Kept it simple with my first pie. Loved the whole process so much!
Sidenote: there was some chatter online about NG not getting very hot. I did NOT encounter that problem. I let it heat for 30-45mins and the floor reading was 960F, ambient reading was 1025F. So it actually got way too hot and had to let it cool before this cook!
Either way, looking forward to trying wood fire next.
My unit has been live for 1 year and just about every guest has reviewed my property — ~66 stays through June with 61 reviews.
My July guests + first August guest just aren’t leaving reviews! I would be concerned of some quality issue I’m unaware of, but they’ve sent personal messages that they loved their stay and left positive handwritten notes in the guestbook. This makes me think it may be a tech issue?
What makes me suspicious is that AirBnB did release changes to the review system recently. For example, I now get a reminder immediately after checkout to leave a review for my guest. That makes me wonder if something changed on the guest side that I don’t know about.
Does anybody know if the guest review reminders changed, or is anybody else experiencing this dip?
My Thuma finally came and it’s wobbling just after getting it assembled. This is super disappointing because I bought it with the one goal of a stable bed frame.
Is this how it’s expected to be?
Whats up with this house? Doesn’t look like the most perfect house, but good bedroom / bathroom count, parking, not horribly outdated, seems to be in a great location right near the best spots in Fremont.
Price history says it keeps going pending and then coming back on the market. It also dropped from ~1.5M in April to now just under 1.2M
Just this year, I’ve seen so many beloved small businesses post about getting broken into and robbed. Figurehead brewing, Baskette (2x!), and just today, Tivoli in Fremont. Of course, these are only the ones that I hear about — I’m sure there are way more that aren’t even on my radar.
I really think these small businesses make Seattle special, and it’s not like they’re rolling in money. It’s not an easy job, and when I see criminals take advantage of people who just want to offer something to the community, it truly breaks my heart.
I guess I just needed to vent a little bit. I sadly don’t have a big solution to propose. Although maybe somebody on here has some hope to offer me, because as this happens more and more often I feel like I’m losing mine.
My new Dome (NG) just arrived and I can’t wait for my first cook! I had a bit of a facepalm moment though, when I realized the space I had measured and prepped for the dome is also surrounded by wood. Of course it didn’t click until everything was done.
How risky is this spot? I did do some research and learned the back exterior of the dome doesn’t get very hot. And there’s nothing above the dome which seems to be the most common concern.
I’m currently trying to troubleshoot an enourmous swing in booking conversion metrics between June -> July. For reference, I am based in Seattle, WA, US.
Checking 6/15 - 6/30 on the “Performance” page, my first page search impression rate was 65.5%, with listing-to-booking conversion of 20.27%.
Then there’s July - a very popular tourism month here. My pricing is actually significantly lower in July than June. 7/15 - 7-30: first page search impression rate is just empty (shows “-“). Listing to booking conversion is an abismal 2.6%.
I haven’t changed anything in my listing, including photos or minimum stay rules. I even have a pretty hefty discount applied right now. Rating unchanged - 5-stars with 60 reviews.
Possible culprit: July 1st - 14th is blocked off by me as I have family staying there. Could Airbnb be downranking me for this?
Otherwise, I’m confused why my metrics have absolutely tanked during the most popular month of the year.
I rent out my finished basement as an Airbnb unit in Seattle, where summers have some hot days and most homes do not have AC.
While I could consider adding it as an investment, the basement truly doesn’t need it. The other day it was 87(F) outside and the thermostat downstairs read 68. Adding air conditioning would be entirely overkill since it stays so naturally cool.
The problem is, I know my unit likely is getting filtered out on the “Has AC” amenity. There’s no way around that, since I of course won’t fraudulently list my unit as having AC. But I probably need it in my description somewhere. Does anybody have advice on the best way to communicate this?
I searched my area in incognito mode for 4th of July weekend — one of the most popular weekends of the whole year in my area.
I see several listings with <50 reviews and <4.7 star rating that are listed higher than mine, which has >50 reviews and a 5-star rating.
The logical conclusion is: their price is so much cheaper than mine that they get preferred, even with bad reviews. However, there are also a couple listings that fit this criteria and are more expensive than mine!
This has just been frustrating because I’ve been booked solid with rave reviews, but now having trouble capitalizing on high season because Airbnb is downranking me for no plausible reason. It feels like they just pressure new hosts to lower their price by punishing them any time they bump it up.
This is something I’ve started doing recently when I’m able. I work full time and often have 1-2 nights between bookings, so extending a guest’s checkout time by 2-3 hours usually has no impact on my cleaning schedule.
Just passing along this tip to the community, as it’s a great way to leave a last good impression on your guests!
Asking about the tier where you tour regularly, have a few tracks in the low millions of streams, but aren’t signed to a major label and aren’t a household name.
Who ends up in your dating pool? Mostly other musicians, producers, scene people you meet through work? Or do partners from unrelated 9-5 style fields show up more than outsiders would guess?
I’m making the investment into a Gozney this summer and am stuck on the decision of which to get.
Done Gen 2: A big draw for me here is the natural gas option. I have a natural gas line running to my back deck already, and hooking it to the gozney means never having to refill propane. I also cook more than pizza - I’d like to use wood to roast chicken dishes, etc. Higher price tag, although money isn’t my constraint.
Used Dome 1: Listed on Marketplace in seemingly good condition for only $750. But its propane, which defeats one very exciting part of the Dome. Also its white, which wouldn’t have been my choice.
Arc XL: Also propane, no wood, but still can do a ton with it. Cheaper option vs Dome and get warrantee.
I typically respond to inquiries, guest issues, and booking requests almost instantly (guess there’s on upside to being chronically online).
But I also realized that guests say things like “thanks!” and I don’t respond sometimes. It’s unclear if AirBnB’s host response rate metrics count these? As a result, I have obsessively started to make sure every message is responded to, which has led to some silly back and forths.
Me: thanks for staying with us!
Them: Thank you it was a lovely stay!
Me: You’re welcome! Thanks again!
I'm in my first year of hosting (going on month 8!) and have been spending a lot of time trying to tweak my listing based on Performance Metrics. However, the AirBnB metrics page only let's you compare certain metrics to similar listings in my area. Specifically when I filter on the past month (4/12 - 5/12), I can't run comps for these metrics:
Since I have no benchmark to compare against, I have no idea what these numbers mean. Are these generally in line with what I should expect? Should I be tweaking anything?
I host in Seattle, where June is one of the most popular months of the entire year. Additionally, World Cup is being hosted here, which should only boost popularity.
I’m really frustrated at how sparse June is, because literally every night in May is booked. The price is about 50% higher, but with the full May occupancy + June demand, I honestly think a significant price increase is justified.
Does anybody have tips on troubleshooting what might be hurting my booking rate, aside from just lowering my price? I’ve double checked all my settings: visibility, minimum night stays, etc. Maybe I just need to be more patient?
I was visiting New York recently, and a colleague of mine who lives there was lamenting the reality of how much wealth can be a factor in their dating scene.
Now, I’m aware New York is an extreme example. LA would similarly be extreme. But reflecting on my time dating here, it never really felt that way? For those who have dated here in Seattle, do you even pick up on somebody’s financial status? If somebody is a kind, attractive person, do you see wealth as a big bonus?
I clean my unit myself (only way to make sure it’s done right!) but also use Turno as a backup, since I work a full time job & occasionally am out of town.
I’ve setup my checklist / instructions to be pretty clear and thorough. Hypothetically, a cleaner shouldn’t need anything else from me.
I have a new cleaner coming Friday. I’m debating intercepting them to introduce myself and go over a few quirks. However, I don’t know if that will come off as helpful or micro-managy.
For those who have cleaners, what do you usually do?
May has been my best month ever so far, but June bookings have come in quite slow. Very unusual for the Pacific Northwest (also a World Cup city!). I got suspicious and searched my neighborhood for June dates.
While I can see my listing, the problem is that it’s using an exterior cover photo in the regular search results list.
This is frustrating because I have “Arrange Photos” feature set to “off”. When I view my listing logged in as host, it very clearly has a different picture configured as the cover (shows a small “Cover Photo” label over it).
Has anybody seen this before? I also plan to reach out to support but they aren’t always helpful.
Edit: another thing I’m wondering is if their algorithm keeps flagging a photo as more optimal, maybe I’m too attached to my “favorite” photo and should follow the data…
I should preface this by saying: this really is not a complaint at all, but it is a strange situation and I’m wondering how others feel when this happens.
I run my Airbnb out of my basement guest suite. There’s no kitchen — just a kitchennette, coffee, etc.
I had somebody check in yesterday morning, they had a ton of glowing 5 star reviews on their profile.
But I haven’t heard even a footstep. My sound insulation is solid, but I can usually hear subtle things like the shower, doors sliding, etc. Just vague signs of life.
They also haven’t left the unit once, & food hasn’t been delivered because my lock notifies me when the door opens. How are they eating? Did they really bring 3-4 meals worth of food with them…?
I of course won’t intervene or say anything. I’m aware it’s none of my business what they do with their time. But I’m only human and I can’t deny that I find this really eerie. They’re staying for a week — at what point do I get worried for their wellbeing?
This my first time encountering this situation, so hoping to get some advice!
A guest is slotted to arrive tomorrow (2 adults + infant). They have seemed very enthusiastic and excited about the trip. They just messaged me saying their daughter caught a high fever and they cannot fly. They’ve kindly asked for a full refund.
To be honest, I have no plans to offer a full refund. I run this unit completely solo and shouldn’t take the vacancy hit based on their misfortune. I think the advice I need is more around what to say to them? I need to be firm but also, I empathize with them. I’m also afraid of some retaliation (could they not cancel, say they checked in, tank my reviews?).
My cancellation policy is “moderate,” meaning they get a partial refund. AirBnB does an exceptionally good job hiding exactly what “partial” means.