What am I doing wrong? Not getting bookings

[Wendy1538]

Hi is there anything I can do or is there something wrong with our listing? We’re not getting bookings and everyone says we would be booked up all summer?

[Title updated by OCM]

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Wendy1538  hope all is well. Have you tried checking competitors pricing nearby? I tried custom pricing and  got 3 guests right away. I also removed my cleaning fees just to test and guests left my property tidy compare when I charged cleaning fees 😂 

[Nur785 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Wendy1538 

I don't know much about AZ markets but your rates seem very reasonable for a house in a vacation town that size. I'm giving you this feedback after looking at your listing as a potential guest, if I were looking for a place to go... 

First, there are too many photos, while I think the more photos the better 112 photos were way too many. I had to keep clicking to see the bedroom, but also, there were photos of the backyard, but not the lake area. 

I would probably cut the kitchen living room photos by 25-30 or so and put some photos of the lake area. I see in the listing you say you are 4 miles from London Bridge. Maybe put a photo of it? Also, anyway you can put a photo from Lake Havasu state park? The only time I've been to that area was as a teenager with family--like any good east coast person, I limit my trips out west to absolute necessity because the ocean is on the wrong side :)--but I remember it being surprisingly beautiful with lots of hiking, fishing, biking? There is supposed to be a Casino, no?

Anyway, I actually would prefer seeing those activities highlighted instead of photos of ziplock bags and tupperware containers (don't get me wrong, I'm in awe of your hosting skills and wish I could stay there, but most people are checking this out on their phones and clicking through those got really tedious really quick.)  

When I looked at your listing I thought it was a house to rent if you happen to be in the area, not a place to specifically check out for a vacation. I don't if that makes sense. There is a difference. 

For example, no one is coming to my listings because it provides a wonderful vacation, but because they are convenient, easy commute to NYC while being in a quiet residential area and comfortable. But no one is going to plan their vacation to stay there. It's a place to stay while you are exploring NYC. 

Yours seems to be the opposite. Someone could make a whole vacation out of it, and I think if it were me, I would highlight that. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. It's a beautiful home and a beautiful area and you clearly put a lot of thought into it. I think highlighting a little what that area has to offer would go a long way. 

I hope this helps. 

best, 

nur 

[Wendy1538]

Thank you so much for your great tips. I’ll use your suggestions. Also what are these level numbers next to our names?

[Nur785]

I have no idea! I periodically get a your ranked up notification, but have no idea what those levels do and what they are based on! 

[Joelle43]

Hello @Wendy1538 

Those level numbers go up the more you respond on the CC and have your answers accepted as "approved reply". Level 1 to Level 10 being the max.  

There used to be a place on the CC that was called "top contributors" but that was unfortunately removed.   When I first started outI would go on the these hosts profile to check out their house rules, photos, descriptions as they usually had the most experience on Airbnb and were a great source of inspiration.

All the best

Joëlle

[Kia272]

@Wendy1538  First of all, the travel industry is a dynamic industry. There are no guarantees. Therefore "everyone" can't say you would or should be booked all summer. There is no such thing. Travel trends can change from day to day. You may have the best listing on earth, but if there's  no demand for your listing, you can't control that. 

Your pictures are out of control. Seriously, reduce them to about 1/3 of what you have. Take out all the cutesy pictures of party cups and cutesy "decor" and don't have 15 pictures of the living room and 15 of the kitchen, etc. It's waaaaaaaaay too much! I lost patience and couldn't even get through all of them. 

Why are you giving a "long stay" discount for a two-day stay? That makes no sense. Maybe you hit some button in your settings by mistake, but you should change that. 

Your guest capacity is 8,but in your written description you say 8-10 guests. You should make that go away. People try to sneak in extra guests as it is. Don't give them permission to. 

Last, you need a profile picture. Just as we hosts don't want to accept guests with no profile pic, I'm sure they feel the same way about host profile pics. A pic puts a face to the name. Guests need to know that there's a human being associated with the property, and hopefully it might make them think twice before trashing the place. In other words, you're not some big corporate hotel, you're a person who is renting out your home. Big difference. 

Your place looks like a great place to party. I'd be really careful about vetting guests. Good luck. 

[Fred13]

Like others have already said: the photos, way too many of the place and zero of you. Isn't gambling and water-sport opportunities the main attraction of Lake Havasu?