I’m a super host with 99.9% 5 stars and exceptional good reviews. However had to snooze for for 4 months due to travelling. Since I’m back in April, bookings are more or less non-existance. I’ve discussed with Airbnb they are saying can’t find anything wrong. However, the few guests I that booked and stay, I’ve discussed with them and they tells me they don’t see my place when they looking when they give up searching and log on later it pops up. Some guest said when they become so desperate looking for suitable they contact Airbnb my place is introduced to them. Others say Airbnb is the one that gives them my place after they having problems finding places. Step other hosts experiencing such slow period or there’s other ways I can find out if there’s problems with my listings.
Try searching for your place on another cellphone or computer. When I check on my listing on my home computer, I’m on the top of the first page, but when I check using my children’s computer, I’m on the second page.
I suspect your listing is buried in the third or fourth page because it’s been inactive. To help placement you can accept some of the recommendations given by Airbnb such as a discount for a week stay. Also update your pictures. It seems like that usually triggers the system to move up the listing. Wishing you the best of luck.
Thanks Ritz3, I’ve updated the pictures even Airbnb has commented on the quality and superb pictures. I’ve just installed a keypad last week and my first self check in guest was so impressed she went round taking pictures send to her husband in Hong Kong and her friends.
As soon as I came in she shared the pictures with me so I updated all my pictures.
She only got my place from Airbnb staff not from her search. She also shows me the steps she follows as a traveller /guest she logs into Airbnb then press anywhere map appears then expands in location she wants to stay other Airbnb in my area and surroundings pop up but not mine.
Other guest that stayed with me also says when they wanted to re-book couldn’t find it either they contacted me direct.
Ritz3, I’ve reduced the price,. My price is in line with the other hosts in my area or even bit cheaper for my type of. The cheaper ones in my area are not up to my standard.
You should do searches for your place in a private browser window. Browser offer you the option to open a window in private mode. Then search your location and add filters such as price, number of bedrooms, amenities, etc so that you are comparing similar properties.
While I’m just north of Boston, I want to be found if someone is searching Boston at a certain price point.
I filter the results with a price and put whole home and 1 bedroom. I then open a second browser window that is not private, go to my airbnb account calendar and adjust my pricing so that I show up higher. I used the promotional discount tool. Once I update the price, I refresh the private browser window and see how I show up on the search results. You need to pay attention to the total price (not just daily room rate) because I’ve noticed that some Airbnb’s charge less for cleaning. Mostly, I am trying to position my STR as one of the most affordable places to stay.
(Note - I price my suite high 5 months out but about 1 month before I start discounting).
I know some folks raise their prices closer to the date but in my area there is an abundance of inventory and when folks search using price as a factor, they don’t always understand that some of the locations that look close to Boston are IMHO in sketchy neighborhoods. I have to compete with them. Since my space is on my second floor of the home I live in, I still have the same utilities and expenses whether it’s rented or not plus I keep the cleaning fee so for me, as long as I don’t go too low and attract problematic guests.
I do this analysis every week on open dates. If I have a single night I might change my rule for that day to a 1 night booking.
Basically, I am looking at my competition every week. I never used to have to be so assertive in my pricing but during my busy season (April - October) I am trying to get every possible booking I can.
Thanks Lynick4442, for your advice
Lynick4442, This is actually what I want. Busy for the period April-end of September, block all of October active again from November to second week in December. Then block again to end of March. I lives in the UK. I travel between Vancouver, France, however, I feel I’m not able to face the cold winter months much more so I’m planning for warmer grounds during winter periods. So bookings right now and as much as I can get would be perfect.
This is also a new topic, but I’m just going to tag it along.
People, since I’ve started couple years now which isn’t to long. I’ve been super host 4 times but I do not make use of my $100 reward. It’s silly not using it but because I’ve never used it I just find myself not to pro-active in using it. Also,as you’ll know Airbnb do not carry it on and won’t put it into ones account. Which I feel if you don’t use it they should put into ones account because you’ve earned the reward. Ok, super host are most of you use your rewards and what are popular uses.
I am in another group of Australian hosts and this is becoming the #1 topic. We are all seeing a drop in bookings. (and no, it’s not a winter slump. I was down 40% on May 2022). Our Reserve Bank just did another rate hike, when we were hoping they’d cool it, hard to know what to expect now. Will the wealthy travel domestically instead? (or off to Bali, which often is cheaper), but the middle class may not travel at all, if their mortgage payments keep increasing. Retail is also down apparently.
I usually book a non stay in Ukraine and use my voucher to help those hosts during these awful war times.
If I am not using the coupon for myself, I have booked a non-stay in Ukraine or Cuba. I figure Airbnb might as well help out someone who needs it.
I’ve never used it.
That’s not a very good idea. (Although it may depend on your area). Not everyone is a bargain traveller.
When I’m looking for somewhere to stay, I’d never consider a ‘cheap’ place. This is because, like most of the travelling public, I still have this nagging thought that ‘you get what you pay for’. Just something to consider.
What are you doing to attract bookings, other than listing on Airbnb?
I’ve had about 4 Superhost vouchers over the years and never used any of them either, which was silly, I should have. I really don’t travel aside from one month a year to visit family, so I don’t need to book places to stay. But next time I’ll either book something close to where I live in a nice environment, like right on the beach, just to get away from my daily routine for a day or two, or “fake book” in Ukraine or Turkey or somewhere hosts have had their livelihood affected by war or natural disaster.
Or if you have friends who host, who aren’t getting many bookings, you could book with them but not stay.
Airbnb will never let those vouchers accumulate without expiry dates. They aren’t a reward, they are an enticement to getting hosts to chase the Superhost badge. When businesses give vouchers or credits, they almost always have expiration dates, and the companies bank on a certain percentage of recipients never using them before they expire. That’s also why they are non-transferable.
I’ve used all 8 of mine.
I have had that happen but when I go and search without logging in or as my wife who has her own account it is right there in the first few listings. But I am a super host….if you lose your super host standing who knows where your listing will show up.
But the AirBnB gods are fickle. It can be feast or famine. Through New Years we were relatively full then starting in January we had zero bookings and almost no views. Adjusted prices and nothing happened. A host friend said the same. People were taking their pandemic travel savings and were going farther away. In the past we got city folk looking for a country get away with a fireplace. All of our repeats or regulars went to the Caribbean instead this past winter…
But then just as I was starting to worry…. a former guest contacted me about a 3 month rental as they needed to move. The AirBnB gods smiled on me!
I’ve used every single one of mine!
I actually never check my search ranking, but what I can tell you is that I lost my Superhost status, which I’d had since I think the first quarter after listing in 2016, after closing my homeshare because of Covid for two years.
2022, and the spring of 2023, after I lost Superhost was my busiest, most booked stretch ever.
Other hosts who have had, lost, regained Superhost have also said it had zero effect on their bookings.
Hello I have had NO bookings since March 28th!
I am a super host and there has been a great deal of additional inventory placed on the market that can accommodate eight people. I’ve been told to reduce it to six just because it might land me in another pool, and when I go to check my listing I couldn’t find it. This was back May 1 or so, I called them and it turned out they had dropped my location. It took them about a week to finally get it working and getting it fixed then I would search and I couldn’t find my listing at all because they dropped all the pictures this is been ongoing and now it’s almost the middle of June , I have been getting only one rental per month it’s like they have me on a diet I was booked every weekend last year I appreciate your input. I have dropped my prices by $200 a night on the weekends so I’m very competitive I think I have a lot of Airbnb Corporate competition also in this market
We are based in Phuket Thailand and it has slowed right down, since they opened the country after covid we were running at 95% occupancy through the low season the high season was great we were able to increase our rates, Right now we enter our low season since may we have been ok and we have bookings into the middle of July beyond that nothing at the moment, if the views are anything to go bye then they have dropped to a 3rd of what we normally get,
We show up as No1 on Airbnb when I search my area airbnb tells me we have almost a 1000 listings in my area thats apart from hotels and small resorts, so I dont think we are doing anything wrong,
My husband’s daughter was here for a couple of weeks, and they stayed in a 5star hotel. For the most part, there were only 5 rooms booked, and in the evening, the place was in darkness with the restaurant closed.
I have dropped the rates a little bit being low season
Another superhost and I are friends in my town. If we have a voucher that looks to be close to expiry we open up a single night at that price and book each others place…… keep the dates open on other platforms, never stay and get paid!
Hate seeing money just expire……