Lack of Guests

[Priscilla150]

3/12/2024

I thought I posted this, but since I do not see it posted, here it is again.  Sorry if there is a similar post on here from me.

I have two rooms available.

Sweet Dreams which has a private entrance and because of that, people book it more than my other room.  Men or women may book this room.  There is a permanent renter in that area, which is noted on my site, but has never been an issue.

Safe Haven is the room within my home and is for women only since I am a single woman living alone.

Until approximately 6-8 months ago, my rooms were booked the majority of the time.  However, that has all changed and I seldom get any bookings.  My ratings are good.  I have had others go in and look over my site and they found nothing wrong.  The site is pretty much the same as it has always been with the exception of updated photos for the Sweet Dreams area since I remodeled it to add more room to the Kitchenette and more closet space in the bedroom itself.

I and my home are simply, not fancy.   But we are both clean and friendly.

I would appreciate any feed back as to why my rooms are no longer being booked. 

Another request would be for opinions on other platforms that any of you might use.  I like Airbnb because of the calendar and payment options they offer.  I did try Furnish Finder over a year ago, but that was not successful at all.

Thank you,

Priscilla

[Zashon0]

Hi Priscilla,

I think you may have stated the potential issue yourself (the site is pretty much the same). 

A lot of times our listings can get dropped in ranks and result in less visibility/promotion on Airbnb due to our listings being stagnant. I would recommend going in and changing up a few things such as:

- replacing your cover photo

- change up your prices a bit

- run promotions and discounts 

- ensure your listing is well optimized 

- change the title 

Those are just a few things you can do to engage with the algorithm.

In regards to a different platform option, you can try VRBO. it's good as well, a bit complicated at first but easy to get the hang of. It's great for long term bookings. VRBO brings in at least 80% of my long term bookings. 

Hope you find this helpful and happy hosting!

Regards,

Zashon 

[Priscilla150]

Thank you Zashon...  Great advice.

[Kia272]

@Priscilla150  It's not the algorithm. The travel and hospitality industry is subject to supply and demand just like many other industries. Right now there's more supply than demand. Pretty simple. 

[Priscilla150]

Thank you Kia.

[Karen4131 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Priscilla150 

Like the other responses you've received, I also believe that the difficulty in getting bookings, despite having good reviews, is due to the intense competition.

There are some additional things to consider ...

Here is a picture of the search results: 

1. When searching for Salem, Oregon, USA without filters, your listings don't appear among the 15 pages/300 listings that Airbnb chooses to display.
   
   
2. If you apply the "One bedroom" filter, your listings appear on page 2 ("May you Always have Sweet Dreams") and page 11 ("A Warm and Friendly Safe Haven For Women Only")
   
3. However, if I use the same search with a filter for a maximum price of $100, your listings appear on page 2 ("May you Always have Sweet Dreams") and page 4 ("A Warm and Friendly Safe Haven For Women Only") out of 15 pages, which is actually quite good if you think your customers filter by price(?).
   
   
4. If you choose the filter "Guest favorite" your listing "Safe Haven..." automatically becomes invisible.
   You're a superhost, but Airbnb's "Superhost" filter has been replaced with "Guest favorite."  
   
   Many experienced Airbnb users have become accustomed to using the "Superhost" filter over the years, and now we can expect many of them to use "Guest favorite" instead. Whereas "Superhost" relates to you as a host, "Guest favorite" relates to individual listings.
   And that's a problem, which can only be solved by achieving Guest favorite status for both your listings.
   
   (However, it's still worthwhile to be a superhost since Airbnb favors superhosts in their ranking of listings).

Another thing you can do is to contact Airbnb by phone and ask them to categorize your listing in the "Rooms" category. (Upper left at the photo beneath)
There aren't yet many listings in that category in Salem, so you might gain an advantage there.

To get back among those favored by Airbnb, you can also take advantage of some of Airbnb's campaigns. Look under pricing: Early bird campaign, discounts for multiple nights, or other offers.

As some others have mentioned, it's important that Airbnb's search algorithm can see that you're an active host: Replace some of your pictures/Update your description/Make changes to your calendar.

Regarding pictures, competition has also become very intense here. Even though your home looks nice and inviting, I would suggest taking some brighter pictures and some exterior shots on a day when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. -

I think your place looks incredibly appealing. I like your nice titles and what you write; as a woman, I would choose your place anytime. Your reviews are also quite special.

I wish you all the best

Karen

[Priscilla150]

Thank  you Karen for such nice words and input.  I will definitely take all of this into consideration.