Superhost Reward

Just received an email from AirBnb offering me €80 travel credit or a professional photoshoot. I use AirBnb quite often to travel so I can defenitely put the credit to good use. On the other hand my listing (id-dar.com/airbnb) does not have professional photos in the sense that I took the photos myself.

What would you opt for in my situation?

I would always commission my own photographer.

Why? - I then have control over which photographer is used, which photos are taken, which are used and I would negotiate shared copyright with the photographer so that I could use photography for other marketing purposes.

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When I had mine done, you could use or not use any that were taken. It was so long ago that only one or two shots remain from the original shoot.

Travel credit. That is a bird in the hand. Your photos are above average as it is. I’ve seen a lot of listings, many superhosts, who have terrible pictures and dozens of five star reviews. I don’t think pro photos would result in substantially more bookings or higher prices. And as Kona and Helsi pointed out, their use is restricted and they become outdated.

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airbnb’s “professional” photographers are hit or miss in my opinion. There’s only 1 in all of the huge atlanta georgia region and he’s horrible. Luckily, airbnb refunded my money and removed the pics from my listing. You’re better off hiring your own photographer so you end up owning the pics and getting to choose which ones are used in your listing. If you let airbnb do it, they choose the pics and upload them to your account. You also never get the actual files from the photographer.

Honestly, if you think about it the tiny $100 usd credit they give superhosts is laughable for what we go through to attain and keep the superhost status. It should be $300 - $500 usd. each year.

I don’t find it difficult at all (200 sq ft space single room with ensuite, no kitchen, pool, game room)

Wow! That would be great but with tens of thousands of superhosts they won’t be doing that. Maybe if they had higher rewards for people who bring in more money. I only made ~$9000 last year. Some people make that in a month.

Dusty thanks for boarding dogs and fostering them. I love your place!

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Thanks for your kind words. You are always welcome here if you should ever be passing through. Free dog hair and slobber!

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Our dog gets mentioned about 50% of the time in our reviews. We love dogs
too.

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id keep the 80 euros.

but…get rid of ur first 2 photos - i think the rest need to be reorganized a bit better - the kitchen photos would turn me off…i wouldnt have gone past it…id put the sitting room, bed room, then kitchen - the pics look fine.

enjoy the 80 )

I have only had one diabetic guest dog and yes I gave injections. I had a dog for 8 years who needed monthly allergy shots that I administered. It’s not a big deal. Some kennels or home boarders don’t like to do it.

Take the credit - as others have mentioned I could not use any of the photos taken of my property - they were very flat and didn’t represent the character of my home. Also, so you get what you pay for!

If you’re getting bookings regularly and feel your price is where you want it to be, I would take the travel credit! Your photos are already really nice so I don’t see there being a huge boost from getting professional photos.

Good to know. We have a diabetic cat (my beautiful boy!) who needs shots twice a day. I can do it okay but I know that other people are squeamish about it. Would my best option to be to board him at the animal hospital when we go away?

I love him to bits but that seems quite steep.

Probably cheaper where you are and that price was for a dog… I guess it counts as hospitalization.

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Honestly, for a cat, probably. A lot of cats hide and then your sitter can’t find the cat. Not good. Vet may charge extra for shots, most vets and kennels do.

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Mine said the shot was included as part of the hospitalization.

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I would take the credit and hire your own photographer. But your photos are actually quite good! Should I decide on a trip to Malta, I would stay with you!

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A little off topic sharing: My beloved Max the miniature schnauzer was diabetic & reqired insulin shots 2X a day. Walmart has a “diabetic assistance program” meaning they sell their generic insulins for $24.88 / vial USD. All other pharmacies in my area wanted >$100 a vial. Thank goodness for the $24.88 insulin or I couldn’t have afforded his medication.

Walmart uses the insulin as a loss-leader planning to make up the margin by selling the client other things in the store or additional medications.

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That’s good to know - thank you so much for the info!

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