hi all, just joined and reading through all the posts - going to be great learning from you. Would love some good critiques of my St Petersburg, Russia flat…seems I’m getting bookings for November and December…but nothing for 2018 (…let me know your thoughts on the ad! thanks in advance and hello from Russia.
Hello from the forum mod team!
I would just like to take this chance to remind all new members who post asking for critiques, (as there have been a lot of you lately) to please stick around and become a contributing member of the forum. Not just take our help and insight and disappear.
The mission of this forum is to help hosts help each other. This is a give and take place, not just a TAKE place. 
Steps down from mod podium.
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definitely sticking around )
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Good! Didn’t mean to Target you, it’s just that you are about the fifth new member to do this in the past 24.
That said, I would like to visit St. P. Is it better than Moscow? And what attractions do you have? Are Americans welcomed…or shunned due to political things?
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Your place looks awesome! The only critique I have is the photos. Way too many of them. I got bored looking through 10 pictures of the same room from slightly different angles. I don’t even recall seeing a picture of the bed, which is probably the most important thing, but maybe I missed it as I was skipping too fast through all the repeats.
I LOVE the ghost story! Knowing this info would definitely add to my experience but I have a feeling someone will come along and say it’s off-putting (don’t listen to them though! Keep it in there)
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for a visit definitely St P is better…maybe 3-4 days St P and 2 days Moscow?..to live maybe Moscow is nicer - as St Pete is very small - but visiting St Pete wins hands down…so much history here, and the canals, white nights, palaces, Rasputin places, etc…its just great - Moscow by comparison is a bit grey and Soviet. Americans most welcome :). politics isn’t on the cards at all here - and Russians love foreigners…its very intriguing…come come come
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This critique thing is huge on the Airbnb host pages and seems to have spilled into here. Some of the Facebook ones need all the help they can get!
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tks, going to get rid of some photos…obviously got carried away ))
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I’ve just added your place to my wishlist. I’d like to visit Russia one day when its politics are more aligned with my own views
I’m sold! …
Great description, this is fabulous. What is January like?
Still a bit too many photos! Can you maybe show one of the bed ready to sleep in since it is a sofa bed?
No shower curtain? Not that it would keep me from booking, just curious.
I have wish listed it and I am serious. I want to come!
Welcome! It’s great to have a host from Russia on the forum! St Petersburg is definitely on my Wish List - I long to visit the Hermitage. I have to say that your apartment looks absolutely beautiful - given which, I wonder why you have chosen one of the least interesting shots for your headline photo?! Any of the snow-covered cityscapes or interiors of the apartment would be better …
Also, although your décor is gorgeous it looks a bit … generic? Could be London, Copenhage, Oslo, Milan … I would suggest some items that give a sense of place - for instance, the old Soviet-era posters are very popular now, or maybe some Kandinsky prints?
But these are counsels of perfection - the apartment is lovely, you have great reviews, I think you’ll do fine. Don’t forget that many people don’t book very far ahead and in Nov/Dec many Europeans are thinking of Winter sun and ski-ing …
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Dang!!
Entry Visas. To enter Russia for any purpose, a U.S. citizen must possess a valid U.S. passport and a bona fide visa issued by a Russian Embassy or Consulate. It is impossible to obtain an entry visa upon arrival, so travelers must apply for their visas well in advance.
I wonder if there are any restrictions due to the political climate.
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First of all, is this price correct? $35/night? Is this what your competition is charging? I would expect you could charge more, but obviously I don’t know what the competition is doing.
I second the bed thing…I kept looking for the bed and couldn’t find it. It forced me to scroll through all the pictures, but it got a little annoying after a while. I think city pictures are unnecessary unless you can actually take a picture of them from the flat. People who are looking for a place to stay already are sold on the city. But the bed should be in your top 5 or so pictures.
Your pictures are very well composed, and I think your description is good.
Everyone excited about $35 a night in WINTER must never heard about notorious winters in Russia. How about $261 in summer for a place with no bedroom.
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Love your place! I would for sure book there if I should go to St.Petersburg.
Like the others said; Less pictures and a picture of the bed made. 
It seems like the studio is quite big? I might have considered putting in a nice double bed there too. It seems like both the sofa and a bed would fit in there? I hate making my own bed when I travel…
Is that what it is in summer??? holy moley!
Yep, that’s the peak price. Wait until late July/Aug it’s less.
Did someone say Russia?!! Well, surprise, surprise…a Russian citizen wants to buy my AirBnb so…la-la-la-la (I’m practicing my swan song).
I don’t know yet which city he lives in but St. Petersburg, Kiev, Moscow and Leningrad are mentioned on his online info. At first, I thought it was a “Nigerian Prince” situation but it turns out everything is on the up-and-up and it looks like it will be a “go”. He came to town, inspected the unit and put some serious money on the table.
(Apologies for hacking this thread but the name Russia caught my eye and I had to jump in with the news.)
Carry on.
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