A PLUMET IN BOOKINGS due to a change in ALGORITHM ?

[Sandie70]

From being almost fully booked, I have not had an advanced booking in over a month. 

The search engine now gives details of far and wide and not the particular area you are searching for.

I have just put in a search on a very small particular area and out of 18 places, 3 meet the description of where I am looking for. 

Airbnb's response is that I am still getting plenty of views resulting in no bookings and therefore I should look at my settings. My settings have been perfect for two and a half years. 

I think it can be explained by the fact that when people are searching, they are now being directed to a huge amount of irrelevant properties that they are then forced to filter through before getting to what they are searching for.  

This is not our issue, this is something that I believe Airbnb have to look carefully at. 

This is sudden and drastic and coincided with changes that have been put in by Airbnb.

Please return to original settings Airbnb, they were great for both guest and host.

[Guy991]

Hello @Sandie70 ,

Your property looks amazing, and the description as well. I don't have much experience in Airbnb hosting like you, but I've also experienced a sudden plummet in reservations, suspecting that there is a new algorithm. I figured that the new algorithm requires a new pricing strategy. Old pricing strategies might not work anymore. I am still trying out different pricing strategies every week, and I have a feeling that it has to do with the promotion option because as soon as I marked a few days with a 5% promotion, it was booked within minutes. It wasn't so much the discount but the fact that it was promoted. It's worth trying to explore different pricing methods; you can always go back to the old pricing.

Please let me know if you discover other pricing strategies that work.

[Sandie70]

Thank you Guy,

I think that competition is increasing and that may require me making changes. I will definitely try the promotion option. 

However the main change which I am certain has caused an issue with my bookings is the search engine. 

Before, if you put in my area, it would list everything available in the area and then other properties in the surrounding areas which was great. 

Now when you put my particular area in, I either don't show up or today I was ranked 9th(again perfectly acceptable) but with the first 8 being nowhere near my search. Out of the first 18 properties, 3 were in Symonds Yat. 

This is the change that is causing me this issue. 

Unfortunately all I can do is to feedback in the form of data and somebody may take note and make changes.  

They have told me to feed back to

https://www.airbnb.com/help/feedback

which I have. If you are finding the changes detrimental to you, I suggest you let them know too. More people may lead to change 🙂

Good luck and best wishes

[Helen3]

Yes it's so frustrating that the Airbnb search engine shows properties outside the search area @Sandie70 

However I wouldn't assume this is the sole reason for the drop in bookings.

many areas in the the UK are suffering from oversaturated markets couple with falling demand because of the cost of living crisis 

have you had a look at supply and demand for your sort of listing in your location ? 

[Sandie70]

Hi Helen,

thank you for your reply. Whilst changes to the economy and an influx in new airbnb properties are factors to consider, I am certain that the sudden loss of bookings that completely coincides with the change in algorithm is the reason for this.

It is too sudden to be a coincidence. 

As stated in my response to Guy991 

it is the changes in the nature of a search. They are no longer specific to an area, they cast their net much further afield. This would be ok if when listing available properties, priority is given in the ranking to distance from the original search.  This in my case does not happen.

I will however look at  other things I can do, one being listing elsewhere which has been something I have been fortunate not to have to do.

Good luck and best wishes for the year ahead 

[Helen3]

To be honest @Sandie70 this is not new or a change 

Airbnb have always shown listings outside of the search area - or at least it has for the eight years that I have been hosting. 

and absolutely it always makes business sense not to rely on a single marketing channel but to look at other STR listing sites /advertise with your local tourist board/take direct bookings.

however I do feel it's more likely to be connected to oversaturated markets have you looked on Airdna or similar to check

[Zheng49]

Yes there has been an algorithm change since the November release that has impacted a lot of superhosts. Also there was that removal of the superhost filter which also impacted a lot of superhosts. So yes it's slow compared to before.