This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
i was getting alot of bookings but since christmas ive had hardly any requests, im new to this but is it normally quiet over christmas/new year period. i guess no one plans a holiday now right?
Edit: I meant is it quiet for future bookings? I am booked full til February but am not getting an requests for the rest of the year whereas before Christmas I was getting a lot.
FURTHER EDIT: since this post I am now fully booked for the next few months. Must just go quiet from Christmas Day to New Yearās Day.
Iāve never been busier. I get one night travelers driving through my town. I was blocked off the 28th to the 4th for friends staying here and have been booked about 70% of the time outside of that since mid Dec.
dead dead dead here in DC. I was reading in my journal yesterday at this same time last year and there were many āanother booking todayā entries. Of course my prices were super cheap out of ignorance and because the space was unfinished. Now I just want a decent dollar for what I offer but am only booked a few nights this month, and nothing after. At this time last year I had a number of bookings into the summer.
Depressing. And since we keep investing and improving, Iām not hitting my target income.
Iām on Wimdu, which used to send me a bit here and there - well, 12 vs airbnbās 98ā¦
I want to get my own website up, but Iām waiting for someone with a decent camera to take the photos, and, for someone who knows how to do a website to help me. I am happy to pay. I just donāt have lots of extra time to work on it myself. I would most likely direct people to airbnb for the actual booking, at least initially.
That is one of the big traps for owners of rental properties.
I see this problem a lot around here (in my region, also with non-AirBnB hosts).
Owners āover-improveā their rental, they all want to offer a high end luxurious place.
They fail to realise there is a lot of competition in the high end market, the guest is very demanding, and the pool of guests is small.
I see a lot of hosts getting into financial problems because they invested too much, and cannot get a their investment back, because most guests will not pay the premium price they are asking.
A few weeks back I had a host with me who was complaining that he was struggling. He had very few bookings. He did not understand why I always had guests, and was not struggling like he was. He wanted to see my rentals, and then kept boasting that his place was much better, and much nicer, more luxurious etc etc.
So I asked him, if his place is so much better, why doesnāt he have any bookings? He really had no clueā¦ and I am not going to tell him.
Iām also very busy. Iām at the low end of the market and business continues to be brisk
And yes itās easy to over invest in your rental and lose sight of your customer base. That said I have focused on home improvements that I always wanted to do ā¦ and not much else. If it was mega important to guests to feel they were at the ritz they wouldnāt keep booking ā¦
@Chris and @Zandra that is a great point. We started with ānothingā, charged almost nothing, and everybody had just a great time. The guests were fun and friendly, and left gifts and tips. It wasnāt a job, it was a lark. Now Iāve quit one of my jobs and weāve invested a bunch of money (a good investment in any case)
I donāt really want āhigh-endā prices, but Iād sure like to get close to what Iām paying when I travel. I can never find anything like what I offer for the price I charge - itās always more money and much less quality.
One additional false expectation I struggle with is having almost 100 great reviews I expect people are going to pay more - but perhaps not.
@jaquo I pmāed you a month or so ago; I thought you may not be interested.
Thereās room for everyone. I donāt think you and I are targeting the same customers. If the changes were things you were going to do anyway itās awesome; in any case I wasnāt thinking about you when I made my comment just generally agreeing with some of what @chris had said.
I totally agree - I was talking with a neighbor who wants to set up his back house as an airbnb listing and he was going on about the renoās that he was going to do. Marble in the bathroom, custom cabinetry, wide plank oak floors, etc. I told him he was nuts to do such high end renoās in our area (North New Jersey serving the NYC market), that heād never get the kind of clientele that would pay top dollar for such a place - theyād simply find an airbnb on Central Park West. Now if it was for his own use, fine. Nobody will pay $300-400 a night for a two bedroom apartment here even if the faucets are gold and Evian comes out of the taps.
I started booking in June and have had every weekend booked since. Thanksgiving through this coming Sunday was non stop with lots of weekdays too. Cray but I had to flip the house on both Christmas and New Years days. I presently have 95% of my weekends booked (short 3) til September. Loving it !$!$!$!
