"Rare Find" Moniker: How? Why? To what end? Cheats?

[Richard531]

There is no doubt that having your home designated as a “Rare Find” is a very good thing.  It gets guests more fired up to book your home (I know it does when I search as a traveler!) and it certainly indicates that your listing is popular in some way, shape, or form.  It publicly tells this to you (yay, validation!) and to your guests alike.  We have the designation on our listings because we work super hard to keep them booked 365 (like, literally, not one vacant day, ever, the entire year).  So this is not a conversation about my listings keeping/losing that designation.

Instead, I’m obsessing over competing listings in markets where we operate having the “Rare Find” moniker when they seemingly shouldn’t. I know, for a fact, that these listings are not running anywhere near the same velocity as we are.  I’m not going to stop obsessing about it, so please let’s not talk about how I shouldn’t care!  I care and it bothers me! 

OK, so then how do these guys accomplish this?  I’ve heard that they block their calendar in some way.  That’s not a Rare Find, then!  Could it be that guests all booking super last minute and there’s more people booking than I think?  But then when you look back at a month and see the number of reviews, it’ll be 4-6 per month.  A fully booked listing in pretty much any market, should easily have 10-15 reviews per month.  I mean, some listings in particular, you can look out several months and they have EVERY SINGLE DAY available between now and 3 months out.  The listing still says “Rare Find.”  Could they be in cahoots with someone over at Airbnb?  In some cases, you can observe these listings lose the Rare Find designation only to regain it several days later.  And their calendars remain the same as they were (from my overly obsessive observations).  What gives?  Anyone know anything more about this for sure?

If a place is hereby designated a “Rare Find,” it should be. . .  A Rare Find!  Anyone know anything further about this or have the same thoughts or observations? 

[M199]

@Dave52 

I would really like to hear what the case manager told you.  Maybe, between all of us on this thread, we will be able to fathom the logic.

[Ann72]

@Richard531  My cabin has had that rare find diamond a lot.  It's closed for 6 months of the year.  (And no, I don't cynically block the calendar to trick the algo into giving me "rare find."  It's an unwinterized cabin so it has to be closed for half the year.  Hosts who block their calendars usually have their reasons.)

It has been very heavily booked every year since I opened it, but this year is starting off a little more slowly, with plenty of nights still available between May and October.  Yet I still get the "rare find."  See below.

  

[Fred13]

Oh come to think about it, I get it all the time, never thought anything of it this mentioned here. Yes naturally to wonder what the criteria is to be designated such.  Since before Covid, we were booked 3 years in advance and now not fully book this year -yet-, I guess I read it as 'rare' that you that the browser is even able to book it. But no, doesn't make sense in some of the examples given above.

[M199]

We are in almost the same situation as @Ann72.  Being closed for 6 months of the year due to winterizing the cottage.

Just food for thought, I was looking at similar listings in our area, no filters.  Within our area there are 300+ Airbnb's, however when I filter on Pet Friendly, that number drops significantly down to about 90 available.  So, then I started to ponder, is it possible that the "Rare Find" moniker is not based solely on bookings, but rather a variety of indicators.  For example, similar listings, confirmed bookings, availability & # of amenities, and overall ratings, and maybe even individual category ratings.  Of course, there is always past history that could be having an impact.  We may never know! But it does make a bit of sense to me.

@Fred13 - Keep your chin up, travel will change. There was a news article for Ontario, Canada, today where it was stated that the provincially run campsites are booking at 2X faster than the same time as last year.  Up from 30,000 to 60,000.  There is hope, travelling will be back, just maybe not in the same way.

[Richard531]

@M199  This is, by far, the best explanation that I have seen yet.  It's one of those theories that kinda checks all the boxes to explain almost everything we're seeing.  I think you are definitely onto something. 

The home may be "rare" in that it's booked a lot while also being "rare" in that it offers more/different amenities or better past performance/reviews then similar listings.  In which case the "rare" delineation may be a lot more sticky on a listing, even in the face of soft bookings.  Because even though it's not "rare" in the sense that it's heavily booked, it's very existence makes it "rare."  And I have been hating thinking that a listing would get the moniker from having an "in" over at Airbnb.  And this helps me not to think that nasty thought either 🙂

Of course, the whole thing is conjecture, but very well thought out and a big 'bravo' from me on this original (at least to me) notion!

[Stephanie2315]

@Richard531 sorry a bit of an old thread but, I came to search it after I realised I had this "rare find" moniker on my listing. I believe @M199 is on to something. My listing is only 4 weeks old. I was booked more or less solid after the 1st week of listing it so far & have 6 reviews 4.88 rating & 530 30 day views. But, my place is a "rare find" in that there really isn't another place like it nearby. It is just a very simple single camping pitch (no other campers) but, I offer foraging for fruit, mushrooms & herbs etc. & sell organic veg boxes & firepit & outdoor shower etc. So there are some unusual amenities selected for the listing including smoking & dogs allowed as mentioned earlier in thread. However, weather went downhill & as its a camping pitch it probably affected booking rates now & I actually don't have a booking for several weeks now & the rare find moniker just dropped off it as well. 

I also have noticed that over the years searching as a guest most of the places I see with the rare find moniker have some sort of quirk. They are almost always slightly unusual & different from surrounding listings. Its never on basic listings as far as I've seen. I think m199 is correct on amenity selections compared to other surrounding listings & also booking rate must have something to do with it as my rare find moniker just dropped off as I now have a gap in my bookings. 😄

[Amie20]

@Richard531 - i feel so seen!  😛  We have poured over competition (i dont like the term "enemy" research because we are all working hard similarly and trying to be successful - i don't consider all of us "enemies")... and am PERPLEXED how we can be booked for months with only a scattered cluster of days occasionally, not booked, dynamic pricing puts us well above the market rate on bookings, yet we have never earned the "Rare Find" badge.  This is one issue.  The more concerning issue, as you well articulated, is that when we look at the calendars of those that DO show in searches as a "Rare Find" - not only are they not booked as solidly, some have shoddy reviews compared with our 5.0 overall rating, and sometimes they are booked almost NONE for 3 months out (comparing bookings longer than a 3-mo-out period doesn't seem relevant since many don't book beyond that point). I have had to come to a similar conclusion - that the algorithm must be complicated, based on far more than actual bookings - past, present or future - and in some way benefit AirBnb financially by pushing those bookings.

This doesn't help one bit with understanding the algorithm for Rare Find, but I hope it gives you a little solace to know that others are experiencing the same frustrations for the same reason(s).  

[Ann72]

@M199  Good points, but I'm not sure.  One of my places is one of the few that allow smoking on the property (outdoors or on the screened porch), but it's not usually a rare find.

I think, as I noted to @Richard531, one factor is that a place might have a history of being solidly booked.  Another factor could well be that it's often booked on popular search dates.  For instance all three of my properties are booked for the 4th of July weekend in January.  That's a date that is going to be searched more often than many others.

[Inna22]

@Ann72 thats interesting about smoking. You think it actually helps you in search? How many people blur the line between inside and outside, smoke with the door open and stink up your place?

[Ann72]

@Inna22  No one ever.  Only me until I quit smoking last year.  I think I'm the only person I know who never, ever smoked outside.  I even smoked in my office and my landlord turned a blind eye (he's old school, plus he adores me because I'm never late with the rent).  I used to drive my housekeeper to distraction when I stayed.  She would be in fits wondering if she could get the smell out before guests came.  I know all the tricks, though 😂😂😂

I didn't say it helps in search - I said it doesn't.  The house where I allow smoking doesn't get the rare find thing.  It's a family house so it doesn't get as much off-season action as the cottage for two.  Someone here thought that if anything narrowed the search it would get the rare find.  But I don't think that's true.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72 Haha, me too. I smoke inside if I don't have guests in residence. Since it's warm enough here year-round to have doors and windows open, it doesn't linger, and I don't have carpets or a lot of things that retain odors.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977  Exactly!  We know all the tricks 🤣

[Inna22]

@Ann72 , I agree, I dont think its true. According to airbnb I am the property with a fire place in a surrounding area which would make it a rare find yet no one has ever used the fire place so I doubted anyone actually uses that filter. 

[Mary996]

@Inna22  Yeh but people just like looking at fireplaces....!!!!!! (I'm one of them. So think its cool that you have one).

[Richard531]

Oh no. . . Although the logic and reasoning are perfect above, I think we're still not on the right track. 

The definition of a "Rare Find" is right there when you go to make a booking at a would-be rare find.  The little diamond pops up and it says "This is a rare find.  XXXXX's place on Airbnb is usually fully booked."  So now we're back to wondering why listings that are WIDE OPEN say they are a Rare Find and "fully booked" when they are not 😞