Help why are our bookings so low and slow.

[Ben-and-Emily0]

I would really apprichiate some help and honest appionions/feedback. 

I can not understand why we do not get more bookings, we have been running our studio for 2 years (We only open April-Nov as it is a single skin building and we do not feel comfortable to charge people for a space that can get very cold dispite heating.) Problem no 1 i guess, problem 2 arose from this as we just lost our superhost rating due to being closed. 

I also know that our photo's could be more profssional (we are working on this.) 

Price wise we conitually review our price to make sure we are charging appropratly for our size and offering- however this means dipping below our comfort point often in order to keep ourselves competitive. 

My issue is I can't understand why we only have 40 reviews- all be it very good reviews. I check out our competition regulary and it upsets me that new spaces open for less than a year have more than double the amout of bookings and reviews than we do. One of them is exteemly small (but I guess quirky) what do they have/ are they doing that we are not? 

We offer a fantasic and very comfortable purposly designed luxurious space all be it small but we do not hide this, the local area is very expencive and we are really reasonable. I don't know what we are doing wrong. 

We also get a lot of enquirys that often don't result in a booking, dispite sending special offers etc. 

Please help if you can. Thank you. 

[Helen3 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ben-and-Emily0

Some advice (I work in marketing and communications)

You need to rewrite your headline something like 'Secluded garden retreat, in Tetbury, Cotswolds' so you have the town you live in, in your headline and also the key benefits of your space; secluded, garden, retreat'

You are wasting the opening pictures you have on your listings. Your first image is a dull grey picture that doesn't show the bedroom or property.

Swop it for  a photo showing the retreat in its garden setting. Make the five top photos work for you, you have two that are the same/very similar. I would have the opening photo of your garden, the shot of the bed with your welcome tray, bathroom and a couple of photos of the local area - Tetbury  and a Cotswold open country scene.

I agree get a professional photographer in - what do you mean you are working on this - just book someone to come in this week and give them a brief of what shots you want.

Bottom line you only have forty reviews because you are only open for half the year. Airbnb puts listings which aren't available in the next few months to the bottom of the viewing pile. So either you need to create a heating system that will mean you can open all year -can you put in a log fire or adequate heating or recognise you won't get as many bookings.

Don't forget there are many other platforms you can list on including your local tourism site.

Good luck.

[Ben-and-Emily0]

Thank you for taking the time to respond, and give you're honest feedback! It is all really helpful and we will look at all your points right away. 

[Emilia42]

@Ben & Emily, I agree with Helen on the cover photos. You have a really cute place. I'm not familiar with your climate or the temperature but I think the fireplace and a warm down feather blanket and flannel sheets would make for a really cute and cozy place in the winter. Maybe give it a try to rent it out in the colder months. Start with friends and family and see if they have any issues. 

[Ben-and-Emily0]

Thank you for you're help, we do already use feather down duvets and change them accourding to the season ( tog size) as well as lovely sheets and a big fluffy throw. Family have always been very happy to stay in there during the winter months. It does have a small radiator with central heating but a fireplace is a good idea and something we will look into. Prehaps we are worrying to much and should extend our season. Many thanks again, also thank you for your kind comments. 

[Charlotte495]

I offer an electric blanket in the winter months, people can always unplug it if they don't like it.  I think if you're very up-front about your rentals shortcomings it's fine.

My cottage gets terribly hot in the summer months and has no air conditioning.  Not only do I explain that in my listing, I have included a statement about it that they have to acknowledge as part of the "house rules" they have to agree to before confirming their rental.  That way no one can say they didn't know it was going to be hot.  No problems so far!

[Delia92]

I have 5 listings and all are very slow help, please

[Linda3566]

Hello!  I am new to Airbnb and after the first week of listing my property, I got several listings.  But I noticed in the last 3-4 days, I haven't received one request or inquiry.  What happened and what am I doing wrong?  I've read several other's comments and stories about their experience with this similar issue so I've followed all the recommended steps (change the description, lower the price, re-sync my calendar, etc.)

How long does it take for me to see if the changes I made worked? 

Also, will Airbnb notify me if I did something wrong which has caused my bookings to decrease?

Thank you for any recommendation/advice you can provide.

[Sarah977]

@Linda3566  Different areas have times when they get lots of bookings and slow times. It doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. 

One thing I wonder is why you are trying to cram ten guests into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. You have what looks like dining room and living room seating for 6, max. Nor have you mentioned in your listing info where these extra 4 people would sleep. 

If I were you, I would take your guest count down to 6-8.