“Higher end” can also mean higher maintenance, entitled and harder to please. It doesn’t always mean higher quality guests. I think there’s a sweet spot (I’m still trying to find! It’s a process)
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Ha ha yes. But those kind of people are not staying in my basement. Or anyone’s. I have received some requests I thought were unreasonable (olive oil, coffee filters when mine ran out) but that’s what the dollar store is for. 
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I think it’s like making a great dish to eat. It isn’t one ingredient that makes it what it is. Getting great guests, or at least not objectionable ones, is a mixture of ingredients, not just "raise your prices and you’ll get better guests.
Because plenty of hosts have budget -minded listings and don’t attract bad guests.
Location, price, minimum and maximum number of nights, max number of guests, how the listing is written, etc, are all ingredients you can adjust and tweak until you get the right combination to end up with what produces the best result.
And then of course there’s the chef himself (aka the host) - that’s the factor that’s hardest to define- some just have a sixth sense for what and how much to combine, and for others, it doesn’t come so naturally or intuitively.
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This is me…………………my listing is less than 1/2 the price of a comparable oceanfront listing. I am 1 mile away. The guest can easily get to the beach March - October ($2/hr parking) & November-March it is an easy walk. April -October heat & humidity make things more difficult
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Totally agree! In our own experience over the past year or two, we’ve had way more fussy or problematic guests at our stand alone AirBnB than the guesthouse on our property- both are similarly priced when considering size.
I think the main reason is because we are not on site at the stand alone property (we live about 18 mins away). I spoke recently to a far more experienced host in the area and they had a definite uptick in issues with crappy guests when they moved out of their second unit and started AirBnB’ing both upstairs and downstairs apts. Only difference is before they made it clear they lived in the duplex, and now they edited it so folks won’t disrupt the other tenant and offer contactless check-ins. Anyone else with similar experience?
We considered converting to greeting guests at arrival but with our work +childcare schedules and as someone who is considered “high-risk,” we’re sticking with contactless for now.
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I believe you are onto something here, from my observations reading endless posts from hosts over these many years. Homeshare hosts have far fewer issues and better experiences, on the whole. The problems are overwhelmingly in stand alone homes. Guests in my home are unlikely to misbehave. The guest suite is very private, isolated from the rest of the home, and excellently sound insulated. Host bedroom suite is on the opposite end of the building, and the Great Room is in between. Often we never see or hear guests. If they come into our space it is cordial, usually informational, and welcome. It is always respectful. Our rules are very clear, and politely stated, with logical reasons, such as fire hazard, limited resource - we are off grid, so we are totally independent of any public utilities. Our guests know what is here, what is not, and why they are coming. If they need anything, including information, we are here, discreetly in the background, but always present.
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Great insight. We became a key only when COVID started, and it deteriorated since then. We didnt return.
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And why do some have both. 
THIS. Honestly, all I could think was “This co-host isn’t doing their job and you’re not managing them to high standards.” That and someone’s brother has an AirBnB up the road? They have motive to put you out of business.
And this. Raise your rates, surprise the co-host. Limit number of days in the stay. I did all these things and other based on this forum and - voila - much better guests.
YOu will see a momentary lapse in bookings and then you’ll get better ones. That’s because of the bad reviews.
Another platform isn’t going to change what’s really wrong with your listing and the guests you’re getting. Who manages bookings? Your co-host who is really a cleaner?
You need to get more on top of the entire project. It’s a business and you can’t just hand it off passively.
This.
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So sad, I’m sorry for your very very bad experiences…
And yes there are scanners she probably brings her own mouse in a little cage…
The lord is pushing you in another direction
One that is better suited for you.
Best wishes
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Madam trust me even long term has liars and cheaters
Here’s a vote for you !
Simply ignore all the acerbic, negative, conceited, unhelpful, comments you received. Simply ignore the STC (sanctimonious toxic clique).
Many of us hosts have had problem guests you are not alone, don’t be shouted down, you are right ! It has been an eye opener for me.
Enjoy your freedom!
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Thank you. Yes, there seem to be a lot of toxic posts. But I confirm I am over it. You dont invest in an asset which - but for C-19 which I didnt count on - doesnt make a decent return. I had planned to spend a lot of my own time there, but that of course has changed. I think I am going to take LTR. In the UK, that means that they pay all the outgoings, and I will get a fixed amount of rent. Which is beaten by my STR amount only a few months of the year during the one good year I had before COVID. Even then as I may have mentioned, had some very poor guests. All guests greeted at the door (until C19) etc etc. So had been doing it all correctly. Would rather argue with one tenant…fix it immediately and move on. Lets see how we go. Again thank you for your reasoned response and kind thoughts.
Good luck! If you are lucky like me you will get some great LTR tenants who stay and are friends as well.
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For me the short terms are MUCH better. The money difference is huge. And since it’s not furnished with their stuff (and they have their own home to go back to) getting them out has never been the issue it has been with some LTRs. With LTRs I have actually had to go to court. My guess is that your prices are way too low for STR.
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I have done long term and still have one apartment with long term tenants. I have been in this business since the early eighties and have never had a guest I couldn’t deal with. Trust me madam.
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I guess you are great madam . 
So the hosts who are arguing that not all guests are cheats and liars are the toxic ones?
What a pile of bollocks.
What’s toxic is a small minority of bitter hosts banging on and on about a small minority of terrible guests as if that is representative of the overall Airbnb business model.
As one of my fellow hosts put it to me privately, “It can’t be fun inside their heads.”
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Just about everyone including my co host has said that. However, that is not my experience. And I am surrounded by Airbnb short term rentals with similar appeal (altho mine looked better for room size etc not much). So I was pricing to market, usually slightly higher. Then if it didnt book I would drop. I also checked out hotel rooms in the same location and VRBO etc. I made sure the rate was competitive but not crazy low. In fact, compared to market not low at all. There was often people who wanted to pay less, and I always said no. I have operated as a senior exec in large corps. I am familiar with price points etc. I think the cost of cleaning, not quite covered by guests, and then on top of that, paying a co-host - this also affected the net return. I had a minimum of 3 nights, and during the winter months, would take longer term stays. Whilst complying with laws and regulations. But thank you everyone for your input. It is a stand alone 1 bedroom.
I understand all. I do the opposite as far as dropping prices for last minute bookings. I actually raise prices because they are less convenient since I am less able to plan for them. By that time all the cheaper ones are booked and I get grateful people paying sometimes multiples more. I understand not everyone can accept the zero if it doesn’t get booked at any price though and understand while many drop prices for last minute.
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