaughters get a kick out of looking through my old high school yearbooks and laughing uproariously at the dorky hair styles.

@Sarah977   I don't have much of anything from childhood either, we aren't saving type of people.  I do have all my yearbooks tho, I get a kick out of looking back myself  =^)

@Debra300   LOL at the Barbie doll, I had them but I was a tomboy and dolls weren't my thing.  I think my mom gave them to me so my friend would have them to play with as they didn't have the money to spend on those things. 

 

My rental is on the second floor, so you can't see the Hummers in the gardens.  I'm surprised myself when I look at that map.  My mom's file cabinets were in the attic and I started going thru them after she passed, it had been 13 yrs at that time, when I listed on here a couple yrs ago.  Seen an envelope addressed to my father and it was that map.  I have no idea how old it must be.  Oh, come to think of it, it was torn in a couple folded places too after kids had stayed.  Think I'll move it so they can't reach it, it's over the daybed, thought it made a nice choice instead of art.