Hi, we have been so happy with our airbnb experience. We live on site and our casita is separate from our home. However, we don’t seem to be getting as many bookings this year. We also used to be in the top twenty airbnb rentals in our city, We live in Phoenix and are thinking that maybe it’s because the number of hosts has increased in the last year. We have had a strong 5-star rating. I’m also wondering if it’s just way too hot right now. This is the first year we haven’t closed for remodeling in the summer. It’s late September and still in triple digits. Anyway, any responses are greatly appreciated. And to clarify, I do appreciate airbnb. We have paid off our home in half the time because of it.
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What is it you aren’t sure about?
Oooops…sorry I wasn’t clear. I’m not sure why we don’t have as many listings as last year, not sure why we don’t show up in the top 20 in Phoenix.
I changed the title to clarify. Thanks.
Competition is the number one reason. Airbnb wants to encourage new hosts so they give them a temporary boost. Many factors go into search results but clearly not everyone can be on the first page.
I’ve found that the busier you are the busier you will be. Also you need to keep your listing updated. Go in and change prices or pictures of text regularly. Make sure your calendar is up to date. Do use instant book?
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Yep, we use instant booking. But we do need to change our pictures around. They are accurate, but I want them to be the best they can be. Thanks for the suggestions.
Tweaking your listing signals the algorithm that you are an active host. Your business should pick up once it cools down some. I’d love to see your listing if you’d like to message it to me. I live in El Paso but go over to Phoenix occasionally.
HI, thanks for your reply. I’m not sure how to copy the link as a viewer but it’s listed: Boutique Hotel Style Guest House in Phoenix and it is $99 a night. I love hosting. It’s actually fun. I clean it myself to make sure all is good. I even (sometimes) use a black light. We saw on this forum how one host used a steamer for the sheets and we bought one. It’s amazing and time efficient … we used to iron the sheets. We provide your favorite bottle of wine, chocolate, healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks, coffee and unlimited bottled water. Anyway, yes, I love hosting and have met so many great people. We give them their privacy, but if they want to chat, we sit in the courtyard and enjoy conversation. Our guest house is located in the far south end of Phoenix, a village called Ahwatukee.
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I found it. It’s lovely and I have it bookmarked. It looks like a great location for an IKEA visit. 
However I noticed something very important right away. Why are you unavailable after this month. If the calendar is blocked you can’t get bookings. Go right now and fix that.
I doubt that this is impacting your bookings but you could use some better pictures. Your upscale space looks kind of dark and several pictures seem green tinted and slightly askew. If the indoor pictures had the appeal of the outdoor pictures it would be better. Perhaps change the title to something less artsy and more informative. Your relative proximity to 1-10 and pet friendly should serve you well .
But as I said, I think fixing the calendar will solve your problem.
I just went now and looked and the calendar is open. Did you do that? If not then it’s a glitch and if so that could also impact bookings. Keep us posted on if things pick up now.
I tried finding your listing. It must be buried because I couldn’t find it. I’m wondering if you declined many reservations or cancelled reservations. That would cause you to drop in the search. Have you considered deleting the listing and then re-listing to get the new host boost?
That’s weird about the calendar. Maybe it was because we had special summer rates that lasted through August. My husband just changed that so that’s probably why there was a calendar issue. Thanks for checking though. We received a few bookings this week too. So that’s nice. I am going to change pictures, but it’s difficult to get great pics with a phone camera. That’s all we have.
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Hi Ritz3, No, we haven’t declined actual reservations. But someone had an inquiry about summer rates and we said they were finished at the end of August. We have instant booking so no reservation is declined. Some inquiries are though. Not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks for your input!
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