Is it a vibrant or calm Hosting period for you?

[Sophia]

Hello everyone,

As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to check in with all of you and see how things are going 😊

The holiday season can bring a lot of excitement, events, and travel opportunities, but we know that it can also be a quieter period for some Hosts. Some people enjoy taking it easier around this time, wind down, and perhaps even take some time off.

Are you currently experiencing a bustling festive period with a high influx of guests? Or is it a quieter time where you have fewer bookings coming in?

Whether you're enjoying a steady stream of guests or facing a temporary lull, we'd love to hear about your experiences during this time and welcome you to share your wisdom with the wider community ✨

[Edward466]

I would say it is consistent, but certainly not vibrant.

[Cavel0]

I am not even getting any inquiries.  My first page search impression is 31.9%. Nov 13-Dec 13 is 501 average first page search impressions and average page views is 103. I am at a lost of what to do 

[Helen3]

Have you checked supply and demand in your area you may be operating be operating in an over saturated market @Cavel0

[Angelina7]

Me too.  No inquiries whatsoever.  The airbnb community is saturated with hosts.

[Alison1039]

Up in Massachusetts, even though I'm new and had no reference to December bookings, it's been extremely slow. Just 4 bookings whole month total of 5 days. Did same day check-in, auto book and lowered price... crickets

[Andrew1991]

Go back to long term rentals and sell all your furniture.  That is what we did.  BEST.  DECISION.  EVER.

[Daniela2458]

Hello Sophia,

Here in Portland, Oregon, it seems quieter compared to last year, although I can't say for certain. I attempted to access statistics, but I noticed that the month-to-month yearly reports are no longer available.

I attribute the loss of bookings to the city of Portland's lack of enforcement of the rules they introduced approximately four years ago. While the regulations technically prohibit entire houses from being rented out, there are numerous hosts who continue to flout these rules by offering entire houses for rent. As a result, the market has become saturated with illegal Airbnb listings. 

[Andrew1991]

You need to thank your blue state's liberal "progressive" nonsense and defunding the police.  Portland is the city where they allowed regressives to burn down an entire police precinct.  Maybe nobody wants to visit Portland and you all should vote better?  I know I won't ever go there as things currently stand.

[Dianne99]

Up here in country Strathalbyn, it’s been very quiet bookings from Airbnb. I’ve also had to amend my two night rule to take single night bookings which is a lot of work in a high end B & B.   There have been suggestions via Airbnb to lower my rate but I’m told by all my competitors here in the region I’m not expensive and there is a point where it’s not worth it.  I’m taking in family over Xmas so have blocked off some time for family and celebrating but I really hope it picks up next year. 

[Michelle1588]

Hello Sophia,

Thanks for the question.

Up here in NYC things have changed drastically. Not only has the city itself descended into a downhill spiral with its issues of homelessness, drug addiction, mass immigration, and overall lack of quality maintenance, politics and policies have come up hard against Airbnb.

Our city was beautiful and vibrant back on 2012 / 2013 - up to 2019, and hosting and traveling using Airbnb was just as great. A shift happened pre and post pandemic that caused a collapse in the quality of guests, hosts, and the overall awesome sentiment that used to be the culture of Airbnb. 

I closed my calendar for the rest of winter, but my bookings were coming in slow anyway. I opted out of instant book because of all the crazies and that has caused some of the decline I suppose.

Since the laws changed stating we cannot do short term rentals without a special license / permit issued by the city, many hosts dropped off of the platform for fear of having to deal with brand new inspectors popping in anytime they please - and other bureaucratic annoyances. Not many independent hosts wants to deal with this sort of thing.

I didn't quit hosting immediately when this drastic decision was reported. Instead I decided to only do 30 day bookings. But even that became stressful. Hosting guests for 30 days takes a lot of energy and vetting and it's difficult to always get it right. I've had mostly great guests but hosting for such a long time as a live in hosts had become stressful. 

I think the best times for Airbnb are over. This elite governmental system will always put its hands in everything we do and find a way to regulate it out of existence. I don't think I'll be here much longer. I have one more guest who's staying with me for 3 months...... and that's it for now. I closed my calendars.

This platform no longer belongs to the people who helped make it what it is.... Airbnb's Brian Chesky and his team sold us out to the demands of local politicians and their hotel industry sponsors. And all the other underground parasitic law breakers created niche markets within the hosting community (like big management companies - illegally renting places that should be going to long term renters, etc.) and independent hosts became the scapegoat for and we're now expected to bear insane oversight, micromanaging, and disruptive interference by the state. No thank you. A certain type of person becomes a host... we love people, but we also love our independence. 

These lawmakers want to treat us like children and create new streams of revenue for themselves at our expense, as if paying taxes is not enough. 

[Helen3]

I always smile when Americans complain about immigration when your country's success was built on immigration and is all the better for it in terms of food, art, music, culture etc  @Linda3481 

All large cities sadly face homelessness and other social issues and I agree we definitely need to do more as wealthy societies to support the more vulnerable in our communities . 

I live in a large city and have actually had my busiest year in eight years of hosting an independent home-share  host.

personally I recognise the negative impact unfettered growth of the STR market has on tourist areas and major cities so recognise the need for local governments to regulate @Linda3481 

In England registration is being introduced next year and in London we have had STR regulations for six years and it's one of airbnbs fastest growing markets .

[Andrew1991]

Smile all you want.  I hope you got those nasty UK teeth fixed while you smile about the failure that Joke Brandon is on the USA for the past three years.  I always smile when I see the absolutely atrocity that is people's teeth from the UK.  Do they not employ dentists there?  Do tell.

[Ashalee1]

Our country’s success was largely built on the institution of slavery. She was not complaining about immigration, she said that her city changed in the last of years and that affected Airbnb and one of those changes was mass immigration and homelessness. have you not heard about the buses of people that have been dropped off in major cities with limited resources, I seen videos of large groups of immigrants made of women and children breaking into abandoned buildings to have somewhere to sleep? It’s a real problem. We’re facing in the US, nothing I read about what she said was degrading. Very happy that London is going great for you and that your personal glass is half full, But this young lady was speaking on her own personal experience, and It’s unfair of us to narrate that for her.

[Andrew1991]

Perfectly stated and a large part of the reason I've deleted all of my listings.  

[Linda3481]

Hi Sophia! Thank you for asking. I’m enjoying reading the responses from other Hosts. Just starting our third year hosting. We are pretty steady with bookings, especially on the weekends. We also opened our second seasonal Airbnb last year. It didn’t book near as much as our first one but it is much different. Since it is closed for the winter we are making some changes to it. Hoping it will appeal to a wider range of guests. We will see starting Spring 2024. We also were notified that we now are being taxed by our county. We knew Airbnb charges guests different taxes that are required by law then forwards what is due the state.  but were unaware we ( Hosts) were required to pay  local county tax. After inquiring about this at our local county tax assessors office. Yes, we were responsible to pay “ short term rental “ tax monthly. Our county charges 2% of gross monthly income. Fortunately we were not back charged from the Airbnb’s start. We are starting to feel like since Airbnb’s are getting much more popular government is sticking their hand out to get a piece of the action. There is already so much added taxes on the amount paid by guests we felt we couldn’t tack on another tax to the guests bill. For now we are just paying it off the top of what we make. But I fear that Airbnb’s may become extinct in the future if this continues. I might add, check your local county to see if they charge a “ short term rental “ tax just in case. I was told not all counties do.