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I began listing on Air about a year ago. Summer only.
September to May we have International students.
Last year my son was in the house and it was shared. This year it is up as a whole house.
Since people don’t read, I lost a lot of stars for people who said they were surprised he was there.
Now my listing is on about page 8 or ten for our town. Reviews are not great and keep mentioning the sharing.
If I scrap it and start again I will lose the reviews.
Will I get the new listing bump?
Will I be able to hold on to the two bookings I have, even if I have to get them to rebook? (Happy to refund them any fees they are out)
Am really conflicted on this, advice appreciated! Listing below
Only you can make a judgement call on whether it is better to stick with your original listing, or delete and start again. (You will need a different email address and IP address if you do this).
What you can’t do is have the best of both worlds - ie keep your reviews and bookings while starting again.
Looking at it, I don’t see your public reviews as being so bad at all.
In answer to your questions …
If I scrap it and start again I will lose the reviews. - yes
Will I get the new listing bump? if they accept it as a new listing yes
Will I be able to hold on to the two bookings I have, even if I have to get them to rebook? (Happy to refund them any fees they are out) No, unless guests are happy to cancel and rebook. as a guest I wouldn’t I would be worried the host is doing something that’s dodgy.
If I were you I would make a new listing under your profile and block off the dates you’re booked under the old listing and then snooze it (if you ever go back to listing in shared again). You can have multiple listings on the same profile. Then people can see that as a host you have a track record. You will still have the reviews on your host profile, but not on this specific listing.
I say stick with your listing because a few reviews is better than none. Make it clear in your listing that your son no longer lives there. I think your price is reasonable for an entire home in a central location but you need more and better pictures. You only have 10 pictures for an entire home. I have more than that for a single room with ensuite bath. Showing things like stairs is important for older people or people with mobility issues. The photos are dark and fuzzy on my computer. The living area looks small. Is that accurate? The kitchen looks remodeled but not appealing in the photo. Is there any outdoor space available? Update your ad and update your calendar every day. The listing has been dormant so it’s fallen in search.
Thank you all. Great suggestions! Especially the pictures. The Living and Dining rooms - and 2 of the 3 bedrooms are al very big…16X18, 15 X20. GREAT to know that is not coming across.!
Definitely start a new listing and keep the listings for shared place and entire place completely separate.
Otherwise the reviews will create confusion for subsequent bookers regardless of what you say in your description!
Hi Martha ,
I wouldn’t worry too much about the reviews saying your son lives There . People don’t read the complete listing anyway , so the best you can do is always review what you offer to each guest inquiry . That will end any confusion on the guests part . You already cleared up the AC Fan issue so potential new guests won’t be bothered by heat . You have a beautiful Home ! I myself have an Older Historic Victorian in San Francisco and I’m never surprised by what a few newbie guests have said about it . Its completely upgraded and modernized , but they just don’t understand Architecture and so i joke with them about it . I ask them why did they chose a Historic Home to stay in and then be surprised that its a Historic Home . I just rite them off as the brain dead and harmless guests and none have ever mentioned it in a review . Just keep doing what you are doing and you’ll be fine … You might want to add a few pictures of your local neighborhood and Highlights of the area . Guests love to see the local character of the neighborhoods they stay in . I hope this helps
Update On the advice of a number of people, I updated my listing with better pictures. The rooms had been described as small and dark. For anyone who remembers them, here is the updated listing. My son rented a wider lens and voila! https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/10585211?preview_for_ml=true
Very much appreciate all the help and advice here!
The only way the reviews don’t appear on your Airbnb profile is to make a whole new profile with a different email address. But your home address won’t change, so I’m not sure that’s really kosher with Airbnb.
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