Critique my listing - Ann-Marie in Canada

[Ann-Marie68]

Hello!  

We have just posted our first listing. Very excited to start hosting.  This resource/community centre has been awesome, so much to read and go through and so much to learn. 

The listing went live this afternoon and I am still working on some of the information details. To my surprise I just got a booking for July 1-Sept 5!!  Wasn't expecting that.  The only concern I have is I know in the beginning it is suggested to get shorter stays to increase your rating.  I thought I had set it to 14 days, but see now that was not the case if they booked for that long. 

Thoughts???   Feedback on my listing is greatly appreciated.

[Clara116]

@Ann-Marie68 Hi, your listing looks nice and I just checked for myself, I could have booked several months at your place. You might wanna look at the settings and make sure and hit the save button....also, do your changes on a laptop/desktop not a phone. That might be the problem? Until you get it all sorted out I would turn off IB instant booking, because once the guest book you never want to cancel on them...only if there is a major disaster/problem, its the biggest offense you can do as a host. Also, guest will need to ask to book and it helps start communication with guests and you can ask questions about who is coming, names, etc. And rely important information they might not have read. 

One thing I noticed, you put in Things to Note - about you and your family and animals living right there. I would have that in the 1st or 2nd paragraph of the listing, also add descriptions on each photo....and add about the family/animals. Guests often do not read much of the listing and only look at pics so you don't want them to book and block your calendar for a time period and arrive and be shocked that you live right there with family/animals and be unhappy. So in your messaging make sure they understand that before booking. Just a thought. 

Happy Hosting & Best wishes, Clara

[Ann-Marie68]

@Clara116 Thank you for taking the time to review and give me your feedback.  Greatly appreciated and yes, I found out the phone is not the best option and I am using the laptop moving forward!  So much to learn!!  I set it as 2 day minimum and 14 day max at the moment.  I assume a guest could ask for longer and I can then extend if I wanted???

[Clara116]

@Ann-Marie68 Yes, you are correct - its a constant learning as a host for sure. Sounds like you are getting it straightened out. and Right you can always book longer, and for sure the guests will ask when they so desire. 

Happy Hosting, Best to you

[Colette203]

Good tips Ann-Marie68. Managing guest expectations is KEY to good reviews and happy guests. Assume that people did not read your listing and you'll do OK!

[Colette203]

Hello from Salmon Arm. Nice listing. It looks very clean & tidy! On the negative side, it's  a bit sterile and greige. You should pop down to Winners or someplace similar and buy some oversized artwork, plants, a wicker basket... There is no personality in the place. I get lots of compliments on my decor - which is minimalist with some very personal funky touches - a guitar, lots of poetry, original artwork, painted thrift store furniture. I also find the two white cushions on the couch jarring, aesthetically. I'd also recommend taking your photos with the pot lights off or dimmed. Brighten the image up in an image editor. If you ever want to do a house swap, I'm from Ladysmith and love to visit the Island!

[Ann-Marie68]

Thanks for your feedback. It is minimal right now but we will be working on adding some more pieces and we have the artwork all coming from local artists. Just takes some time and $ but we do hope to give it some color and more of a welcoming environment once we get these extras added. 

[Huma0]

@Ann-Marie68 

Your listing looks nice overall but I'm a bit disconcerted by the amount of lights in certain areas, like the kitchen. Perhaps there is a lack of natural light coming in but the amount of lights seems a bit excessive to me. I am not sure if you have been hit by the energy crisis and soaring utility bills, as many of us have been and they are continuing to go up, but have you considered what you energy bills are going to be like if guests leave all those lights on for prolonged periods of time? Even if you can afford it, it's not that environmentally friendly. Also, the photos taken with more natural light look much nicer than the ones with artificial lights everywhere.

The space looks clean, spacious and fresh with all essential amenities and the photos of the local surroundings make it seem quite appealing, but it does seem like it's lacking in some personal touches and details, which is perhaps something you can address over time. For example, I think you could dress the bed more nicely, which would give the impression of a more luxury accommodation. 

You have over 40 photos, which seems a bit excessive. I would narrow this down to around the 25 best/most important and representative ones.

[Ann-Marie68]

Thank you for your feedback on the listing.

Lighting is all led and most switches have dimmers. But I appreciate the point you are making and do agree natural lighting is best when doing photos. 
Yes I do hope overtime to dress up the space more. Didn’t want to do too much at the start and see how it goes. So appreciate the feedback. 

[Andrea-and-Glenn0]

@Ann-Marie68  Hi Ann-Marie and welcome to AirBnb. These boards are very useful and there is an answer (or opinions) on just about anything to do with hosting on AirBnb. 

Feel free to message us, we would be happy to help. We had 2 local mentors that assisted us early on and I’m so grateful for that!!

Enjoy/Andrea and Glenn

Mill Bay Cottage

[Ann-Marie68]

Thank you so much. It is wonderful to have these boards and even better when connecting with someone local. I appreciate it very much. So much to learn. I will definitely reach out as we get our listing going. So far the guests have been great. 

Ann-Marie