My bookings suddenly stopped

[Karody0]

I have had literally no issues, have a 4.86 rating.  I just started this AirBnB and it booked fast and had no vacancies for the first 7 weeks.  Now bookings have suddenly stopped.  There are only two AirBnBs in my little town and we are only 12 minutes away from a bigger town., so we have plenty of travelers.  What is going on?

[Zheng49]

I wonder if it might be related to how new bookings get a boost in the search algorithm. 

[Marie8425]

@Karody0 

Your place is very cute.  I would suggest aa  few  minor things:

Obviously minor because Guests don't complain in reviews, but dings in  cleanliness even more so  when housekeeping is included should be addressed in a positive way.  Include in your description positive feedback  helping   you start has helped you identify and solve minor inconveniences.  Don't say what just because everyone will be checking it haha

You mention activities to do create a Guidebook so I can see ideas.

I would  think your market would be a vacation spot for a small family.  If I am a couple with 2 or  3 preteens even $100 a night is probably a great deal.  Horseback riding lessons.  I can bring the family dog.  You mention activities nearby.   Cater to that market, they will appreciate what you are offering.

For that market change your cover photo  to the photo that shows a nice comfortable living room to gather.

The photo from the loft looking down  is cool but remember we don't know the house and in that picture the loft stairs are in front of the sink.  I assume they go up or something I just don't know?

[Bhumika]

Hi @Karody0 , Looks like @Marie8425 has offered some amazing advices to attract guests to the listing. Did you get a chance to consider the ideas? There is a similar conversation started by Host @Marta1757 titled " 100 views and no bookings… " , where Host @Kelley152 shared a tip about offering discount that seems to have worked for Marta. I wonder if they had any ideas for your situation! 

[Kelley152]

Hello @Karody0 ! In addition to maybe offering a discount (as mentioned previously), here are a couple thoughts...

When I first listed my (very modest!) Airbnb suite two years ago, I also found that after an initial boost, reservations slowed down. New listings get extra promotion at first! I don't actually know how the algorithms work, but what I have found is that if I constantly make updates and interact with the Airbnb interfaces, I can maintain momentum.

I'm just assuming the following  efforts, done on a routine basis, positively impact guest reviews & the algorithms (but they do positively impact guest and host experiences!): make improvements to the space, update & improve photos, check how the listing appears to viewers and adjust & improve as needed, compare how my listing stacks up to other similar listings, communicate proactively before/during/after bookings, participate in this community center, follow up on every piece of feedback from guests, and more. Your 4.86 rating is really positive. With a few tweaks, I bet you could get ratings even higher than that! Higher review ratings would definitely boost your appearance in search results for potential guests. Best wishes!

~Kelley

[Bhumika]

Thanks so much for sharing your tips and guidance @Kelley152 with @Karody0 ! 😍