A previous guest contacts me and wants to book but there are so many back-and-forth messages about a discount, a family member wants to stay in high season, a friend wants to book for her daughter’s graduation, AirBnB removes my super host status (long story, but mostly because I have a short season with a remote cabin that is inaccessible in the winter and not worth the angst of renting). Anyhow, none of these things are a big deal and in fact I should be grateful for people who are interested in my cabin. Still, I’m finding myself completely unmotivated and…I don’t know…maybe even annoyed? I’ve been doing STRs for 7 years - 2 with a property management company and 5 on my own - and I love being a host for the most part. So why is it that I feel so unmotivated this year? I know this is an AirBnB forum, but to provide some context, I happened to go onto VRBO a couple of weeks ago and noticed that I hadn’t even opened up my calendar for the summer! Ridiculous! I have a lot of respect for many of the hosts here on the forum and I wonder how you all have avoided the lows of STR hosting?
I’ve been hosting since 2016, with a break of almost 2 years during Covid, as I have a homeshare listing.
I’ve had very few guests who were a PITA to deal with, my bookings are seasonal (the opposite of yours- it’s too hot and humid here during the summer to get many, if any, bookings).
I leave a night between bookings, and often have several days between them, so I avoid getting stressed out about quick turnarounds. Also I homeshare and only host one guest at a time, so I don’t have to make sure guests know how to work everything, as I’m here to show them.
Like you, I also lost my Superhost due to not enough bookings, but that was because of being closed during the height of Covid. (The loss of that status didn’t affect my booking rate, though)
I also get lovely guests who are almost all easy to deal with. So I haven’t reached burn-out stage.
Many people change careers over the course of their working life, and I don’t think hosting is any different.
Sometimes you just need a break from whatever you’ve been doing, or to do it differently, sometimes you realize it isn’t really what you want to be doing. Money generated doesn’t always provide a sufficient reason to continue something that isn’t bringing you joy or stressing you out. It’s okay to take a break or quit.
Sounds to me that you need to recharge. Take time off from hosting and travel a bit. You don’t have to travel far. My favorite vacation is a beach vacation in the Caribbean. Get some ocean breeze and sunshine to recharge.
A friend of mine has booked a caravan on the beach several times, that is a 15 minute drive from her house for a recharge. She just relaxes, reads, plays with her dogs on the beach, and puts her worries and endless list of chores out of her mind for a couple of days.
You’re not alone in feeling this way, we often close out the calendar for a few days or a week’s breather. Contracting to share one’s property with guests is a huge responsibility and for myself it has to be enjoyable and worthwhile. If I ever find myself doing something out of obligation rather than choice then I do have a tendency to get fed up and slightly morose. One has to remind oneself that this too shall pass and it really won’t be long before the sap starts rising. I also think that getting away is an excellent idea - it’s re-freshing and gives the opportunity to look at testing issues from a different perspective (like: at least we’re not being shot at or shelled out of our home!) Good luck and happy new year.
It seems to me that you need to fall back in love with hosting. What do you love about the job? What made you go into the hospitality business in the first place? Which aspects of hosting give you the most satisfaction?
And plenty of other questions.
I’ve been ‘hosting’ (or in the STR business) since the early eighties (yes, the last century!) and making people happy, providing a great service, seeing that I’m appreciated for what I do … all these things are important to me.
What aspect of hosting is important to you? Remind yourself of why you started this in the first place.
I have been hosting since 2020. It is draining at times to be available and to have to respond to issues that you have no control over (such as the flights getting cancelled for your guests).
I have avoided burn out by keeping rates high. It keeps the number of bookings I get lower than my competition. I don’t believe lower paying guests are bad guests, it’s just that I prefer more money that higher paying guests bring.
My rates are higher than the competition, so I am effectively on break during the hurricane season. I like the break.
I also treat hosting as a game… I enjoy the challenge of attracting high-paying guests, providing them with good service, getting good reviews, and beating the scammers. I enjoy understanding the details about the Airbnb website/TOS and how to use to my advantage (I don’t care if my actions negatively impact the Airbnb platform). Sometimes I get beaten by the scammers and Airbnb CS, but that keeps the game interesting.
Everyone thank you for the stories and tips and most importantly for reminding me that I’m not alone. Maybe that last one was the part I needed to hear the most? 
I do get a nice break from hosting since I’m only open in the summer season, but I wonder if that has sort of a reverse effect where I get a lot of time away from hosting and lose a bit of the edge or drive that I have in the summer? Anyhow, I appreciate the reminder that everything is cyclical. Also I love the idea of treating it almost like a chess game with a target market. Always nice to set a high goal and feel like you’re nailing it!