Dramatic decline in London UK inquiries

[Russ531]

We operate one of the highest rated airbnb properties in London UK and typically occupy the number 1 position in the airbnb rankings for all London. Despite this, our Views are down 80% vs same time last year and the bookings are much reduced. I know from the London airbnb host forum on FB that this is far from  an isolated case and many of those affected have slashed their prices. On behalf of  all London hosts  could we please initiate a conversation on the subject? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Russ531 what sort of conversation are you planning? Discussion of pricing is technically illegal so lets hope that isn't in the plan.

[Russ531]

Where did I suggest a discussion on pricing? The issue is the decline in airbnb Views with the consequential impact on bookings. Why is this happening? An 80% YOY decline suggests something serious is at play. What is it?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Russ531 I think it is just Airbnb 'adjusting' which listings are higher up the search rankings. Sadly, just like Google, they control who is seen and who is not.

[Russ531 · Accepted solution]

as someone who ran a digital marketing agency I know a bit about search rankings and since the property has a higher average ranking in march 24 vs march 23 your hypothesis in interesting and probably not valid

[Quentin22]

Bookings are way down. I’m a super host of 10 years solid. With a rating of 4.95 across hundreds of reviews. I’ve noticed a 50% decrease in bookings this year, seemingly with the cliff from  January as Q4 was still solid. I’d imagine several factors at play. One of which is I’m noticing more properties on the market, I assume as people open up to try and earn extra money given higher mortgage costs. The pound is also stronger and I believe tourism down slightly.. 

[Helen3]

London has been a massively over saturated market for years coupled with falling demand because of the cost of living crisis. 

if London hosts want to have a discussion about this go for it on your local FB group

having said that most hosts don't need a discussion to understand why their bookings have fallen if they regularly review demand and supply for their type of listings in their locations . 

[Russ531]

Wow that's a lot of hate! Sorry you are having a bad day.

London hasn't become saturated in the space of 12 months and the cost of living crisis was more pronounced 12 months ago than today. Just so you understand, the issue isnt conversion but impressions which suggests there may be a technical issue within the airbnb platform and / or airbnb's share of the hospitality market has declined dramatically over the period. 

[Helen3]

Wow @Russ531 I am not sure how you got 'a lot of hate ' from my comments ???? What did I say that you define as hateful ?

I am a Londoner - co-host there (for the last five years) and know  the market well 

nowhere did I say  the market has only become oversaturated in the last year - I clearly said the opposite 

please don't be patronising I use to run a PR agency and am now a Head of Comms so have a good understanding of the difference between impressions and conversions .

STRs in London have quadrupled in the last four years coupled with us moving from a cost of living crisis into a recession this year is leading to an oversaturated market .

I highly doubt a host with one property who's only been operating for three years is consistently number one across the whole of London  in a market of over 80,000 STRs . 

if you feel that there is a technical issue causing views and therefore bookings to fall and it's nothing to do with an oversaturated market then absolutely contact Airbnb and ask them to look into it.

[Russ531]

You said:  " if London hosts want to have a discussion about this go for it on your local FB group @Russ531" is hardly in the spirit of an inclusive community forum is it?

So back to the issue, namely that Views are down 80% yoy despite higher average organic ranking within airbnb and a near perfect guest rating and only a 2% yoy price rise

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Russ531 it's not just London, it's global. My opinion is that there are several factors - Asians and Americans are traveling to Europe less than before Covid, the cost of living is higher then before, then we have a war in Ukraine (people fear it will spread) and a very important factor is Airbnb itself. It has become less popular than ever due to their constant changes (aka upgrades) which confuse and frustrate guests and hosts, it has become very annoying for users, the search engine is tricky and imprecise, and the CS is a joke. BDC seems to have taken the lead and is bringing in more bookings than Airbnb, at least in my area.
With increased costs and lower prices STR become less profitable. Some locals I know already switched to LTR.

[Russ531]

Thank you for your most interesting perspective. I have looked st the year on year insights and I see that Views of my property are down 50-99% per week 2024 Vs 2023 even though my conversion rate is up 30%. This firmly indicates the algorithm is screwed-up but convincing the “Superhost Support” is impossible - they are in denial

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Russ531 I doubt there is anything wrong with the algorithm. Sadly for you it is just favouring other properties at present. I would love to see its inner workings but even Airbnb admits it favours new listings and those with booking success. It seems to me it resets every major release. If you add to this that Sykes Cottages are now being advertised on Airbnb (along with cottages.com) so if these are being favoured (for being new or as part of their deal) then existing operators will suffer.

Did you know the Ts&Cs allow Airbnb to be paid for better search placement? Not something offered to mere mortals though.

[Helen3]

Suggesting you discuss the issue with other London hosts is not hateful it's good advice if you want input from hosts who understand your market @Russ531 

[Russ531]

It has been the main topic of conversation amongst London hosts since around Dec last year. It is widespread across London and well documented. I raised here in the (vain) hope that someone from Airbnb might be interested / concerned. Evidently not.