my home has become somewhat of a destination point

[Cheri2]

I feel like my home is become a theme park for some people.  They dont leave and go out to visit the area, or eat or hike or do much other than sit in my home 24/7.  I am trying to think of a nice way to suggest I am here for a bed and bath and that is how it is priced.

How does this sound?   "The cottage pricing is based on your coming to sleep and wake and spend your day time elsewhere,  not as a tourist destination for the duration of your vacation if you would like to make arrangements to spend your days and nights with us please make your request at booking"

Your honest thoughts are appreciated.

New host.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Cheri2

I'm glad to hear you will go with the price increase option 🙂

Camp Cheri really does look like a perfect place to unwind and relax~ 

[Annette33]

@Cheri2 , I loooove your place. - and your inviting attitude, plus the absolutely great reviews you have, but I am a bit puzzled that your offputting remark  "only come here to sleep and wake.." is still in your description. I can only emphatically agree with @Robin4 that that is contrary to everything else about your listing - and I am one of those people that would come to unplug at your place! 

Seeing now that you are actually considering going the other way, by offering your guests stuff to do, a word of caution: you didn't like so much the idea that people were hanging at your place all day long, for sure they'd do so even more once you offer activities. Just raise your prices - without offering more than you do now, how would that be? You absolutely don't have to add anything to raise your prices as you are "too cheap" right now anyways! 

Adding those farm activities sounds lovely, but you are opening yourself up to a whole new set of problems: it should all get paid for through the Airbnb platform, not via cash while guests are there, that might just lead to trouble. as long as "Experiences" is not available in most Airbnb locations, to run payment for these activities through the "change reservation"  or "request money" platform seems tricky to do. 

Furthermore, kids could get cranky, parents not happy, liability issues could arise, etc..when you involve yourself into their activities.then they want a refund, etc...now, don't get discouraged if that is what you'd love to do, I am just raising some questions that come to mind..

How about you save yourself all that trouble, just charge more per day, take the offputting remarks out of  your description and enjoy the extra income 🙂

Good luck, and continued happy hosting!

PS: I know (sleepy) Brooksville, I lived up the road from you in Ocala...

[Rachael26]

@Cheri2

I would definitely pay lots more to stay to see 'chicken milking'. ! Cute. 🙂

[Robin4]

@Rachael26

And I would definitely pay more to see a Guinea pig held up by it's tail! 😉

Cheers....Rob 

[Amy38]

You are renting a cottage...you cannot tell people how to spend their days.

looking at your listing, I would say you are charging way too little for what you offer.  How much are the local motels? You should be no cheaper than they are....look at what you are offering guests.

I would want to just relax and read a book and would pay a lot more than you are asking.

[Mark212]

Cheri, turn your challenge into a positive. welcome your guest into your world and invite then to enjoy your surroundings as much as they wish to. Point out to them all the highlights that you offer. I would suggest never to discourage them. I would just put a very petite note in the room, that if they wish to use your space in addition to the restful night, for a minimal charge of $$$ and they are welcome.

Mark, Brooksville,Fl

[Linda108]

@Cheri2  I agree with the other hosts suggestion you go with the flow and increase the price.  Now, being nosey (former psychologist) what bothers you about your guests hanging around?  Hmmmmm?  Just kidding, but I would think that you have developed a retreat for yourself and you probably enjoy all the attributes you promote.  Perhaps you could reduce the number of bookings and still make the income by increasing the price.  Just a thought

[Karen313]

@Cheri2 Love your post. In writing a reply, the app is generally lacking if one is using a phone, so I will try to message. Came across the dilemma you have several years ago. An experience sounds like a smart idea for you given what you have shared!

[Zacharias0]

$45 a night and in the middle of no where! No wonder guests are staying on the property all day. Increase the rate to at least get peace mind in knowing you are being compensated appropriately.

[Em4]

@Cheri2  reading your listing, sounds to me like you have pretty good instincts.  you'll adjust whatever it is you want to adjust as you go along.   in the main i agree with @Paul.

superhost.  56 reviews.  126 views this last week.  315 saved.  per night NZD 90 less tax, less BNB fee.  so heaps you can adjust if you want to.

the way the listing is advertised together with the pics, my feeling is that you are actually inviting guests to stay all day.  eg place to read, could make a movie, regular feeding times etc, even though further in the listing you inform about the surrounding area.  in my little experience, guests selectively read and sometimes in a really super limited way.  they will also put their own spin on the words in the listing picking and choosing what applies to them or not.

sounds to me like an issue i had in the first couple of months of opening.  you want to be available to guests but you also have chores to do, hospitality can become burdomsome and some people are just plain greedy in terms of taking up your time. if i was looking to adjust, i'd take the shared space away.  that would place them at the cottage for their stay.  so it shouldn't matter if they decide to stay all day or not.  in terms of cleaning, i would just go ahead and clean.  sometimes you have to wait, sometimes not.  in terms of hospitality, i prefer to greet guests or i will have a trained staff member take care of it if i am indisposed.  I am also available at breakfast and generally at checkout and i try to make myself available at night for an hour or so.  even though my day starts at 4.30am on avarage i still will not get to bed much before midnight.

re increasing your nights tariff:

you can do this without giving more. 

re extra activities:

i would offer these activities separately.  the advantages are that you can develop that part of your business over time and adjust whats provided and what a reasonable cost is for your time and expertise.  and you can not just request advanced bookings but also a minimum number of people and set 'tour' times.  it also will mean that eventually you can make it available to other tourists in the area.  the business metrics can be more straightforwardly assessed. 

re cooking:

if there are no cooking facilities in the cottage, it takes little to install a kitchenette with tea/coffee making facilities and a small or secondhand refrigerator or to provide a bbq outside the cottage etc

🙂

Em

Hukawai Lodge

Franz Josef, NZ

https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/15418840

[Lucy-and-Loic0]

Hi Cheri,  

Guests that hang around your property and want to spend all their time with you can drain a lot of energy, I understand what you're saying, and I think we all know that some are more needy than others.

There might be ways to encourage people to get out and see the sights, just by the way you approach the topic when they arrive.  You know, actively trying to get them out and about, by strongly encouraging they sign up for a guide for a day-long visit to the wildlife preserve for example, (five minutes of your time for a whole day of peace) etc.  to give you some private time alone.  If you can find people who offer ideally full-day excursions and promote them heavily at the outset?

I would also remove the offer of massage on site because that emphasizes the idea of staying put and relaxing instead of getting out to see the local area.  You could outsource that to a somewhere else if possible, that would get them out of your hair for a little while.

If you're thinking of raising your price, it would be worth it to calculate how much time you actually spend on tending to guests that hang around, be it cleaning up after them, thinking about what they're getting into, worrying that they'll monopolize your time when you should be working, or relying on you for entertainment of any kind, and come up with a dollar value that you feel it's worth to you, then add that into your price to help you get more of a sense of satisfaction from it.

Otherwise I would change the listing and remove photos of things that might encourage people to see it as a destination rather than a home base for touring the area, for example, but I see others have addressed this in previous responses.

Hoping you find your happy medium and that you continue to enjoy hosting! 

[Cheri2]

I added in the description my own version of an "experience".

at least I will be able to know who is wanting to hang out and who is just visiting the local area attractions.

thank you all for your input and help.  I love Airbnb.  and 99% of my customers.  the only thing I dislike about it is this website.

I just find it hard to navigate and I've been on it for a year still cant figure it out.

[Em4]

@Cheri2 looks like you worked it out for this phase.  reading your listing sounds like if i intend to hang around i can ask about the 'experience' or i can just stay at the cottage.  i can also book a massage.  and i now know some activities just beyond your gated farmette. 

prior to this change it sounded as though i could just turn up and you would for no additional cost, take care of me...all day and night.

re BNB website - you worked this out, you'll work the website out.  all things take time.

🙂

Em

Hukawai Lodge

Franz Josef, NZ

[Link hidden]

[Kate157]

Like many others have posted, @Cheri2, I agree on nor putting harsh language defining daytime guest usage. I also sympathize with your wanting guests to go out during the day and leave your space (which sounds wonderful, by the way). While I feel the same way, I also know that when I pay money for a space, I do not expect to be restricted as to when I can access it. I agree with the others, raise your prices and edit your listing to be less wonderful and attractive to guests who view it as a retreat.

[Isabel203]

Hi Cheri - Your place looks AMAZING! Everything about your listing says "resort": from the name of the space ("Camp Cheri"), to the the descriptions on your pictures (a great place to write a book, relax and unplug, you can feed the animals through the day), to the reference to "unofficial camp counsellors" who will entertain children. This is not going to attract guests who are just looking for a place to crash for a few hours before heading out on adventures. If I booked with you, it would be because I want to hang out in my pjs, read a book, and commune with nature and a cup of coffee. If you want to encourage people to use your space as a base but be out through the day, you might want to try changing your listing a bit to focus on fun activities nearby and down-play the reasons to stick around.