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I was testing my own exposure by searching for my listing in my area for a certain range of travel dates.
Suddenly I got an email from Airbnb encouraging me to book a particular listing (not any I have clicked on) and that I will get an extra 10% off.
This has nothing to do with the weekly discount the host already has. It is something on top of that. The pricing chart shows it as “Special Offer:10% off”. The discount only works for this listing and for those travel dates plus it says that it will expire in the next 96 hours. The listing is new but not a no-review one. It has already 4 reviews.
I´m not a new host and I feel a bit disgusted about this. I´m ok with helping new hosts gain more exposure to get their first guests but giving only to their guests exclusive discounts (paid by Airbnb) that others don´t have is a complete different thing.
I got a message this week to offer a 10% discount to help me book a one day space I have. Air isn’t paying, I would have to earn10% less for that day. I am not a new host either.
Yep seen this email too and it’s not a discount from air. The host has offered an additional discount to encourage you to book (no doubt in response to an email from air prompting the host to do it). Great isn’t it!! Another way for hosts to earn less while air keep their profit margins.
Actually it is not a bad system.
If a guest has a look at your room, for certain dates, and has not booked yet.
You can choose to trigger them to book, by offering them a 10% discount.
I just had the opportunity to offer a discount for a week at the end of November. November is almost dead, had a few bookings but it is low until the ski season starts mid december. So if offering 10% pulls guests in, I would do it.
The host can choose to offer or not, the host is not forced.
I was prompt to book into that particular listing to get the discount.
It seems to me it was managed by Airbnb as the discount has a 96hs deadline.
When I looked into the price chart that detailed each item I saw
Price per Night
Weekly Discount … Special offer 10%
Cleaning Fee
Service Fee
Total
You’ve already had a host on here confirm that they were given the opportunity to offer the discount by Airbnb. Airbnb are not cutting into their profit margins for this initiative.
Note that I haven’t clicked before in this listings neither I contacted this host. The email was automatically send to me by Airbnb so the host couldn’t know I was interested in his listing. I mean this isn’t a regular Special Offer as we all know.
If I hover the question mark next to the Special Offer I can read " Good for TitleOfTheListing only from November 24-29. Must be booked within 81 hours". I know we can drop our prices and Airbnb might help us promote our drop down by sending emails. In this particular case it sounds strange that the offer automatically expires in 96 hours. I didn’t know we could that.
This looks like something Airbnb is paying for. If I browse this listing in Incognito Mode I have no Special Offer at all.
AirBnB is mainly a last minute platform. I seldomly get bookings through AirBnB that are months ahead.
(And if I do, I will try to get them outside AirBnB since these bookings are a huge cancellation risk)
So if I do not have a booking for the next few days, I will send the offer to fill the gap. I rather have 10% less, than nothing at all.
I had it once last month when I had an unbooked day. It was shown on the right hand side of the calendar. I didn’t use it because I was glad to have a non-turnover day, especially for a one night booking.
So I guess you only see it a) if you have an empty day and b) possibly if you have the ‘I want to host as often as possible’ setting.
@Chris Are you able to select that 10% discount from a menu or is it only available when Airbnb decides to offer it to you? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Gary
