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<blockquote data-quote="Isaac Jordan" data-source="post: 199973" data-attributes="member: 3810"><p>Three months later, my Airbnb hustle continues to pay dividends. Just wanted to update this thread with a few more suggestions:</p><p></p><p><strong>Communicate promptly.</strong></p><p></p><p>Airbnb keeps a record of both your response rate (a percentage describing how often you respond to inquiries and requests) as well as how quickly you respond (within an hour, within a few hours, within a day, etc.). Both of these stats are posted in the "About the Host" section of your listing.</p><p></p><p>Not only will having good stats encourage users to contact you (because they know they're likely to receive a quick response), but they can also help you beat the competition. Airbnb hosts can reject any request for any reason, so many users will send out multiple inquiries and then go with the host that responds first. </p><p></p><p>Airbnb also considers response time in their search results; responding promptly can help bump you up a few places in your city's rankings.</p><p></p><p>Here are some things you can do to improve your communication:</p><p></p><p>1) Answer every inquiry and request. Even if you aren't interested in hosting the person, shoot them a quick message to keep your response rate at 100%. </p><p></p><p>2) Download the Airbnb app to your smart phone. I try to answer any messages immediately, and have received praise multiple times for responding within minutes. </p><p></p><p>3) Keep a word document containing your commonly-used responses. Templates for things such as check-in and -out info, post-stay thank yous, or a generic rejection will save you hours of effort and ensure that you don't forget any details.</p><p></p><p><strong>Set your weekly and monthly prices to encourage longer stays.</strong></p><p></p><p>Airbnb doesn't require you to set weekly or monthly prices, but I'd highly recommend adding them. Longer stays might entail a slight discount on your part, but you'll reduce cleaning time/fees as well as the effort spent looking for new guests. Renting to fewer people also reduces your risk and the potential for problems. </p><p></p><p><strong>Update your calendar every day, and keep it as accurate as possible.</strong></p><p></p><p>Your homepage will show the last time you updated your calendar, and the act of updating it also improves your ranking in the search results. You don't have to make any real changes-the simple act of visiting your calendar page renders it "updated".</p><p></p><p>Keep your calendar as accurate as possible to avoid having to cancel on someone. Canceling a reservation hurts your communication stats as well as your search results ranking.</p><p></p><p>If you know your place will be available, keep the calendar open three to six months into the future. I've had folks book dates months in advance, and they're often easier to work with than the usual guest because they put so much thought into the trip.</p><p></p><p><strong>Monitor similar Airbnb rentals in your area to adjust prices.</strong></p><p></p><p>In the beginning, trial and error counts for a lot. If you're receiving a lot of inquiries, try raising the price until you're just managing to fill your calendar. If no one's booking, lower your price and/or improve your marketing (more/better pictures, more details on the place and its amenities, a more specific title, etc.). You'll likely need to price the place lower until you get a few good reviews, at which point you should slowly raise prices. </p><p></p><p>Also, try pricing a date higher when it's far into the future, then reduce the price as the date gets closer. This will help you get a feel for the true value of your rental.</p><p></p><p>Every so often, pretend you're looking to book a place in your area and get a feel for your competition. Airbnb hides rentals that are already booked for your selected dates, so try a few different options (weeknights, weekends, long weekends, an entire week, etc.): </p><p></p><p>What are similar places charging compared to you?</p><p>How many reviews do they have, and what are folks saying about them?</p><p>How do their amenities (parking, pools/gyms, Wifi, freebies like coffee and tea) compare to yours?</p><p>Can you change the title of your rental to better reflect your advantage(s) in the area?</p><p></p><p>This information will help you determine your place in the market. You'll get a feel for your niche, and can compensate for weaknesses you might not have noticed before looking at what others are offering.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Isaac Jordan, post: 199973, member: 3810"] Three months later, my Airbnb hustle continues to pay dividends. Just wanted to update this thread with a few more suggestions: [b]Communicate promptly.[/b] Airbnb keeps a record of both your response rate (a percentage describing how often you respond to inquiries and requests) as well as how quickly you respond (within an hour, within a few hours, within a day, etc.). Both of these stats are posted in the "About the Host" section of your listing. Not only will having good stats encourage users to contact you (because they know they're likely to receive a quick response), but they can also help you beat the competition. Airbnb hosts can reject any request for any reason, so many users will send out multiple inquiries and then go with the host that responds first. Airbnb also considers response time in their search results; responding promptly can help bump you up a few places in your city's rankings. Here are some things you can do to improve your communication: 1) Answer every inquiry and request. Even if you aren't interested in hosting the person, shoot them a quick message to keep your response rate at 100%. 2) Download the Airbnb app to your smart phone. I try to answer any messages immediately, and have received praise multiple times for responding within minutes. 3) Keep a word document containing your commonly-used responses. Templates for things such as check-in and -out info, post-stay thank yous, or a generic rejection will save you hours of effort and ensure that you don't forget any details. [b]Set your weekly and monthly prices to encourage longer stays.[/b] Airbnb doesn't require you to set weekly or monthly prices, but I'd highly recommend adding them. Longer stays might entail a slight discount on your part, but you'll reduce cleaning time/fees as well as the effort spent looking for new guests. Renting to fewer people also reduces your risk and the potential for problems. [b]Update your calendar every day, and keep it as accurate as possible.[/b] Your homepage will show the last time you updated your calendar, and the act of updating it also improves your ranking in the search results. You don't have to make any real changes-the simple act of visiting your calendar page renders it "updated". Keep your calendar as accurate as possible to avoid having to cancel on someone. Canceling a reservation hurts your communication stats as well as your search results ranking. If you know your place will be available, keep the calendar open three to six months into the future. I've had folks book dates months in advance, and they're often easier to work with than the usual guest because they put so much thought into the trip. [b]Monitor similar Airbnb rentals in your area to adjust prices.[/b] In the beginning, trial and error counts for a lot. If you're receiving a lot of inquiries, try raising the price until you're just managing to fill your calendar. If no one's booking, lower your price and/or improve your marketing (more/better pictures, more details on the place and its amenities, a more specific title, etc.). You'll likely need to price the place lower until you get a few good reviews, at which point you should slowly raise prices. Also, try pricing a date higher when it's far into the future, then reduce the price as the date gets closer. This will help you get a feel for the true value of your rental. Every so often, pretend you're looking to book a place in your area and get a feel for your competition. Airbnb hides rentals that are already booked for your selected dates, so try a few different options (weeknights, weekends, long weekends, an entire week, etc.): What are similar places charging compared to you? How many reviews do they have, and what are folks saying about them? How do their amenities (parking, pools/gyms, Wifi, freebies like coffee and tea) compare to yours? Can you change the title of your rental to better reflect your advantage(s) in the area? This information will help you determine your place in the market. You'll get a feel for your niche, and can compensate for weaknesses you might not have noticed before looking at what others are offering. [/QUOTE]
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