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.

Same as other people have said, impossible to know the actual price until the end of the booking process because of cleaning fees etc so very annoying to compare and choose properties. We avoid using it now because of that.

Op do you also have your own website? We are listed on booking.com, but our bookings are actually about 50% direct nowadays.

No but definitely will look into it thank you x

I'm finding that people are booking much later and more short breaks.

I've just done what I always said I would never do and listed on Airbnb....

Having to book 182 days a year ( North Wales) is a high bar for the seasonal market around here. I would normally book over 200 nights without much difficulty but I can't afford to be complacent.

We do get a lot of repeat bookings via our own website but I can't continue to rely on that

Air B&B has a bad reputation at the moment, lots of hosts expecting people to strip beds and take their rubbish away, hosts limiting the heating use etc. I know several people who refuse to use Air B&B at all after experiences like this.
For us, we've stopped using Air B&B as for the cost of a weekend in Pembrokeshire we can get a week away abroad including flights. We used to do 2-3 UK minibreaks a year but instead we do them abroad now.

Supply of holiday lets has rocketed.
Meanwhile, demand is suppressed.
Ironically, both result from the same thing. The cost of living crisis means people with potential rentals are looking for extra sources of income, while those who might book trips can't afford to.
When supply exceeds demand, prices get suppressed and vacancies will increase.

Yes, there are people going off Airbnb because of various bugbears and flaws, but that's a minor part of it. It's really simple market economics.

You might need to change your strategy.
Getting stuck in the middle of a growing market is always an issue. Budget or premium options tend to survive. Could you reposition in the market?

Alternatively, demand for private rental homes (not holiday homes) far outstrips supply in general in this country (not sure about the specifics of where you are). AKA the market dynamics would be much more in your favour. Could you move into that market and have a more permanent lodger/tenant instead of holiday tenants?

I've just booked a couple of UK breaks for this year - one coast, one city. I prefer Airbnb as I don't like having to eat out every day. There was a lot of availability for the dates I was looking at so demand does seem to be a bit down.

I'm still using Airbnb, VRBO, etc - we're a family of 5 and hotels just don't work if you've more than 2 kids. I agree you have to really search for good listings though, and the overall cost of living makes people more resentful of paying a lot for a property that isn't clean/well maintained/etc.

I still would rather stay in places where we can self-cater, that's keeping me loyal!

Worryingly ( for holiday home owners), there seems to be quite a few for sale, both locally and in two of the places we holiday.

Maybe owners are not getting the bookings and deciding to sell.

I have a holiday let, I’m fully booked either side of the school summer holidays and only 2 weeks booked in July/august - it would usually be the reverse

I know several people (myself included) who won't use Airbnb any more on ethical grounds. Many towns & villages in 'tourist' areas have been decimated by people who have the money buying up houses and renting them out as holiday lets. This has pushed house prices up in those areas, meaning that people born there find it impossible to buy a house in their own village. Many of these houses are standing empty when young people are forced to move away from their home town. Surely second home ownership is unethical in a country where it's virtually impossible for young people to buy their first home! Perhaps the Airbnb bubble has burst and the housing market will re-set itself. I hope so!

Mine is on my land so makes no impact to local house availability, if we didn't let it it would revert back to being just part of our home. Me, like many others, list our properties on multiple platforms as well as Airbnb so not sure shunning Airbnb would help with the ethical dilemma really.

Same. Mine is on my land, as part of my house. When it isn’t rented out, it’s part of my house. I couldn’t rent it out on a permanent bases. I’m renting out basically an attached cottage during peak season to help pay for ongoing renovations as it’s an old large property ( was already old old when we bought).
In future we will just not rent it, and it’s part of our house again.
It’s always been one house.

Agree, however the other side of the coin-

I've been managing and cleaning an Air bnb for 4 years. The owner decided to rent it out over Winter to a local couple, which was great.
Bookings came in for the year for March onwards, until the owner decided to extend the tenants lease for the rest of the year, and cancel all bookings.
I have lost that income, as have the local launderette who did all the washing/ ironing, as well as the local gift shops and hospitality venues. The tenants wont spend like holidaymakers!

Meanwhile 2nd home owners are selling up. Im in Wales and a tripling of council tax for these owners, has seen properties flood the market. Great, but nothings selling, local people cannot afford to buy at the huge prices these plush properties are!
We now have so many empty houses on every street, the owners arent interested in price dropping much, and dont need to pay council tax on empty properties for a while.
Our town was so quiet over Easter! Every businesses takings were really down. How do locals earn without 2nd homeowners and holiday makers in a tourist town?

So its not as clear cut as you think @123H

Totally agree. My guests eat at the local pubs probably 3 x week, neither me or a tenant is going to do that. I send out laundry every week, also wouldn't happen if I didn't have guests. Lots of local attractions all visited on a weekly basis by my guests, they spend money on entrance fees, stuff in the National Trust shop or whatever (I see their gifts and trinkets back in the accommodation when I go in to clean). They go to local shows, exhibitions etc. When I'm too decrepit to clean I will employ a local cleaner. Honestly it brings a lot to the area that critics don't consider.

Also with the laws changing re section 21 I’ve changed my rentals into holiday let’s as have a lot of landlords. I’ve got contractors half the week air b
and b half it’s not clear cut atall

And agree with above. Hotels that are all inclusive are far worse for locals than a self catering rental. Those who go all inclusive often eat all meals and lots of activities at hotel, so spend very little locally. Rentals have just accommodation, so people often eat out, go to local attractions, spend at events etc.
Many of our local restaurants, shops, cafes, pools, zoos etc are only open part time in winter or not at all as there not enough custom from just locals. Then open full on all summer. without tourists most would close

I wouldn’t use airB&B or booking.com in the Uk - it’s too difficult to find a good place and we had a horrific stay in a shitty apartment that had great reviews. We’ve had better luck abroad.

i would love there to be more serviced apartment options. Hotels don’t work for us, but I don’t like what airb&bs do to local communities and I want to have at least some reassurance that the place I am staying complies with fire regulations and isn’t infested with hidden cameras.

Also - the UK is poor value for money. We’ve just booked a week in France for summer half term for £800.

I've booked a couple of 3 night stays already this year with plans for another couple. I set the price to no more than €120 a night and see what's available and where we fancy going from that. If they add a cleaning fee on top, I keep looking.

The last place we went to and the next, the accommodation is on the owners land, local communities are not being impacted by my short getaways ☺️

I like to book with companies. Not a hosting site and when I very very rarely do I still book actual hotels.

I won’t book places that could be a proper full time home and hear too many horror stories to trust air bnb.

I have just got back from a 3 night stay in North Wales and the accommodation was pretty shoddy. The oven was so dirty, one baking tray supplied with baked on grease and food and when I did put the oven on the smokey fumes were horrendous. It just seemed the host was doing the least effort to get the money. Curtains that didn’t meet, dirty stains on carpet and sofa, light fitting cracked in main bedroom, socket cracked and cutlery that were so cheap they were like plastic utensils.
I have stayed at some lovely places but when you get a bad one it makes you rethink options.

You need to say all this in the review. Air BnB remove properties from the website that have a score below 4.3. It's their only way of quality control.

Most of us work so hard to provide a great experience for our guests then people spoil the reputation of holiday lets by being rubbish. I'm sorry you had that experience.

Absolutely agree. I pay my cleaner £20 an hour and that works out at £300 a week at times for two mornings. Most local jobs pay nmw. If I go under then she’ll lose a lot of her income.

As will all the ancillary trades I employ. Our local town was eerily quiet this Easter. It has been from last Sept really but things should be looking up her now but they aren’t really. Shops are closing through lack of trade and a lot of cafes/ pibs are struggling. We need the tourist trade here in North Wales but our Govt hates it