Hello! I’ve been doing this for a few years now and would like to get more guests in the winter. I’ve updated the linens and added as many amenities as I can. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
If you add a link to your listing we can all give better suggestions…
One thing you can do is add pictures of your listing in winter, show people why they want to visit.
Market the listing on as many platforms as possible.
Lower your price.
Research why people come to your area in winter and use photos and your description to capitalize on whatever that is.
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The forum wouldn’t let me add the link to my listing
That means you’re too new. Can you just give the “rooms” number from the link? It’s a 8-digit number that comes after the word /rooms/ in the link to your airbnb listing.
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As well as your listing. let us know what promotions and marketing efforts you’re doing.
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Oh! Thanks! 18240221
Here is the link for convenience to other members. If you’d like this link removed, just ask me or a moderator.
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I have a rental that is also dead in the winter. I do repairs and updates. If I truly wanted to be booked I would have to offer attractive pricing for longer term rentals. Weeks/months. Some markets are just seasonal for STR.
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I lowered my price as an experiment after routinely getting a winter slow down. Now I’m kinda slammed and regretting it a bit. My gross receipts are up but I feel like I need a break! I do my own cleaning plus my poor washing machine is losing it. Scoping out Black Friday sales for new one.
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One star – Jacquo you are tough! Did you let the host know the microwave wasn’t working and give them an opportunity to address the problem (hehehe I’m teasing you here)
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Yes, I am 
But there was a litany of issues. No internet for four out of the five days was the only one we let her know about (but it wasn’t fixed). But there were plenty of other issues - the misleading photographs was probably the worst. The power flickered a lot every time the AC kicked in, it was very grubby, the ‘sealed’ pack of toiletries had been opened, two light bulbs needed replacing … I have photographs. (Naturally 
)
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I just recently changed it to apartment after guests were referring to it as that. If folks think keeping it private room is more accurate, I can do that. The downside is that people way under charge here so my place looks expensive.
The only issue Ive had regarding the kitchen area was a guest wanting to bring a burner and cook.
Its carpeted so Ive shied away from allowing pets. Ive had folks with allergies specifically ask about pets, too.
All the input is really appreciated!
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I’ve thought of pricing out an addition of a second machine.
I had carpet but switched out to tile this year. I have throw rugs on each side of the bed but I roll them up and put them away when I have guests with pets. However, I’m not in MA, I’m in El Paso, TX.
You still might consider going with “private room” and the guest suite designation. I still associate apartment with actual kitchen. One of our mantras here is underpromise, overdeliver. People who want to cook, with all the attendant mess, search for apartment, entire place, kitchen. People who want to come in, sleep, shower and recharge seem to be content with “private room.” I honestly suspect that most last minute people search with a minimum of filters.
I get about 3-5 (out of 15-23 bookings) pet bookings a month. So run the numbers to see if you think you should consider it.
My place is about midway on price. I’m not the cheapest but when the cheap places are gone, they are gone. I haven’t tested but I bet on same day bookings the supply probably goes from 100 similar listings to 5. Then there are the people who don’t allow same day or have an early in the day cut off. I’ve had bookings as late as 8 pm for arrival that day. It works with my lifestyle though as I’m home a lot. I have an in home dog boarding business as well.
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What about the pics? Obviously you can’t tell if something works out not from a pic (and even then it can change)
No, no. 
I only discovered the non-working stuff when I got there. But the photos weren’t at all accurate. The pics had a desk and chair (which I’d needed for work) but that had gone. The place looked about twice as big as it really was. It looked clean and sparkling but was old and scruffy. The garden was a lot more overgrown than it was in the photographs. (And the pics didn’t show the mildew and the ants!)
Sorry to hijack the thread (welcome nesuite where we hijack threads, go off topic, don’t answer your question and tell you what you did wrong…along with mostly good advice) but… how many good reviews did this host have? And were they a superhost? Maybe something happened like they got sick or something over the past few years?
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Over 300 reviews. Superhost. I forget the star rating precisely but it must have been good for me to book. So you can imagine how surprised I was.
As a typical guest, I had read the listing and the reviews … okay, well, the first two pages of the reviews. But reading further reviews later, there were some that mentioned that the place was misrepresented in the listing, particularly regarding the size.
It was described as a cottage and yes, it was separate from the main house but even including the bathroom the whole place was smaller than my bedroom here. (Old time readers will remember that I live in one of the smallest apartments on the planet, so that’s saying something).
With over 300 reviews (I think it was getting up to 400) she must have been hosting for quite some time and the photographs must have been taken when she first started and not amended as the place changed. There were even outside features that were on the photos but not there in reality.
Note too that the pool was way too dirty to go into!
Now I know that I have host-type standards and I still maintain that I’m a great guest and that I’m not overly picky but this place was a bit much…
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What other platforms do you suggest Brian_R170?