Finally, more bookings today than cancellations

[Melodie-And-John0]

I want to start this conversation with a bit of a disclaimer, My wife and I are able to mitigate the majority of the risks associated with hosting guests in the 2 suites and our glamper, If you cant stay separated from guests and without recirculated air, it may not be time to open your doors yet.  We are and have been open for business during most of the C19 but for the most part, the only jingle jingle I was getting on my phone from Airbnb was another cancellation, no cha ching, just a crapload of  waaah waaah's instead. 

Yesterday gave us just a hint of a glimmer of hope, we did have a cancellation (Waaah Waaah) but we had 3  (Three, Trois, Drei), bookings (Cha ching! cha ching! cha ching!).   One instant book arrived self checkin 11:00 last night for 2 nights; a local couple  (40 miles away) that needed to escape their kids for a couple days, thats exactly what Chesney was talking about would help fill in the spaces where folks from across the pond once stayed.   

Im good with that if that's a new norm I can count on, that remains to be seen but this is a good start.  Anyone got any like stories of actually doing what we do so well, hosting guests?   By all means, please add those inspirational signs that life can, will and is returning, maybe not exactly as we remembered it but a heck of allot better than Waah Waah all week long....  Stay well, JR   

[Melodie-And-John0]

We get some occasionally @Fred13 , We don't have shared spaces per se so long were not mingling on a daily basis so the potential is there to do longer term stays.  The best guest we ever had was with us the first time for 1.5 months and she is like a sister from China to us now.  The ones we have had have been great and not having to do clean-outs is a big plus.

I like being a Inn Keeper better than a landlord, I tried the Land lord thing a couple decades ago with a partner on a property we rehabbed in Utica, it was a nightmare I wont ever repeat and dont want to remember.    We have been reluctant to go down that road here purposefully just because we are afraid getting to know guests that well can come with unintended consequences and new baggage were not anxious to carry on an extended basis.  Be well, JR

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 , I think the Microwave and guest might have to go!   I bet you have many interesting stories to tell.  We hosted International exchange students for years when I was growing up. I had brothers and sisters from Japan, Brazil, Columbia and Mexico, it was always interesting, mostly awesome but not always wonderful.  We were rural hosts, most students came from bigger cities, they were often in shock at least the first couple weeks but most learned to like, some learned to love it.  A couple of them felt like we were somehow there to serve them (my mom made it clear we were not very quickly).  I suspect that was because back then, most really needed to be wealthy to be an exchange students coming to the US and many were accustomed to having maids and servants.   In the end, we were definitely  the most multicultural household in school district, fun stuff.  Stay well, JR

[Sarah977]

@Jessica-and-Henry0  This past December and January were my most booked times since I started hosting. Aside from my one day prep block, I basically had back-to-back guests for about 7 weeks straight, which has never happened before, they're usually a bit more spaced out. Was I ever happy when Feb.rolled around, when I had blocked off 3 weeks for my daughter and families visit.  

I really like hosting, and am missing it now, but I could never be one of those hosts who wants a 100% occupancy rate. 

[Fred13]

Funny you say that @Sarah977 , we now want to do only 200 days vs. 340 days, way too crazy. We raised our prices last Fall to accomplish making the same, but less chaotic, then Covid-19 hit and we redid the island and taking it another level, so the new raised price should go over very well.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Sarah977 , from feast to famine so to speak!   We were well on our way to our fourth growth year in a row as well but I am pretty sure that prospectus has changed with C19.  Our goal isnt to beat or even match last year now, its now to host as often as we feel we can do safely and the buffer day provides that for us. 

Heres another thing about the cool off day I have been thinking about, the more hosts employ them, the more places will be unavailable.  That may be a good thing for hosts in the end, we should be able to charge more to help cover buffering costs because less booking choices exist.  Just a thought, JR

[Fred13]

I always think backwards, in other words - If I want to hit a certain income and host only so many days - how much should that  daily price be to hit that combination, thus what do I have to do to get it.  But one thing for sure, the days of back-to-back guests is history, I begun to hate them. 

[Ute42]

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@Fred13  

We have an interesting phenomena here in Germany.

I have a vacation rental that sleeps 10 and in January I was fully booked out for 2020. All reservations till to date have been cancelled of course because right now there is a rental ban, but we can start hosting again by may 30.

Due to Corona everybody in Germany has cancelled their hollidays in foreign countries and now they all want to vacation inside Germany. I got a lot of mails from former guests asking if they can come in July/August.

One of the rental platforms I use sent out a circular email saying that last week booking inquiries from guests have gone up by factor 25 compared to march. For the few available dates that I have I have now raised the price and people are accepting it.

Usually I rent one week for 1400 Euros, but 3 days ago I sold a week in june for 2800 Euros. I have their 50% = 1400 Euro downpayment  already in my bankaccount (no airbnb booking)

Funny, isn't it?

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Ute42   Das es ser gut!   Its also exactly the type of shift that Chesky and others have been postulating and a shift I can live with if thats where its heading.  Its almost always true that when one door closes, another opens, you just have to open the right one and were in uncharted territory.   Stay well, JR

[Fred13]

While I have never been a fan of 'what the market bears', meaning charge what one could get away with rather then what is 'fair' (different for every one); conversely we sure could get burned out by working 24/7 as a direct result of charging too little. Oftentimes the person we are lastly fair with is ourselves.

[Helen3]

In the UK all hotels and STRs are banned until 18 May so no-one is hosting (perhaps better to say should be hosting as sadly some hosts still breaking the law).

I think it is likely this ban maybe extended but it works slightly differently in each part of the UK.

Personally I can't see too much opening up here until June although a slight easing this week with those in manufacturing and other industries be encouraged to go back and easing on going out for exercise.

What we don't have is the US system where if you don't go back to work because of concerns around the virus you can be sacked and left without recourse to welfare benefits, which to us seems very harsh.

[Fred13]

@Helen3 It can be harsh, or sound harsh, but every nation does have a different 'citizen abuse factor' for lack of a better phrase - meaning what % of its populations lives by nothing but hustling or taking advantage of the kindness of others.  Their scam is usually cloaked in some kind of fear, false allegation or  invented 'right'?  After traveling  around the world a few times, I would venture to say it is very different among even western nations and every one of them appears to have unique citizen 'issues'.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Helen3 , truth be known I think you’ll find that very few American citizens are without a fallback of some sort and very often some of our poorest eat better than the wealthiest in so many nations.  These are desperate times but we have a very generous government and population that never stops sharing helping to make sure that very few people get left behind, stay well, JR