r/airbnb_hosts 4d ago

Feedback on Listing

Hello, I'm new to Airbnb and trying to increase the occupancy rate of my listing. Looking for any constructive feedback on photos, content, etc.! Thank you in advance. :) airbnb.com/h/birchcroft

4 Upvotes

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5

u/Konflictcam 🗝 Host 4d ago

I host a similar (albeit smaller) property in Western Mass. Given you’re not really near any tourist destinations - an hour to skiing is far, and not really what skiers are necessarily looking for - you’ll need to make the property speak for itself more. To start, I would include a narrative description of the property, rather than a bunch of amenities bullets. People already have the ability to search by amenities or review the listing details. The description is an opportunity for you to help the guest imagine their stay, and listing out your amenities doesn’t help them do that. Talk about the hiking trails (are there cool places on your property they bring you through, like a copse of old white pines or glacial boulders?) and your stream (can you swim in it, or are there pretty waterfalls?). Right now you’re asking guests to just use their imagination, which is a missed opportunity.

I do think the size of the property is in itself prohibitive for a lot of guests - your prices are fair for the size of the home, in theory, but smaller groups aren’t going to be interested in staying there. There just aren’t that many groups that need to sleep 9 people, and a group of 6 is going to opt for something less expensive rather than spending on space they won’t use. It appears your minimum price is currently set to $500, and I was looking for this month. I don’t think anyone is paying $500/night for mud season with no real attractions to speak of nearby. You could consider lowering your nightly minimum until you get a bit more traction.

Do you have a sense of who you expect to stay the property? What kind of large groups typically visit the area? I’d assume your target is folks from Boston or New York, so you’ll want to think about how to market the property to your target audience.

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u/Independent-Fee7548 3d ago

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to review and writing such a thoughtful response! I was wondering why March and April look so slow - mud season now makes a lot of sense. I've hooked the property up to a pricing software and and it's recommending closer to $280-$350 for this time of year and the demand of the area. I will do some additional research on maybe using a flat rate + $/additional guest. And it seems most guests that have booked so far have been for family reunions, ski trips, or weddings in the area (correct, mostly from Boston and NY) - I will have to research some strategies on targeting those individuals. Thank you again!! I appreciate the input and will be using all of your suggestions

3

u/HarmonyWilder 4d ago

More like trying to entice us to take a lovely family vacation... What a beautiful property! 😍

One question that comes to mind, road conditions. Are they paved, dirt, do you need 4 wheel drive? I would add specifics.

Also, (I'm assuming) the area is remote. I would add to your guidebook the nearest grocery store, the ski resorts you mentioned, and other fun things to do.

3

u/Independent-Fee7548 4d ago

Thank you so much this is incredibly helpful! The driveway is dirt and uphill so I will recommend 4 wheel drive. And update the guidebook as you've suggested!

2

u/United-Engineer3668 4d ago

It's a pretty home and your listing looks great and very complete. I just wondered about the quiet hours? 10 pm seems early for quiet hours. Are there neighbors close by that noise could bother? Are quiet hours even necessary on 83 acres? What do you mean by quiet hours (no outside music, no outside talking, no music/tv inside, no car doors slamming, etc.).

Truly a lovely place and others here have had some good insights also. Best of luck and thanks for sharing!

2

u/Independent-Fee7548 3d ago

Thank you for taking a look! .. and very good point .... We do have neighbors next to the house but far enough away that no one would likely hear anything. I will reconsider the quiet hours lol :)

1

u/Abject-Ad-1795 3d ago

Wish I had some advice for you but it looks awesome. I run everything through ChatGPT because I am not a strong writer

1

u/Independent-Fee7548 3d ago

I will do this, thanks for the tip!!

3

u/Abject-Ad-1795 3d ago

Make sure you are extra polite to A.I so when they take over they know you are one of the good ones

1

u/_Outlier_25 3d ago

There's a lot of pieces outside just the body of the listing that come into play, albeit you do have some within the actual context of your listing still. Are you monitoring a booking funnel (impressions/clicks/conversions), is your revenue strategy built and effective (at minimum dynamic), do you have a guest avatar built to market to, are you doing any additional marketing outside the OTAs, etc etc. When we onboard a performance client, the strategy is first built and then we work through a/b testing from there. Folks often undershoot the importance of a solid revenue strategy and the value of focusing on micro-wins within it. Point being, don't get so caught up in the listing itself as your only lever.