Not Getting Airbnb Bookings After Having Calendar Blocked For Several Months

[AJ Satcher]

Hi all,

So it's been almost 3 weeks with no Airbnb booking. This is for my 1 bed 1 bath unit and for the past 6-7 months, I had it blocked off on Airbnb because I had a mid term tenant in there. We typically use this unit as a mid term rental and then in between time while we try and fill the vacancy, we list it on Airbnb. We have done this for over a year now and this strategy has gone really well.

We are very experienced in the STR space and understand that getting bookings is multi-faceted (ie. listing photos, reviews, amenities, PRICING, description, seasonality, etc). I've been tweaking nearly everything and still nothing. The pricing is very competitive and I feel like if I drop it any more, it just won't make sense.

I'm not really sure whats going on now and I'm trying to solve the problem. I'm wondering if I'm being penalized in some way for having my calendar blocked for so long. I'm in the Decatur, GA area. Any thoughts?

[Michael Baum]

Hey @AJ Satcher. So I am not completely sure but maybe it is because it was blocked for so long. It is possible that it has been moved way down the list.

Have you tried searching on a private or incognito browser to see where it shows up when you do a search? Then you might see where you fall in the list. Must be a lot of competition in the Decatur area?

Next up I would give AirBNB a call or send an email and ask them about it. They might be able to tell you why and help you move it up the search results for a while to help.

I agree that lowering the pricing could be a mistake. You will start getting the dregs who could trash your place.