Help! New host with no bookings!

1

Help!!! I have had my listing up for over a week and only had One price enquiry and no bookings. It is a townhouse in central London. Is there an average time before people start to book? Obviously I have no reviews yet. Just chomping at the bit and after spending a lot to get it ready I really need some bookings. Any advise welcome. To view just put in ’ clerkenwell London into the search, 6 bed, available now, entire house. Any feedback appreciated!!!
Thanks guys

2

Would you like to share a link to your listing so we can give you some feedback on that? That seems like the logical place to start.

1 Like
3

Ok I will try that. Not very good with posting links etc

4

I don’t know how it is in London, but in Oslo there are so many hosts now, that the competiotion is really tough. I read somwhere that about a third of the new Oslo-hosts never will get a guest. I diidn’t check out your listing. (Not sure if this is true). Just try to have really good pictures, reasonable price and be a bit patient.

1 Like
5


This is my listing link I think.
Hope you find it!

6

WOW! It looks fabulous. I’m sure you’ll be over-run with bookings soon. I love the MCM furniture. (And I have the exact same mugs in our rental’s kitchen.)

I don’t know if it will help but I’ve just tweeted it to 3000+ followers :slight_smile:

2 Likes
7

Thanks jaquo !!! Much appreciated. We have just dropped the price too so fingers crossed!!!

1 Like
8

Your place is gorgeous! Don’t fret, you will soon have your first guests!

1 Like
9

Looks great! - great place, great price, great location.

I’d suggest cropping the screenshot pics, completing the AirBnB verifications and asking friends or colleagues that have visited the house to write you references.

The latter two might even bump you up the search ranking.

2 Likes
10

Lucy_R how do I complete the verifications ? Thanks

11

Hi @Laderodent,

See https://www.airbnb.co.in/help/article/450/what-is-verified-id

And apparently London is really expensive. But I sort of knew that already.

12

Well, it’s beautiful. I travel with a family of 5 and would love that.

I may make one suggestion - and keep in mind that I’m a 54 year old home schooling, multi-job working mom with very little style - true, true!!! You profile photo, though gorgeous, doesn’t strike me as welcoming. You might go for less cool and more welcome.

You may want to try to look like you want someone to look when they are opening their home to you, like “Hey best friend c’mon in, have a cuppa, and relax”.

Some friends of mine are headed to London this summer. I just sent them your link. They are a family of 6. Their name is Ramsey, just in case you hear from them.

Good luck!!!

1 Like
13

hehe, as a younger, British expat I was expecting to disagree with @dcmooney , but i took a look at your profile photos and actually think she’s spot on. You probably do want to replace all four photos with one clear shot of your face that makes you look a bit more… basic (for want of a better word) as suggested here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/keithwagstaff/2016/04/25/secret-to-a-higher-airbnb-rating-look-attractive-and-trustworthy/?utm_campaign=Forbes&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_channel=Technology&linkId=23847785#2ae7da875386

14

Your place looks very good, but I am going to give you a few hints that are called staging that might help. That being said, when you begin without reviews you really have to be at least 15 percent cheaper until you get the reviews. You are entering your high season so make sure that you bend over backwards for as many bookings as you can so you can weather the winter months.

Instagram is your friend for now and you need a bit warmer tone, also you need to cut the amount of photos to about no more then 25 , choosing the best of those to be your opening pic and then the nice in focus small detail are only as a accent.

I am going to go through your pictures and will comment for you. Like the patio need a tall green potted plant in the inner corner to give it height and more color. The flowers on the table should be a bright color that draws the guests and sends a message, another good idea is lemonade to see fancy tea cups so the guest imagine themselves in the space.

I will go over your listing photos and them let you know, but it is only my take on it and I lot of this advise I got from a lot of other folks and stagers from blogs.

15

Ha ha the old-lady American and the hip young Britisher agree…

16

Thanks guys!!! I have taken note and changed my picture. Need to take a better one tomorrow( don’t have many of me!!)

17

Love the Banksy book!
In the States it’s showing at $203… with nearby listings all showing under $200… So maybe just drop the price ever so much… and you’ll get those searching for $200 per night and under. Just a thought.

Also… perhaps another headline that differentiates it better?. Even though I’ve stayed in Knightsbridge at my friend’s place lots of times… I’ve never heard of this neighborhood. Can you give a Tube line reference?

Just an idea!

1 Like
18

I thought that too! I agree, with a listing of $203 I’d be inclined to make it just under $200 - 198 or something - just to get over that psychological barrier. Just in the same way things in stores are $4.99 and not $5. There may be situations where he says to her ‘get onto Airbnb and find us a place but keep it under $200’.

By the way, although the conventional wisdom is to lower your price a lot until you get your first reviews, we didn’t do that but it didn’t effect bookings.

1 Like
19

Hi silly question…how do you change from GBP to US dollars to view the prices in each currency? Thanks

20

Hi,

Are you sure about the cleaning cost? 98 euro.
People open your advertisement because 163 seems feasible for them. And then, when they want to book, they arrive at more then 250. People that want to pay 250 perhaps don’t open an ad of 163.
Just a thought.
Philip