Vintage villa

[Siddhartha6]

hi eveyone, 

I am a new host in Airbnb and started with a vintage vibe villa with two bed rooms in the downstairs and 2 bed rooms in the upstairs. Property have a lush green peaceful environment with garden and fruit plants. 

however, I am getting less booking and customers always wants to do offline bookings. 

could someone suggest how to boost the bookings? 

thank you !!

[Helen3]

What's supply and demand like in your area for your type of accommodation. @Siddhartha6 

the best way to get bookings is to market across all relevant platforms and set yourself up to take direct bookings . 

these issues not withstanding the reason you're likely to be struggling is that you have a 4.29 average rating. So you won't be showing up highly in the Airbnb rankings when guests search.

Airbnb tends to see 4.6 or lower as a failing listing so my best advice is to address issues around cleanliness etc and make it clear in your listings how you've addressed issues around cleanliness guests have complained about to give future guests reassurance. 

[Hector670]

Hi there, welcome to hosting!

I’m still relatively new as well (about a year in), but here are a few things that have helped us:

1. Stay on multiple platforms (with synced calendars)
Don’t rely on just Airbnb. Listing on other platforms can increase your exposure. Just make sure your calendars are synced to avoid double bookings.

2. Be careful with off-platform bookings
It’s common for guests to ask to book offline to avoid fees, but it’s risky. You lose protections in case of cancellations, damages, or payment issues. If your property is good and priced right, it’s better to stay firm and keep bookings on the platform.

3. Review your pricing and fees
Check similar listings in your area (same size/bedrooms) and compare cleaning fees and nightly rates. If your cleaning fee is too high, it can turn guests away. Also, using Airbnb’s smart pricing tool can help adjust your rates based on demand.

Seasonality can definitely affect bookings, so don’t get discouraged early on. Your property sounds beautiful, once you get a few solid reviews, bookings usually pick up.

Hope this helps!

[George2190]

Consider adjusting your price point to promote bookings or adjust based on your seasonality. I usually adjust the week before  if we have not booked usually adjust 20% reduction of list price.  An alternative is to have a last minute booking promo built in to your settings.  One other to consider would be to take a look at your competition rates and offerings and adjust accordingly.  

[Geir60]

We have invested in having quality equipment in the apartment we rent out. Everything is new, and worn equipment is replaced. Bed linen is of high quality and as soon as it shows signs of wear it is replaced.
We also have our own air conditioning system for the apartment.
The apartment is always clean and we are extreme in that regard.

[Harpreet30]

Hello,

I would suggest adding about 10 different indoor games and including Dolby entertainment in each room for example, projectors for an immersive movie experience and listing these clearly in the amenities.

Reason: Guests don’t just book a place to stay; they are looking for things to do, especially in the evenings when they return from sightseeing. Having entertainment options available helps them relax, keeps families engaged, and makes the property more memorable. This can also help differentiate the listing and potentially justify higher nightly rates.

[Guido434]

in my experience the starting is always very slow... modified the page and the pictures and the availability as much as frequent as possible. working on the airbnb account makes the listing alive

[Georgia499]

Your villa sounds beautiful, vintage style with a peaceful garden is a great asset 

I would strongly recommend avoiding offline bookings. Keeping everything on Airbnb is safer for both hosts and guests, payments are secure, you’re protected, and reviews help boost your ranking. It also builds trust and helps you grow faster, especially at the beginning.

In order to increase bookings, focus on:

• High-quality photos (very important for first impressions)
• Competitive pricing at the start
• Cleanliness (very important for guest satisfaction and reviews)
• Being very responsive to guest messages
• A clear description highlighting the experience

Once you get a few strong reviews, bookings usually improve quickly. Good luck with your hosting journey!

[Gordon332]

What attractions in the area would draw people to see?
make sure you include pictures of the fun stuff to do in the area.

[Geoff661]

Hi @Siddhartha6 ,

The most important thing is to get those initial guests booking your Air Bnb  and receive 5 star reviews from them. It's the chicken/egg scenario!  

 Since your Bnb is new and have few reviews so far, the best method I found was to lower rates initially to get people in and gain some traction.  You may have to lower rates siginficanty in the beginning.  Once you gain some 5 start reviews, say 10 to 20, you will start to see more and more bookings.  5 Star is the standard -- anything lower is not good!  An occasionall 4 won't hurt, but for the most part you  need 5 stars.  As the 5 stars reviews come rolling in, you can start moving your rates back up.

Of course, you also need make sure the ideas already suggested on this community board are in place to gain 5 star reviews.  When a guest leaves anything less than 5 stars, if it is at all reasonable, action that suggestion immeditately and let them know it is completed in the public review response. 

good luck!

geoff

Sunriver, Oregon, USA

[Jeremy-And-Cat0]

@Siddhartha6 

Hey Siddhardha6.

That sounds like a really cool place to visit. I would say it takes some time to get established but the longer you host, the more bookings you should get. Once you start getting reviews you will be more viable to guests, as they see lots of other people will see you have hosted successfully.

People often try to book outside of AirBnB to try and circumvent service fees. I have had people attempt to scam me outside of the app so I do not recommend doing anything outside of the app. Also, it is against AirBnB policy, and getting kicked off is not worth an outside of the app booking.

Keep working hard and I am sure you will be successful.