Listing Critique: Ski/Golf Cottage in SW Pennsylvania, USA

[Christopher1897]

I wanted to get some feedback on our listing and see what we can tweak.  We have been up for about a month.  We have had one booking which went ok (although no review -- haven't badgered the guests too much), and no future bookings at this time.  We are hoping to get a few more before ski season is over.

Pricelabs/Seasonality:  Price Labs tells us we are priced  competitively in our market, as does some market research.  We should see a spike in demand for Jan-Feb (ski season), then taper off in March-April, then another spike from May-Oct (summer then fall leaves).

Known Issues:

- No broadband internet.  Cable/FIOS is not available at our house yet.  Its rural.  We have a DVD player and retro gaming system to compensate as best as possible.

- Location.  We are centrally located to a number of attractions -- steps from a golf course, very short drive to skiing, and very short to a number of other activities (regional amusement park, historical sites, parks, etc).  On the downside we are right on a state road which is pretty busy.  Kind of a double edged sword.

- Number of guests hosted.  We advertise that we host 4 -- there's a queen bed and two bunk beds.  Our loveseat is actually a pull out couch but we haven't advertised that as its not the most comfortable, and guests would have to make the bed themselves.  We are keeping that info hip pocket in case someone asks.   So as is our house works well for a family with 1-2 kids, or a couple, but maybe missing on other demographics.

Stats:

- Bookings:  1 (2 night)

- First Page Impressions:  64%

- Search to Listing Conversion:  14%

- Listing to Booking Conversion:  0.5%

- Views:  374 views / 2629 impressions -- note, this includes a week of paid ads I did on Reddit that quadrupled our views (+200) and got us that first booking.  Without the reddit ads we are trending near the "similar listings" line.

- Wishlist Ads:  11, which is 10 lower than the average for the area (per AirBNB).  Again a big spike with the reddit ads.

LINK:  https://airbnb.com/h/staylaurel

Thanks for any ideas to tweak our listing or property and see if we can get it in gear!

[Paula]

Hello @Christopher1897 , welcome to the Airbnb Community Center!

 I'm reaching out to some of our amazing Hosts to see if they're interested in sharing their insights or feedback on your listing: @Alex1485, @Patricia2526, @Bettye6, @John7474, @Lorina14 and @Joan2709.

All the best,

[Julie5882 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Christopher1897 

So many options for adventure at your centrally located rental!

My overall impression is that you need to punch it up. The house has the basic necessities but nothing that makes it stand out. That dead space in the kids room could have a rug, bean bag chair, and a bookshelf with kids books/games. The living room needs more seating and a rug, at a minimum. More art on the walls, maybe pertaining to the golf/ski area you are in. And truly, I would make getting internet your #1 priority, however it needs to happen.

Best of luck!

Julie