Does anyone manage on JUST Airbnb?

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
bythesea
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:08 am
Location: west dorset

Does anyone manage on JUST Airbnb?

Post by bythesea »

Just that really! Initially planned to go with an agency but now considering going it alone. There are limited Airbnb listings in our area which may well be an advantage...those that are listed seem to book well and have lots of reviews through ABB. Property is in a popular seaside town in the South West. Any thoughts/ ideas welcome. Many thanks.
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barbersdrove
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Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: crowland south lincolnshire

Post by barbersdrove »

I am considering going that way. I've decided not to renew with OD or TA as very few bookings have come from them this season. We've been really busy though with Air bnb and repeats and recommendations. SO i guess it depends how long you've been going and how well known you are and if you have repeat people. We are in our 10th yr.
A cream cake a day keeps the wrinkles at bay:)
bythesea
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:08 am
Location: west dorset

Post by bythesea »

Thanks for that Barbersdrove. Unfortunately we are just starting out so no repeat custom or word of mouth to rely on! Have been chatting to a friend in the hotel industry who has had quite a bit of success with Facebook advertising - so I could see that Airbnb combined with a variety of other advertising may generate a few bookings to start us off. Let's hope so! :)
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

I think a few people in my village rely on just Airbnb. We are in a popular coastal village in Cornwall with a lot of small flats and I think it works well for this type of let, especially if owners are flexible on short stays and changeover days.

My impression is that Airbnb attracts a younger, more budget conscious traveller who wants flexibility - we rarely get bookings from them, I think because we have fixed weekly bookings and are perhaps a tad above other properties price wise.

A good tip I have read, which we may try, is to have your cleaning fee separate so that the headline nightly rate is slightly less and you rank higher in price sorted search results.
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barbersdrove
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Location: crowland south lincolnshire

Post by barbersdrove »

all my bookings from Airbnb would say that the impression that its fr younger people isn't right. We've had a very mixed bg but the majority are older couples. I do a lot of facebook advertising but I post the Airbnb business page on lots of local groups in the town nd the surrounding area so people looking for somewhere to stay to visit friends and family get recommended to us and they book either direct on facebook or via Airbnb.

It's very early days for us with them but so far I'm impressed and pleased with the bookings they have put my way. We've earned nearly £3k from them in July.
A cream cake a day keeps the wrinkles at bay:)
Quiterio
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Post by Quiterio »

I have a friend who relies entirely on AB for his apartments, and finds it works for him 100%. He also swears by instant bookings, which make his life nice and easy.

By contrast, we get most of our business through HA, and this is our first season with AirBnb. We have a sprinkling of enquiries, but no bookings. I don't understand why, unless our prices are too 'high-end' for AB customers. (We're an 8-person luxury villa with pool)
Kate24
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Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 10:27 pm

Post by Kate24 »

We have an apartment in a small city and are 100% Airbnb and have been since we started last year. Works great for us, occupancy rates usually really high and usually great, interesting, friendly guests. I like the way the guests are accountable too with them also being reviewed. And communication is usually good.

Guests have been all ages and a variety of business and leisure visitors, families, groups or friends or work colleagues.

The only downside is the fees that are added to the guests payment - they are quite high and can make it (us) seem expensive, so I have thought about taking direct bookings but really like the ease and security with Airbnb.
bythesea
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:08 am
Location: west dorset

Post by bythesea »

Thanks for all of the input so far, interesting to hear different experiences :)
rosebud
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

Unfortunately I get very few bookings through AirBnB (1 out of 33 of bookings for 2017)

On OD and TA i have 15 - 20 5 star reviews but on AirBnB my overall rating is a measly 4.4 and rating for value 4.2: My cottage is seen as expensive by AirBnB guests (even by 2 lots who got what I thought was a real bargain!!)

Thanks for the tip re cleaning fee Jenster... I have just added the cleaning fee and reduced my nightly rate. Hope this will bring me more bookings
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