Goon Cribs 1.0: AirBnB Resource Guide

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > Goon Cribs 1.0: AirBnB Resource Guide

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

RE the seasonal rentals. My family has a condo at Lake Tahoe and the summer rates that the management company rents it out for are about 50% higher per week than the winter rates.

I have a question for other hosts. I listed the place on my own on AirBnB and got a lot of traffic initially with 1 picture of the view. Now that I've added pictures of the interior, inquiries have dropped off. Any recommendations? The pictures are not that bad.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 06:44

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 16:07

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

Dead Pressed posted:

"Not that bad" is pretty subjective. Are the rooms in good shape, no need to clean, pick up clothes, etc? Could it be that they are outdated, room needs paint, etc? Is the furniture older, maybe ratty looking? Remember, you're selling this place, make sure it looks great, not just good, or "not that bad". Look at comparable places near you to see what they offer how their pictures look.

It could be that someone near you is offering a better deal at your price point, or someone else is undercutting your price for a similar offering. Also, how have your reviews been? All 5 star or have you lapsed in an area? Be cognizant of stuff like that.

Have a look for yourself: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2094435

The pictures are a bit dated, with the CRT TV that we've updated to an LCD. But overall the furniture and layout are the same. I just listed the place not too long ago so I haven't had any stays, so no reviews. I'm in a steep uphill battle. The other lake front units in the area are actual houses versus our condo.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 23:12

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

Dead Pressed posted:

Some constructive criticism: the place looks outdated. Anything from furniture, to bed comforters, to lighting fixtures, to wood paneling. Anything you can do to try and spruce it up a little bit could make a big difference. Example: hide the outdated dining chairs that appear in a couple of the photos, except a photo of the dining room. Paint (if you're not opposed) the paneling to lighten the room. Paint the rooms to non-white neutral colors (white is too boring, use a solitary "accent" wall if you don't want to invest as much on paint). If you're willing to drop some cash, update the lighting fixtures. Invest in covers for your purple chairs. All in all, the "style" kind of looks thrown together and old, but from differing styles & design eras. I understand we all work within a budget, but you're asking almost $500 a night for the place (and a $200 cleaning fee, gosh)---make it look a little newer than the 90s. I apologize for being harsh.

That said, the best way to get more reviews is to have a few to start. People are going to be somewhat wary of a place with no history. Drop your price to be OVERcompetitive with the market. Bend over backwards on your first few bookings, get 4-5 reviews, then reset the price to market value. At that point, you'll have the leverage you need to get consistent bookings. There doesn't seem to be much "incentive" for anyone to stay with YOU in specific right now.

Thanks for the info. I agree with what you're saying. The problem is that it is a 30+ year old cabin that has had a hodgepodge of decor thrown at it over the years. Right now the unit is breakeven, if I can convince my father to be serious about making this a cash flowing unit then we'll invest the money. I do like what you're saying about the price. The $200 cleaning fee I have to charge - HOA rules unless I want to eat that cost myself. Your comments weren't harsh - that's what I was looking for by posting it. I think too that I'll apply for the professional AirBNB photographer to come shoot it for free.

edit: Do you think it may be worth it to even offer a discount for honest reviews?

Dead Pressed posted:

EDIT: Tentish Klown & jvick, do either of you mind if I place you in the OP as hosts?

Don't mind at all.

jvick fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Feb 2, 2014

# ¿ Feb 2, 2014 17:52

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

I did lower the price on AirBnB after the last suggestion to help get inquiries, and in turn, reviews. Thanks for the feedback regarding the tennis stuff. I'll work on revising that. The pictures are dated and are stock from the property management's website. I just checked their VRBO listing for the unit and they finally updated those pictures, so I'll steal them for AirBnB until I can get their own photographer in there.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2014 03:10

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

I think they pre approve the service for certain areas.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2014 03:44

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

drat, I was going to apply this week because before I couldn't be up there in the "next 7 days" that a photographer would contact me.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2014 04:10

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

Thank you everyone for the feedback and advice! In the past two days I have received two confirmed consecutive weekend bookings. Now here's to hoping they don't burn the place down!

Also Dead Pressed, when you add the listing to the OP, mention that goons can message me and mention they're a Goon for a 10% discount.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2014 17:53

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

tentish klown posted:

Quick question for you guys -
I've just had my first two sets of guests (for a whole apartment that I don't live in). It's been a bit of a pain in the arse organising the key exchange, especially during the day when it means I need to skip out of work for an hour and a half in order to go to the flat, wait for the guys to turn up, and head back to work. What methods have you seen that would make this smoother/easier/infringe my day job less?
Also, do hosts usually let new guests stay the day that the previous guests leave? I just tried this and it makes things so much harder because it only give me a few hours gap to turn the place over, change the sheets etc. I'm just curious as to what the standard practice for these things is.

Could you make the check in an hour after you get off work? Maybe 6pm? Though that is very late. If cleaning the place same day is a hassle for you, I would recommend that you mark the night after a guest checks out as "not available". Then you have an evening to get the place cleaned up before the next guest.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2014 04:45

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

Has anyone had any experience with cancelling on a guest? I had to cancel on two guests the other day because my mother failed to remember that she had already committed our unit to someone who purchased it at a fundraiser. One of the people I cancelled on happened to be an AirBnB exec and to say the least he was not happy at all.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2014 22:25

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

It was more the way he worded his response. Going back and reading it again a few days later, I may be reading into it too much. I realize it was a lovely situation for him since it was a week long family vacation.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2014 17:28

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

It was over 4 months in advance, and a popular week. Though, there is no shortage of nice places to stay in that immediate area that would be a good substitute. In my response, I did take the blame, and offered him a special rate should he choose to give us another shot.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 21:07

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 16:07

jvick: Jun 24, 2008; WE ARE
PENN STATE

That's awesome! I wish I had known more about AirBnB when I was traveling 3 weeks a month for work. Although all those Hilton points are making for a nice honeymoon.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2014 18:36

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > Goon Cribs 1.0: AirBnB Resource Guide