Bookings drop off cliff....Please, suggestions

I am having the a problem at the height of our season. For March, April and May, I was fully booked…26 days a month.
Now NOTHING for June or July.

I tweeted to Abnb and got a prompt, meaningless answer.

I accepted two bookings in June from another platform with the calendar synched with ABNB. Could they be punishing me or is that too paranoid? It doesnt make any sense. I am not the cheapest but offer a unique situation in a great area for tourists or university visitors alike. Normally, my place is more booked than nice less expensive nearby rentals.

Please, any thoughts?

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Did you do an incognito search to see where you rank?

Did you have high bookings last year? If you get university visitors I would think the summer may be slower.

Neither :slight_smile:

Airbnb doesn’t punish hosts, as such, but their goal is to show potential guests properties that are available to them - sensibly. So if someone is searching for dates that you’ve blocked because of guests from another platform, then you’re not going to be showing in those searches.

But also you have also shown to Airbnb (well, ‘shown’ to the search algorithm) that your rental isn’t permanently available to its guests. I doubt that Airbnb know or care whether you’ve blocked dates because of guests from another platform or because you’ve decided that you need the time to do maintenance work/go on vacation/have your mother-in-law staying or whatever. All Airbnb ‘knows’ is that your places isn’t always available.

So if we imagine that hosts who are always ready to receive guests, have instant book and have never refused or cancelled a guest have a ‘score’ of 100, then blocking off dates might put you down to a 90. Your place will be shown in searches after those with the perfect score.

Of course, it doesn’t work exactly like that but blocking dates will affect your search position.

However, this isn’t the important thing here because Airbnb has millions of hosts and because you’re in a popular area, there are probably hundreds or thousands in your area. Not every listing can be on the first page. Or the second. Or the third. Etc.

I say this often - it’s no good relying on Airbnb to keep you full of guests. You’ll have to promote your listing yourself.

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Create a new listing, just a copy of your old one.
Put the old one on hold and see what happens.

Maybe the newbie boost will give you some new bookings.

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@Mike_L @Brandt
I did a private search and, once I used the map as well, came up on the 3rd page once and the 6th page a second time. The only thing I noticed was that both times had the price $20/night higher than my list prices. Will ask Abnb about that.

There are 5,000 ABNBs in Nashville, including 1,000 illegal ones…up from 3,200 last year, so I am pretty amazed at how solidly booked I continued to be.
I don’t expect to have preference, but going from full to nothing bewilders me. My stats are quite high all round. The winter is a ghost town here, so I need to make hay while the sun shines. Your words are spot on as usual, Jaquo. I was mostly joking about the punishment…just frustration speaking.
It used to be folk wisdom to snooze one’s listing for a day…is that still a thing?

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Nice idea! But would I still be a super host and have my reviews? @Chris

Try tinkering around with the prices. I don’t mean by a lot. Move them up and down by a few bucks. I always get bookings after doing that.

Another thought that occurs to me is that gas prices are way way way up, they say in part because Trump pulled the US out of the Iran deal. Perhaps people are rethinking their road trips.

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@Brandt Yes, I was full last June…4 days free.
I have fooled around with my prices a bit and changed booking requirements. I will try again.@konacoconutz

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I think it can be anything that shows your listing has been recently active. Even playing around with your wording or photos. Anything really. Every couple days do something to it.

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That will be the lowest future price you have that is available rather than your “base price”. Probably notice people game the system on TA by having a low rack rate but then the actual price you click through to see is 20-50% higher for those specific dates. If you really want it to set the listing price that low then offer it on a single Tuesday 2 months in the future.

I hate hosts that do that so much that I click away when I see it. Granted, if their place was available on the date I needed, at a rate I was willing to pay I would still consider it. But I don’t think the practice does anyone a favor. That’s why Airbnb is experimenting with the calendars that show each days price (just like the airlines).

I was told an edit of the listing will give more visibility.

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I don’t do it myself. Some sites now give a price range or an avg price. It make sites like Bookings and TA a joke where even if you’ve told them the exact dates and hotel the price they show is lower than the click-through price. i can’t see why it would be so difficult for them to randomly check and warn hotels who do it they will be removed or they must guarantee the lowest of the listing and the click through price.

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Right. That’s how I understand it. Any edit at all. Whether it’s prices on the calendar or adding photos.

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I saw a listing recently for $11 a night. Real price is $80 something. I clicked around and found a Thursday for $11 but everything around it blocked off. There was literally no way to book it, I clicked on multiple combos. I don’t even mind if some bloke says “I’ll give you a Thursday in June for $11 if you’ll book for 2 weeks at $80,” but no this was pure “I read on a blog that this was the way to bump yourself up in search” tactic.

A pox on all their houses.

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I’m sorry for having mentioned it now. It was just something that occurred to me that might work if you were that way inclined ie to deceive people. Having spent 20 years working in investment banking absolutely nothing surprises me as to what some people will do to swindle other people out of their money.

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A friend new to Airbnb called me today to ask what SHE was doing wrong. Listing advertised at $49. She requested two night stay and the bill excluding Airbnb fees was $400. I checked. The host had 1 Wednesday night at $49 (6/6), all other nights for the next 6 months were $150-$225 a night. Her booking would have been for 2 x $150 plus $100 cleaning bill. It was a nice condo and probably worth the money BUT the host is playing games with the rates. I wouldn’t want to book it because my mind goes to “what else is not as initially presented”. I understand seasonal rates, I have seasonal pricing for 120 days. This feels questionable.

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There are hosts who are into games; it’s some sort of Outwit The Guest thing. Some of them post on this forum. Not my thing.

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Me either. I’m in this for the long term. I would rather be upfront with info, pricing, etc. and miss a booking rather than play games.

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