How to Get More Bookings on Airbnb

Are you one of Airbnb’s 2.9 million hosts, or are you thinking about becoming one? You’ve likely worked hard transforming your property into a successful vacation rental, and you want your hard work and investment to be worthwhile. Therefore, it’s vital you also take steps to ensure you get plenty of bookings on Airbnb.

• READ MORE: How to Start an Airbnb Business

Why Aren’t You Getting More Airbnb Booking Requests?

So, you’ve listed your vacation rentals on Airbnb, and you wait for booking requests…. and wait… and wait some more. Why aren’t guests booking your property? There are multiple reasons why your Airbnb listing might not be getting booked, including:

• Strict guest requirements – You might be excluding plenty of quality guests with overly-strict requirements. For example, you might have selected to not accept bookings from first-time guests or those who have even a single negative review, which could greatly reduce your potential market.
• Minimum stay – Many Airbnb guests only want to book a vacation rental for one night or two, so if you require a minimum stay of three nights or more, you might be missing out on a lot of potential bookings.
• Uncompetitive pricing – By pricing your Airbnb vacation rental too high, you will lose potential guests to hosts with better pricing. At the same time, if you price your listing too low, potential guests will assume there must be a problem or the property is of lower quality. It’s important to research the local competition when setting your rates.
• Unimpressive title – If potential guests are unimpressed by your listing’s title, they might assume they’ll be just as disappointed in your vacation rental. Instead, write a catchy and descriptive Airbnb title to attract more users.
• Low-quality photos – The photos added to your Airbnb listing are your chance to showcase everything spectacular about your property. Low-quality or irrelevant photos are nothing more than wasted opportunities.

How to Get More Airbnb Bookings

There are a variety of strategies to employ that can increase exposure to your Airbnb profile and attract more guests to book your vacation rentals. Want to maximize the profits from listing your vacation rental with Airbnb? The following tips might help.

1. Optimize Airbnb SEO

Do you want to ensure your listing appears in Airbnb search results? Much like Google and other search engines rank websites, your search ranking is based on the Airbnb algorithm, and you can optimize your listing for a better outcome. Research the most relevant keywords, and use them in your listing title and description.

2. Turn on Instant Book

With Instant Book, hosts allow guests to immediately book an Airbnb without waiting for pre-approval. By turning on Instant Book with Airbnb, you ensure your listing appears in more potential guests’ search results and demonstrate your flexibility as a host.

3. Keep Your Airbnb Listing Current and Complete

The Airbnb algorithm considers all parts of your listing, so it’s important to complete the title and create a thorough description. A complete Airbnb profile also appears more professional to potential guests. Further, it’s important to keep your listing current by regularly updating it.

4. Create a Comprehensive Listing

It’s not enough to offer a brief property description to attract guests booking through Airbnb. Use as much available space as possible to provide details about the vacation rental and its amenities. The more descriptive your language, the more potential guests will be able to envision themselves staying there.

5. Keep Calendars Up to Date

Regularly updating your Airbnb booking calendar helps ensure your listing appears to potential guests any time it’s available for relevant dates. By keeping your calendars up to date, you also show the Airbnb algorithm that you’re active on the sales channel.

6. Display Professional Photos

Vivid, descriptive photos can inspire potential guests to book your Airbnb listing. In fact, according to Airbnb, 60% of listing views start with a guest clicking on a photo, and more than 40% of the time when guests choose not to book a listing, the last thing they clicked on was a photo

7. Set Competitive Prices

When potential guests compare Airbnb listings, one of the major factors they consider is the rental price. A price that is competitive with similar listings in your local market makes your listing more appealing to potential guests. Remember to regularly update your price to reflect market changes or seasonal demand, ensuring you remain competitive.

8. Inspire Positive Reviews

Like most industries, Airbnb guests value the experiences and opinions of other customers. The more guests who leave good reviews of your property, the more you will increase your bookings on Airbnb. Therefore, try to create exceptional guest experiences that inspire high praise. Also, ensure you professionally respond to any negative reviews in a friendly manner.

9. Manage Response Rate

By promptly responding to both guests’ and potential guests’ inquiries, you show them you are an engaged, reliable, and legitimate property owner attributes which will encourage more Airbnb customers to book with you. Likewise, responding to inquiries within 24 hours is likely to improve your ranking in the search results, which will further boost your booking rate.

10. Increase Flexibility

By remaining flexible with your required length of stay, you are able to attract more potential guests who are looking for short-term rentals. By reducing the minimum stay and increasing the maximum one your listing will appear in a greater number of searches, which equals more booking opportunities.

More Tips for Increased Airbnb Bookings

The goal of an Airbnb listing is for property owners to host guests and make money, but that can’t happen without factors like a competitive price and flexible cancellation policies. Read on for more tips on improving the Airbnb experience you offer and how to reach Superhost status.

11. Don’t Cancel Bookings

To increase your booking rate, it’s important to avoid canceling bookings on Airbnb. When you cancel a booking, you not only inconvenience your guest, but you hurt their experience and increase your chances of receiving a negative review.

12. Increase Social Media Presence

Like all search engines, Airbnb’s algorithm gives preference to listings with more links around the web. By sharing your property on social media and linking back to your Airbnb listing, you can appear more often in Airbnb search results.

13. Offer More Amenities

Many Airbnb customers look at what amenities the property offers guests when choosing their booking. Fortunately for hosts, many of the tickable options require very low investment. You can increase your bookings simply by outfitting your vacation rental with basic amenities like a hair dryer or a steam iron.

14. Add Listings to Other Websites

After you’ve established yourself as a host on Airbnb, you can expand your market reach by listing your property on other websites, such as Vrbo or Booking.com. Make sure you also use an app like Channel Manager to sync your booking calendars.

15. Provide Exceptional Service

By providing an extraordinary guest experience, including customer service, you inspire loyalty among your clientele, who are more likely to become repeat customers. In fact, studies indicate many Airbnb hosts receive up to half of their bookings from repeat guests.

16. Start a Mailing List

Contacting guests following their stays at your property helps improve your chances of repeat bookings. Ask guests for their email addresses, and add them to your mailing list. Then you can send periodic updates, as well as personal contact with past guests, reminding them of their positive experience.

17. Update Decor

Airbnb users seek out comfortable yet modern accommodations. In fact, how you furnish your vacation rental can impact your guests’ overall experience. Therefore, updating old-fashioned decor can have a positive impact, just don’t forget to update the photos attached to your listings.

18. Remember the Outdoors

The inside of your vacation rental isn’t the only part of the property that matters to your guests. They also pay attention to the landscaping outside. Be sure the lawn is mowed and any shrubbery is trimmed. If there is a garden, fill it with beautiful flowers and keep the weeds out. The aesthetic quality will have a positive impact on your Airbnb bookings.

19. Employ Latest Technology

Stay on the lookout for any new gadgets or technology trends that can add to your guests’ experience. By adding a few smart home features such as a smart thermostat, smart light bulbs, or even voice assistance, you can ensure your property makes an impact on guests and stands apart in their minds.

20. Achieve Superhost Status

Airbnb hosts who consistently achieve positive reviews and guest experiences can achieve Superhost status and boast an orange badge on their rental listings. This badge not only shows potential guests that you are a trustworthy and active host, but the property will also appear in targeted Superhost searches on the website.

Do Superhosts Get More Airbnb Bookings?

Airbnb Superhosts’ listings get more visibility, which increases their bookings and earning potential. Every 3 months, Airbnb reviews its hosts’ ratings, response rates, cancellation rates and total bookings over the previous 12 months. Those who achieve a 4.8 overall rating from guests, a 90% response rate, a cancellation rate of less than 1% and at least 10 completed stays are awarded Superhost status.

Superhosts not only earn a recognition badge to display on their Airbnb profiles, which increases their credibility and visibility, but they also earn exclusive rewards, including a $100 Airbnb coupon every year they keep their status and an extra 20% on top of the usual referral bonus.

Were Airbnb Bookings Down in 2022?

Although some hosts have claimed that their bookings have dropped significantly in 2022, the overall Airbnb market is still robust. According to AirDNA, September 2022 demand for Airbnb and Vrbo rentals increased 24% year over year, and it was 26.6% higher compared with the same month in 2019.

However, the increasing demand might not be keeping pace with the additional supply as more and more property owners list their vacation rentals with Airbnb. For example, the September 2022 available short-term U.S. listings on Airbnb and Vrbo rose to 1.38 million, up 23.2% year over year, and an increase of 8.7% compared with September 2019.

Image: Envato Elements

This article, "How to Get More Bookings on Airbnb" was first published on Small Business Trends