Mainly in NY state (places closeby NYC, 2-3 hours away by car); But it would be great to hear from any of you who managed to increased mid-week/ off season bookings?
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Depends on your area and target audience.
Get in touch with your local tourism people and ask their advice.
You could ask if you can advertise your services on their visitor accommodation sites/be listed on them
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Research your current guests: Ask casually in conversation they why they chose your place and amplify that in your listing. A guest discovered a great outdoor pool in our neighbourhood and I highlighted it in our listing. All of a sudden, French people were booking it left, right and centre 
Seems like thatâs a thing in France â hanging out at the local public pool. Make sure you have quality pics changed seasonally to show happy people (in your desired target market) doing cool things in your neighbourhood. People have stayed at our place to visit the tour the power plant nearby. You never know what appeals to people.
Distinguish your space: Weâre opening another space in our house for rentals and Iâm thinking of offering dinner items (basically lasagna from a local gourmet deli), fancy coffee machine, etc. If a person is deciding between two places, the gimmick may be the deciding factor.
We also often get couples looking for a one-nighter, so weâve made the space friendly for intimate encounters, if thatâs something that doesnât bother you.
Just some thoughtsâŚ
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Well, thatâs definitely unique. More people post here trying to discourage that. LOL. [quote=âadinam13, post:1, topic:8329â]
increased mid-week/ off season bookings
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You need business travelers or someone not doing the usual tourist thing. I wonder if a senior discount to get older travelers who like to travel when itâs not crowded?
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Who am I to judge? They arrive late, leave early and donât eat much. Ka-Ching ;).
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Adirondacks here, with a private room/private bath. this town is definitely a tourist destination only, no business travelers.
My first summer, I actually rented more during the week than I have the two summers since then. But thatâs because I would get many people who were traveling to/from NYC/Boston to Canada, so I was a good halfway point, and they were one night stays, sometimes they would stay again on the return trip 5-7 days later.
However, these were my least favorite types of guests. Messy, usually slightly rude (or maybe it was my newness as a host) they didnât really enjoy their stay because they just wanted to sleep to get back on the road so they would also not leave great reviews either.
In any case, I changed my wording to indicate that my airbnb is best suited for adventurers, not travelers, and I do frequently decline such requests.
I did a FB ad 3x this past summer, targeting 28-58 yr old women within 50 miles of Yonkers, I just chose that randomly figuring it would hit all the boroughs, Manhattan, LI. I would run the ad for 4 days, starting on Wed or Thur. I didnât spend much, maybe $10 each ad, oh wait, maybe more. In any case, the ad was giving a discount for a 3 night stay mid week. I actually got one booking out of it.
But, it was rather expensive to get that one booking 
(of course, itâs a tax write off).
So, Iâm in the same boat, would love to have more weekday guests but itâs rather hit and miss with my place.
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I know that I bang on about this a lot and Iâm like a broken record (does anyone under forty understand that???) but social media is the best way to promote your listing.
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I just havenât found my groove yet. Too scattered in every other area of my life 
Actually though, I still make a nice chunk of change with my ABB, and still carve out a few weekends/weeks each summer just for me where I block my place off, so itâs all good.
I just experimented this summer on FB.
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Just wanted to add that considering jaquoâs extensive social media presence and experience, we really should heed her advice. For one thing, the ABB (or other vacation rental websites) platform(s) are on the web, so we do need to realize that most of our potential guests need to be somewhat tech savvy and comfortable with using the web, on PCâs, laptops, tablets, mobile devices.
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Difficult because of terrorist.try longterm rental
Important question: do you have any special interests yourself? Hobbies, Activities, Sports etc.
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Hey, thanks for that tip about the pool. We have a great local pool they can ride our bikes to get to.
Also, about the one-nighters - hey, the more the merrier - Iâm not priced for just couples, but love when I get them because they are so much easier. I am in the process of buying a shear window scarf (currently not curtains) to complement the look Iâm going for - elegant. My husband and I discussed wether we should, or shouldnât, string âfairy lightsâ in the sheer scarf. I think, yes, that looks romantic and appealing and will help me score more with the couples as well as with the family groups I currently attract.
Good tips - thanks.
An electric fireplace adds instant charm and cozies up a space for winter. We have one that looks pretty real. They look great in the photos too!
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