appearance of bait and switch advertising

Andrew45
Level 2
Woodstock, NY

appearance of bait and switch advertising

.       Prominent under the photo of one of our seven properties is a bold face "$80  Per Night."   In fact, the next 4 weekdays are $80. but all other dates are $95. to $110. [This is the cabin on the Poetic Creek, Catskill, New York]   I feel this reflects badly on us as hosts - we should have some control over this part of the presentation of our properties.  

.       While perhaps many today are inured to sleazy advertising and accept it as normal  - and I suppose it is "normal" in the sense of abounding - I feel this tarnishes our reputation.   So simple it would be to say "$80 to $110  Per Night."   Hosts should have the option not to partake.  Please.

.       In our annual update to most of our 1000+ past guests, [not all from Airbnb, we started in 2005] we felt it appropriate to include this:   "A disclaimer:  The prices posted by the photo of each property on the website are misleadingly low - it seems to be in some cases the lowest price of any date, not what one will usually have to pay.  Unfortunately, we don't have control over this presentation, which makes us look like we're running a bait and switch operation."

Andrew Peck and Chloe Dresser, Woodstock, New York

1 Reply 1
Clare0
Level 10
Templeton, CA

@Andrew45 I know exactly what you are talking about.  I have weekday / weekend pricing as well as seasonal.  Lower in the winter months, higher in the Spring and Summer.  

Take a look at my listing:  airbnb.com/rooms/469622  You'll see that I have disclaimers too.  While I only accept reservations 4 months in advance, I set as my base price the highest price I would charge in the next 4 months.  That way, many guests will have a pleasant surprise when they book a reservation when the rates are lower.  The opposite of bait and switch. 

I've researched the competition and even though I set as my base rate my highest rate, it is still competive with other listings in my area. 

I also have manipulated the Availability Settings, requiring different minimum stays for dates that are not yet available, to get the "Add your travel dates to see more details"  in the area where the view calendar would be. 

I feel pretty confidant that I've found a work around for the problem you describe and have not had any negative feedback.