HMW #145: 7 Things Hosts Can Do to Get More Airbnb Bookings

Read Time: 5.75 minutes

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If your short-term rental bookings are sporadic, have plateaued, or you're just not getting the results you want on your foray into vacation rentals, I (Alan) am here to give you 7 ways to freshen up your listing to attract more Airbnb bookings. Yes, I asked for Lauren's help too.

 And what do I know about makeovers? Well, I've had 5 experts teach me a thing or two about zhuzhing.

Now that you know that I'm easy-qualified to give advice on this, are you ready for your own makeover? 

Oh man, you are indeed ready to roll. Let's get to it.

Zhuzh 1: Rotate photos for the upcoming season

Short-term rental platforms love active hosts. It can help boost your page with occasional photo refreshes. Ideally you have photos of each season so you can always be one step ahead of your competition by capturing the present .

Zhuzh 2: Update your listing description

The best guests will book your unit 30-45 days in advance. If there is a local festival or event coming up, be sure to include that in your listing. And once it's over, be sure to remove it so that it doesn't become instantly stale and outdated.

Zhuzh 3: Check amenities quarterly

Airbnb and VRBO update their list of available amenities roughly each quarter. They’ll add something like “lobster pot” or “Wi-Fi speed” and you'll want to make sure your values are not blank for these new searchable filters that are getting promoted on their home pages.

Zhuzh 4: Review guests

Being an active owner is an algorithm-win on any platform, but this also helps other Airbnb hosts. Leaving reviews helps boost your bookings, and it also helps other hosts know what they are in for based on your past experiences with a certain guest.

Zhuzh 5: Respond to guest reviews

Reply to guest reviews to show how active you are. For example, if they mentioned they loved walking to restaurants, say, “So glad you enjoyed the location!” Or if they loved the host communication, you respond that "We aim to make every guest feel at home."

Zhuzh 6: Tweak Pricing

Nothing like dipping the price down every now and then to quickly pick up some lower-priced bookings. PriceLabs or other dynamic pricing software raise or decrease prices, but doing it yourself here and there helps give your listing more visibility, which means more reviews, which then leads to more organic promotion in the future.

Zhuzh 7: Availability

You generally want your listing to show up in as many searches as possible. If you have longer minimum stays, try shortening them to see if you get booked. If you require 3-night stays on weekends, allow something shorter for the current week. Or if it's going to vacant, allow a one-night stay on weekdays to show up in more searches. 

So will these quick tips improve your short-term rental listing?

Great, now go love the new you! Thanks Fab Five!

Summary

• Active owners get more platform promotion
• Quick price tweaks lead to long-term growth
• Advertise guest comments and reviews
• Seasonal photos keep it fresh