Hi @Debra300! Thanks for sharing these helpful tips. I'm learning and taking note
By the way, do you know what! After I read your reply, I decided to explore again the new hosts with a good # of guests. I decided to focus on reading their guests' reviews. And this is what I found out in the sentiments of their guests.
(#1) I found out that most of them loved the environment where the listings were located. They said things like, "It is a beautiful view, the mountains are gorgeous, it's a peaceful environment, the rooms are spacious and clean, the linens are very clean, etc." This is about the surroundings and the inside of the house.
(#2) I read also a few talks about the host. I recall comments like, "... You were a great host, very hospitable people, a very nice person, good communication, etc." These reviews, though not many, were about hosting styles.
Then, it hit me: my house doesn't have exceptional views of the mountains and rivers, etc. So, I started to look for other features that attract many guests to new listings without special views. So, I checked for more new hosts. This is what I found out:
(#3) Some new hosts described their listings in connection to other people's activities in the area. For example, they would say, "Stay with us and book the water rafting 6 miles from here, etc." And I think that this is probably where I fit in. There are lots of great activities nearby my listing. But I didn't say much about them in my introduction although I talk about them in my guidebook. And my guests may not know how close my apartment is to such activities. For example, we have waterfalls, water rafting, kayaking, helicopter views of the falls, game viewing in the wild, etc. Wow! I must rewrite my introduction.
(#4) I found out also that some new listings were visited simply because they were unique, etc. For example, I saw this tiny invisible glass house. It had several reviews in just 4 months all talking about how great it was to live in a tiny invisible house. By the way, most guests rented it on their way to some other vacation.
There were lots of things I found out. And thanks to you for sharing great tips. You opened my eyes to a point where I decided to do snap research.
Warm Regards!