Experienced hosts know that maintaining a high Airbnb occupancy rate is crucial for the success of their Airbnb business.
Seasons come and go, but if you arm yourself with knowledge on how to attract customers throughout the year you can keep your Airbnb average occupancy rate up. Let’s explore how you can maximize Airbnb reservations, and keep those bookings rolling in no matter what time of year it is.
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Optimize Your Listing
Your listing tells potential guests everything they need to know about your rental. Therefore, it should be insightful and appealing. You need to grab their attention and initial interest in bookings. First impressions really do count when trying to maximize your Airbnb occupancy rate. Here is a checklist to get you started:
- Don’t use overly flowery text. Keep it concise and break information into bitesize pieces (one big chunk of text can be very off-putting).
- Showcasing your property can boost Airbnb occupancy. Highlight special features such as free parking, a private bathroom, great Wi-Fi, traditional fireplace, etc.
- Use great photographs. Declutter rooms and opt for good lighting to get appealing shots.
- Add a video to your listing to provide a 360-degree view of your property.
- Revisit your listing often, ask friends to take a look too. A pair of fresh eyes can be useful in spotting ways to enhance your listing and improve your Airbnb occupancy rate.
- Keep your listing up to date. Update details in line with the seasons e.g. a brief description or picture of your garden full of bright blooms in spring, a photograph of your roaring open fire for winter.
- Keep an eye on your occupancy rate for Airbnb, don’t get complacent! Always check out what your competitors are offering.
- A comprehensive listing is fabulous – but make sure people see it. Airbnb is a great platform, but check out other vacation rental sites too.
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Turn on Automation
Managing an Airbnb property can be hard work. It can be a slog to juggle the day to day activities whilst growing your business and securing a steady Airbnb occupancy rate.
There’s good news for hosts, you can simplify this process using Airbnb management automation software. This allows you to easily access tools to manage all of your daily activities and tasks associated with hosting, and you can do it all from one single dashboard.
Use property management software to:
- Manage multiple Airbnb accounts from a single dashboard
- Automate guest communication
- Sync calendars across multiple vacation rental platforms
- Check and advertise the availability of your properties – prevent double bookings when guests make Airbnb reservations.
- Organize cleaning and maintenance for your properties
Automation can also be used to improve the guest experience and enhance your property. Anything that saves time, helps you to become a better host and attracts guests can only have a positive impact on your Airbnb occupancy rate. You can also use automation to:
- Improve security and make it easier for guests to access your pad by offering self-check-in and check-out. Install a smart lock or investigate other key exchange options).
- Optimize the environment by automating lighting and heating, and monitoring noise levels at the rental.
- Set up a digital welcome book – easily updated and accessible to your guests prior to their arrival.
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Switch on Instant Book
Switching on Instant Book could attract potential guests and help increase your Airbnb occupancy rate.
The Instant Book feature allows guests to input dates and book a rental without gaining pre-approval from hosts. Guests tend to appreciate this convenient method of booking, as it’s an easy and fast way to secure accommodation. The host can then discuss check-in details, and answer any questions the guest may have prior to their arrival.
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Secure 5-Star Reviews
If you want to secure a high Airbnb occupancy rate you need to make sure your reputation is tip-top. Potential guests will use the feedback from previous guests to judge your rental, and your Airbnb reservations may suffer if they don’t like what they read!
Similarly, guests might be put off by a lack of reviews, and this could harm your Airbnb occupancy. Plenty of good reviews indicate your rental is popular, so it’s imperative you encourage guests to leave a review. Don’t be surprised if they need a gentle reminder (or two)!
As a host, you will need to leave feedback for your guest. Make sure you do this promptly. You could send a little message to let them know you have done so – it might prompt them to return the favor. The more positive reviews you get the better. It’s a surefire way of bolstering your Airbnb average occupancy rate.
If you do get a negative review it’s not the end of the world. Although it will be disheartening, it won’t necessarily obliterate your occupancy rate for Airbnb. Remember opinions can be subjective, and you will get the odd guest that’s virtually impossible to please!
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Change Your Pricing Regularly
You’ve got yourself a great property in a fashionable part of town, you’ve decorated it well, paid a photographer handsomely for some super photographs and put together a comprehensive listing.
So why are you struggling to boost your Airbnb occupancy rate and why do Airbnb reservations seem so hard to come by? It could be that your rental is not as competitively priced as it could be.
Guests are seeking value for money, they appreciate décor, location and special features, but they don’t want to pay the earth for it. One of the best ways to improve your Airbnb occupancy rate is to regularly adjust your pricing. In order to improve your occupancy rate for Airbnb you could:
- Offer a weekday rate and a weekend rate. If you have a lot of weekend visitors, setting a cheaper weekday rate might encourage guests to book for those cheaper weeknights too, boosting Airbnb occupancy.
- Reduce your rates during quieter periods of the year. For instance, you might find you attract fewer visitors during the winter season, in which case you could offer reduced rates and discount deals that might appeal to low-season travelers.
- Check out your Airbnb average occupancy rate in comparison to your competitors. If they are busier than you it could be down to what you are charging versus their pricing structure. Change your rates accordingly to remain competitive.
- Stay on top of what you are charging for your rental and enhance occupancy rate for Airbnb by automating your pricing.
- Set up discount rules, minimum and maximum stay settings for guests, and enable a price fluctuation feature.
The Recipe for A Consistently High Airbnb Occupancy Rate
Hosts dream of a full calendar, plenty of bookings, lovely guests who are happy to pay a decent price for the privilege of staying in their beloved property rental.
Alas, dreams don’t always come true! But as a host, you can put the foundations in place to make sure your Airbnb occupancy rate remains as high as possible regardless of the season. You will need the following ingredients:
- A concise and attractive listing, that’s regularly updated.
- A well-thought-out pricing structure, that can be adjusted as necessary.
- Property software management to simplify the hosting process.
- Automation to improve the guest experience.
- A savvy marketing plan that captures the interest of guests all year round.
- Great reviews from guests to bolster your reputation.
Simply mix all of your ingredients well and soon enough you will have an Airbnb occupancy rate to be proud of!