This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
As a host, in my experience, I have noticed Airbnb tend to overemphasize the importance of time distance in its price suggestions tool.
Ie.: the nearest the date, the lower the price should be. And the opposite: the further away the higher it can be.
But in my (somewhat limited) experience all the guests I had booked quite on a short notice.
Not even one booked, say, more than one month in advance and for most it was between 2 weeks and 1 week with more people on 1 week timeframe than in the 2 weeks.
It depends of course where you are and what events are on. Where my Air is there are several high profile events several times a year and guests booked 2-3 months a head so, I set my prices to reflect these events well in advance.
Depends on location, type of listing and popularity of your listing.
It’s partly psychological.
If gets like a listing, check the calendar and see it is filling up even months away, then they are more likely to also book the place quickly so others can’t get it.
If they notice a listing doesn’t have any bookings months away, they presume (sometimes wrongly) that they can afford to wait and see!
For whatever reason, my guests book way in advance. At the moment, my calendar is blocked from Nov 1 on. I only have 7 nights open between now and then which is equal to three bookings [2-two nights, 1-three nights.] There are a few one night openings as well, but since I have a minimum of two nights, these are nights off for me. I will enjoy those little breaks. In fact, one of those breaks is next week, so I plan to empty and paint then refill the linen closet. [Total aside: This house was built in 1903 and this closet has never been painted! It is just the original, horsehair plaster which is now staining the towels.]
We get both short notice and long notice guests. We’ve had people book with two days warning (you can set that number), and we have a couple coming in late October who booked back in February.
We have a definite “high season/low season thing” here where we set the price up during winter and down 1/3 or more during summer. Holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day are at normal winter high rates (or are blocked off so we can enjoy those holidays ourselves).
Yes, it depends on many factors. We don’t often get short-notice guests but we have bookings for November this year and just had an enquiry for two weeks in January next year.
Even if you don’t tend to get bookings months in advance it’s a good idea a to put your prices up for special events and holidays - now.
Each listing is different. For me since I’m near major highways and an airport, I can often book 1 night stays even day of. So I don’t let my price drop to less than 20% off my normal price and I don’t want it to drop until day of. I may start a month at 50% booked, but I have yet to have a month this year that had more than 2 nights unused in a month. But not many places are like that. In a full apartment that can sleep 4-5 I will even get last minute single guests because I’m either the only place available in the area or still a better price than the local hotels. So I don’t let my prices drop, because I can get it booked anyway!
My location in the Catskills is frequented by New Yorkers looking for a getaway, although others come from other Northeast locations to hike and see the sites. Most of my guests book with short notice throughout the year except for the Summer. Summers are booked usually a few months in advance.
