Airbnb/booking. com rental owners, are your bookings down?

[Oneafterthelaissezfaire]

Bookings have dropped off a cliff compared to recent years. I know it's Jan/Feb but we've always had a steady flow but this year it's just dead.

I have an annex next to my house so not ruining any towns before anyone jumps on me. Curious if it's the same anywhere else? I'm in the SE.

Another one gone off air b n b

The last two we stayed in were just poor value for money. Electric went out, wasps nest unde balcony, no WiFi, no bedroom door etc etc.

I won’t use them too many weird cleaning rules etc. At least you know what to expect in a hotel plus room service and restaurant. Some Airbnb seem to charge the equivalent now as hotels so not really worth it.

I won’t use them too many weird cleaning rules etc. At least you know what to expect in a hotel plus room service and restaurant. Some Airbnb seem to charge the equivalent now as hotels so not really worth it.

The prices for Airbnb have really gone up. I tend to go to Anglesey 4 or 5 times a year and i have found Sykes are cheaper now . I am thinking of getting my own caravan because I am fed up of paying silly money for a small 1 bedroom cottage just for me and my dogs.

In York, my occupancy for Jan/Feb is down 10% compared to 2023 but gross revenue is up 9.4%. So bookings are down but prices are up.

How do you set your prices? There's usually a price at which you can get 90% occupancy - if you want that.

We tried really lowering them but tbh we ended up attracting people who were far less respectful of the property so it just wasn't worth the hassle in the end. We do play around with the pricing. It just is so much quieter than in the first two months of the last couple of years

I have definitely moved away from AirBnB. The last family city break we did was a reunion of several families and a large Airbnb would have been perfect. It worked out cheaper to get a hotel right in the centre of the city and with breakfast included! No cleaning or hassle and One of the rooms even had an infrared sauna.
I just don't think Airbnb is what it used to be anymore.

Bookings will return to pre-Covid levels as more people start to go abroad again. A lack of summer last year won’t have helped so more will be heading to sunnier climates.

For what it’s worth, I love Airbnb and have four trips booked so far this year. It’s so easy to use.

Airbnb has turned into a joke.

Prices are through through the roof, you get hit with the unexpected cleaning fee just before the checkout and it's full of crap. People thinking they can charge more than the decent hotel a couple of streets away for their dingy, crappy flat/room/shed.

There are far better and cheaper options out there now.

Yes I think people going abroad for some guaranteed sunshine is also a factor because I’ve done it myself 😂

I looked at the website but the cleaning fees (£35 for a two night stay) really really put me off!!! I'm always extra tidy when staying in rented accommodation 🤔

Like others I just don't like the set-up on Airbnb - extra fees, can't filter for what I want, number of bedrooms isn't always clear, can't exclude properties that allow dogs, risk of cancellation. And the price is a problem, for what you get.

Have you tried approaching Sykes or a local letting service op? I don't know if they'll do annexes though.

Me too.

Too many rules and chores at Airbnb. At Booking dot Com apartment are cleaned after you leave just like hotels.

Booking com take a massive cut though and some of the self catering listings look really shoddy.

For hotels I book direct now. It's very easy and almost always cheaper. For self catering I use established cottage companies. I didn't for a good few years but I'm fed up of scrolling through pages full of shit.

Oh yes that's true, good idea thank you.

The number of Airbnb listed properties went up 18% 2023 v 2022, so there is way more supply out there. Traditional bnbs and self-catering properties have jumped onto the platform as the commission paid by the owner is quite low (I think 5%? With the balance paid by the booker.) So there’s an over supply issue; I don’t know if the demand has gone down but certainly there is way more choice (of very mixed standard) to choose from.

Yes. This.

Unfortunately.

I was looking to book somewhere for 4 days away Mid March and looked at a lot of sites. Air B N B wanted to charge me a £95 cleaning fee and a £75 booking fee. The actual 4 night accommodation cost was £320 for me and DD with the the £170 in fees on top. Its no wonder bookings are down

I don't understand why the cleaning fee is separate? Surely you factor that into the price?

After trying Airbnb a few times, I’ve now gone back to just using hotels because I’ve found they’ve gotten really expensive.

Time was the Airbnb was likely to be cost saving. Not so much any more.

We don’t use Air b&b anymore because of unreliability issues we have had with properties cancelling at the last minute, local and international. Especially stressful if you’re travelling for events.
Personally , for all the extra costs just added it’s not worth it anymore in most instances. It has been cheaper to book hotels or use other booking platforms.

Had a couple of disappointing stays in places that had great reviews. I won’t use it any more unless there’s no alternative.

We have a similar rental. Annexe property attached to our own.
We only use booking.com as Air b and b annoys me.
Our bookings have been higher than usual if anything, but we don’t really rent in winter bar over Xmas and new year so I can’t compare to yours at this time of year.

June-October bookings are now usually booked up, up to 18 months in advance which is way earlier than in the past. I have summer 2025 bookings already.

I think it’s because we are cheaper than a hotel for what you get. Ours is 2 bed so aimed at small families. We are also have fully equipped everything from kitchen wise, to child related ie travel cots/ high chairs/ toys all available (for free). Most of our bookings are 10-14 days. In the local area, there’s very few other 2 bed options (unless someone pays for two hotel rooms which would be easily double, if not triple the price). We added a car charger also which recent guests have used so many might have booked knowing it’s here.

Do you have something that makes your place preferable to book over others?

Air BnB fees are ridiculous. I always look to see if there is an alternative owner direct booking option on the internet. The difference between the latter and the former for our cottage this Easter (UK) is £300!
I’ve never been hit by extra cleaning fees or cancellations though. Never had to take rubbish home - some hosts are really pleased if I check the rubbish collection day and put the bins out. I look for Super Hosts and read reviews very carefully because you can sometimes pick out heating/rubbish/odd host behaviour by reading between the lines.
I hope your bookings pick up, OP. Your property sounds great!

“The number of holiday lets skyrocketed from about 8,800 in 2017 to more than 89,000 in 2023 and now account for about 10 per cent of all second homes in England.”

a lot more competition perhaps?