You came here because you want to review us. We respect your views, your insights and we are committed to always improving. Please share if we were remarkable and if so why.
Required Field
FAQs: Accommodation Profitability (4)
This is not the question you should ask CapeHolidays. We suggest you read what our guests and owner have to say about us.
- See what our Airbnb guest said about our Cape Town Accommodation here.
- We are SuperHosts because we do well. See the criteria for SuperHosts here. See the above link to see our SuperHost badge.
- We are not driven to be the biggest or largest Accommodation Agency in Cape Town. Our only drive is to be the best. This mindset is critical for our peace of mind and our homeowners and 1000s of guests.
- Why would more than 50 owners in and around Cape Town allow us to manage their accommodation? We must be doing something right.
- Why would we be in this business from 2009 if we were to not trustworthy?
- Why would owners recommend us if we were not remarkable? See this redacted email we received from an owner wanting an Airbnb accommodation agent in Simonstown.
I hope you don’t mind but I was given your details by Carol, who says that you look after and manage her house in Simonstown. We recently bought a house in Simons Town. We intend to let our the house via Airbnb or Booking.com and wanted to make contact with you to see whether you would be interested in managing it for us. Owner
When you list your home it has ZERO trustability ; no reviews and no bookings.
More on the topic
But, when we list your home, under our Flag – CapeHolidays, your home is seen as a SuperHost home immediately. Our GOODWILL becomes yours.
To be SuperHosts:
We must maintain a 4.8 star rating with positive reviews (more on criteria). Something we have achieved:
As you can see we score 4.9 out 5 for every of the nearly 600 guests who reviewed us. Designed for success from 2009.
For this reason, we are SuperHosts and very proud of it (see our profile at Airbnb).
Obviously, we can, with confidence, say we are a successful professional Airbnb Agency in Cape Town.
Because of this Badge of Trust, we share it with owners who are willing to work with us and have remarkable accommodation.
Unfortunately, choosing remarkability is not that easy. Why? Because the final judge is the very critical guest who paid to stay and have earned the right to review your home.
These guests come with high expectations. If your home fails at the first booking it will be uphill to recover.
When we choose, the owner and/or the home, incorrectly we could lose our SuperHost status. Therefore, we must be supercritical before a holiday home is added to our portfolio.
Guests who book and see our SuperHost badge know:
- Superhosts are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.
- When we reached Superhost status, a SuperHost badge automatically appears on our listing and profile to help guests identify us.
- Airbnb checks Superhosts’ activity four times a year, to ensure that the program highlights the people who are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality.
In other words, SuperHosts attract more business because of established trust. This overcomes the lack of trust you have when you list your home from ground-zero. It takes time and lower rates to attract guests when you are new and competing with the masses out there.
I have said it:
We choose our owners and homes very carefully.
We are a team working together and the sky’s the limit. And there is nothing like reading reviews from happy guests. Wait. You’ll see. It’s fun to bank good money while everyone is happy!
The short answer: NO!
This is a common concern for new owners. As we implement our trust-building phase we use competitive rates to attract reluctant guests to stay and get reviews at the new accommodation.
The Consequences of AirBnB’s Commoditization On Rates
It’s only after new owners become familiar with the painful reality and impact of AirBnB’s commoditization of the short term accommodation market, that they change their mind about our rate setting philosophy.
After this introduction let me address the concern about low rates equaling bad guests.
When we talk about low rates to buy trust we are talking about competitive rates only and not Rock-bottom rates.
As you know, we don’t have the accommodation seeker’s trust yet, and we must use our only effective driver, namely rates, to overcome resistance to book.
The guests who book initially are the same guest who may pay premium rate tomorrow. But with no reviews (trust) forget it.
Only a remarkable holiday home at a bargain will do.
In the market we operate, guests are not poor.
Let me make a statement based on experience.
Even if the rates are competitive you still get great guests.
Now let me share why I say this:
The real risk is not bad guests but rather uneducated guests. With today’s social media profiles guests cannot hide any longer.
And Forbes did a great job of explaining why guests’ requests to stay are sometimes declined more here.
We started our business in 2009. This was before social media. And many people left homes untidy as there was no recourse. Even owners got away with shoddy offerings.
Today Your Social Profile Is A Valuable Asset.
When a guest book and stay they review us. And these positive reviews made us SuperHosts. Trust! As guests depart we review them. And they establish trusting profile overtime. Today we all know the consequences of a bad review for both parties.
Let me repeat: Even if the rate is competitive no guests will risk getting a bad review knowing other hosts will not approve them with a bad previous review.
The only risk for us is first time users on Airbnb. Unfortunately, they are not familiar with the implications of getting a bad review and how it impacts their future ability to use Airbnb. And some of them, ignorantly, will not leave the property in the same clean state they received it.
When they get hit with a bad review they never again treat any Airbnb place poorly. And if they do they get blocked.
Our challenge is to make it as difficult for new guests to book without first qualifying (See Forbes article above) them and then we educate them on what we expect.
To answer the question: No. Competitive rates are not the cause of bad guests. Bad guests are mostly new guests unfamiliar with their responsibility.
Meaning of MaximisingHow To Maximise Income
Maximising Airbnb accommodation income is “shorthand” for our focus on (long term) profitability over a year. Instead of focusing on maximising daily rates we ensure with our philosophy to:
- Build trust – reviews and high ratings from happy guests.
- We base our Airbnb rates on demand. And demand depends on seasonality and mostly on trust.
- Maximising income does not mean we are unreasonable at any time; our guest will never say the rates are cheap; we are not and will not ever be cheap, but guests will tell you we are reasonable.
- Our model of building a snowball of trust takes longer than a year. Getting 40 reviews needs patience (more here).
- But if we are lucky and demand jumps quickly to higher than 50% occupancy we increase rates. Let me add; we always adjust rates depending on demand. Always within reason.
Maximised income depends on trust; high rates depend on high demand.
As a Cape Town Airbnb accommodation agency;
Initially, you pay a price for the lack of trust. And you pay a price to get many positive reviews…… Our income only increases if your home improves at all times and your income improves. Nothing else.
Initially, you pay a price for the lack of trust. And you pay a price to get many positive reviews…… Our income only increases if your home improves at all times and your income improves. Nothing else.
Categories: All FAQs: Home Owner, FAQs: Accommodation Profitability
FAQ's About Airbnb (4)
When you list your home it has ZERO trustability ; no reviews and no bookings.
More on the topic
But, when we list your home, under our Flag – CapeHolidays, your home is seen as a SuperHost home immediately. Our GOODWILL becomes yours.
To be SuperHosts:
We must maintain a 4.8 star rating with positive reviews (more on criteria). Something we have achieved:
As you can see we score 4.9 out 5 for every of the nearly 600 guests who reviewed us. Designed for success from 2009.
For this reason, we are SuperHosts and very proud of it (see our profile at Airbnb).
Obviously, we can, with confidence, say we are a successful professional Airbnb Agency in Cape Town.
Because of this Badge of Trust, we share it with owners who are willing to work with us and have remarkable accommodation.
Unfortunately, choosing remarkability is not that easy. Why? Because the final judge is the very critical guest who paid to stay and have earned the right to review your home.
These guests come with high expectations. If your home fails at the first booking it will be uphill to recover.
When we choose, the owner and/or the home, incorrectly we could lose our SuperHost status. Therefore, we must be supercritical before a holiday home is added to our portfolio.
Guests who book and see our SuperHost badge know:
- Superhosts are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.
- When we reached Superhost status, a SuperHost badge automatically appears on our listing and profile to help guests identify us.
- Airbnb checks Superhosts’ activity four times a year, to ensure that the program highlights the people who are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality.
In other words, SuperHosts attract more business because of established trust. This overcomes the lack of trust you have when you list your home from ground-zero. It takes time and lower rates to attract guests when you are new and competing with the masses out there.
I have said it:
We choose our owners and homes very carefully.
We are a team working together and the sky’s the limit. And there is nothing like reading reviews from happy guests. Wait. You’ll see. It’s fun to bank good money while everyone is happy!
The short answer: NO!
This is a common concern for new owners. As we implement our trust-building phase we use competitive rates to attract reluctant guests to stay and get reviews at the new accommodation.
The Consequences of AirBnB’s Commoditization On Rates
It’s only after new owners become familiar with the painful reality and impact of AirBnB’s commoditization of the short term accommodation market, that they change their mind about our rate setting philosophy.
After this introduction let me address the concern about low rates equaling bad guests.
When we talk about low rates to buy trust we are talking about competitive rates only and not Rock-bottom rates.
As you know, we don’t have the accommodation seeker’s trust yet, and we must use our only effective driver, namely rates, to overcome resistance to book.
The guests who book initially are the same guest who may pay premium rate tomorrow. But with no reviews (trust) forget it.
Only a remarkable holiday home at a bargain will do.
In the market we operate, guests are not poor.
Let me make a statement based on experience.
Even if the rates are competitive you still get great guests.
Now let me share why I say this:
The real risk is not bad guests but rather uneducated guests. With today’s social media profiles guests cannot hide any longer.
And Forbes did a great job of explaining why guests’ requests to stay are sometimes declined more here.
We started our business in 2009. This was before social media. And many people left homes untidy as there was no recourse. Even owners got away with shoddy offerings.
Today Your Social Profile Is A Valuable Asset.
When a guest book and stay they review us. And these positive reviews made us SuperHosts. Trust! As guests depart we review them. And they establish trusting profile overtime. Today we all know the consequences of a bad review for both parties.
Let me repeat: Even if the rate is competitive no guests will risk getting a bad review knowing other hosts will not approve them with a bad previous review.
The only risk for us is first time users on Airbnb. Unfortunately, they are not familiar with the implications of getting a bad review and how it impacts their future ability to use Airbnb. And some of them, ignorantly, will not leave the property in the same clean state they received it.
When they get hit with a bad review they never again treat any Airbnb place poorly. And if they do they get blocked.
Our challenge is to make it as difficult for new guests to book without first qualifying (See Forbes article above) them and then we educate them on what we expect.
To answer the question: No. Competitive rates are not the cause of bad guests. Bad guests are mostly new guests unfamiliar with their responsibility.
There Are Other Ways To Reduce Risk: Discrimination Is Absolute Useless As A Measure!
The age of people, their sexual orientation, the colour of their skin, their physical inabilities, etc. do not define if they will trample your home, or expose you to risk.
Risk comes in all possible disguises.You can set an age limit for kids. But that’s about it. You can share liability risks. But only the guest can decide on your honest rules and warnings that will lower expectations.
Today, with Airbnb-homeowner and guest reviews you get a legal way to discriminate between good and bad .
Consider Transparency As Your Risk Reducing Measure!
Bad Airbnb guests have previous public reviews. And if they are not good you don’t have to accept their booking. If they have no reviews you can try and qualify them. But there is no obligation to accommodate zero-reviewed-guest. .
We have found the change in guests behaviour pre and post the arrival of Airbnb significant. In the past guests would have very little respect. Today they care. Even owners have jacked up their offering. Because no one gets away with bad stuff today.
Transparency: Guests do care about their public profile.
The solution today is not discrimination; the real issue is rather: from which marketing site does the guest originate from? If the guest is an Airbnb referral the risk is less than when compared to any other website where there are no social profile risks | no real transparency.
NOTE: There is no foolproof way. Things can go wrong. And the way this world operates it will go wrong. But we should always try to minimise risk.
All Airbnb guests should be reviewed fairly, firmly and truthfully by hosts.
Nothing else and nothing less.
We are all nice people with a twist. Some twists are not pleasant. Therefore being nice when we have to write an honest negative review is not easy. But it must be done.
Unfortunately, when we give the guests a dishonest positive review we defy the objective of building trust. Future hosts depend on an honest review from previous hosts. You depend on it.
As they say,
“what goes around comes around”.
We have had a case where 4 guys booked into a home with 4 great reviews. They were proper con artists and had parties every night. The last night they had [arranged?] a break-in . This puts the owner on the spot and he does not want a bad review with comments about a break-in. And then the hosts either not review they guys or shake hands and agree to share only positive stuff.
Well. We did not. We said they are not recommended. And we blocked them.
BTW: These guests never laid a complaint with Airbnb or the police. Who would not complain after a break-in? Odd.
And we expect our owners who manage to give us the truth as we know you want us to only send you good guys.
When you review a guest consider the following criteria:
- Overall experience. Overall, how the guest?
- Cleanliness. Did the guest leave the place in a reasonable state?
- Communication. How well did they communicate before and during the stay?
- Check-in. How well did they adhere to check-in procedure?
- House rules: how well did they follow the house rules?
Categories: All FAQs: Home Owner, FAQ's About Airbnb
Management FAQs (4)
When you list your home it has ZERO trustability ; no reviews and no bookings.
More on the topic
But, when we list your home, under our Flag – CapeHolidays, your home is seen as a SuperHost home immediately. Our GOODWILL becomes yours.
To be SuperHosts:
We must maintain a 4.8 star rating with positive reviews (more on criteria). Something we have achieved:
As you can see we score 4.9 out 5 for every of the nearly 600 guests who reviewed us. Designed for success from 2009.
For this reason, we are SuperHosts and very proud of it (see our profile at Airbnb).
Obviously, we can, with confidence, say we are a successful professional Airbnb Agency in Cape Town.
Because of this Badge of Trust, we share it with owners who are willing to work with us and have remarkable accommodation.
Unfortunately, choosing remarkability is not that easy. Why? Because the final judge is the very critical guest who paid to stay and have earned the right to review your home.
These guests come with high expectations. If your home fails at the first booking it will be uphill to recover.
When we choose, the owner and/or the home, incorrectly we could lose our SuperHost status. Therefore, we must be supercritical before a holiday home is added to our portfolio.
Guests who book and see our SuperHost badge know:
- Superhosts are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.
- When we reached Superhost status, a SuperHost badge automatically appears on our listing and profile to help guests identify us.
- Airbnb checks Superhosts’ activity four times a year, to ensure that the program highlights the people who are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality.
In other words, SuperHosts attract more business because of established trust. This overcomes the lack of trust you have when you list your home from ground-zero. It takes time and lower rates to attract guests when you are new and competing with the masses out there.
I have said it:
We choose our owners and homes very carefully.
We are a team working together and the sky’s the limit. And there is nothing like reading reviews from happy guests. Wait. You’ll see. It’s fun to bank good money while everyone is happy!
In the hospitality business the motto is:
Act Fast Or Feel The Brunt Of Guest Revenge! Experience Airbnb Agent
The mandate we agreed with the owner is to do everything within reason to get a 5-star review. We can never use the excuse, “Guest, please wait for 24 hours, as we cannot get hold of the owner to okay replacing the geyser”.
If we cannot authorize work, in an emergency with our proven and trusted workmen, then the owner is not really committed to us and our aims with the home.
Most emergencies we may get hold of the owner immediately but if we cannot we must act. Immediately.
Guests don’t mind that things can go wrong. But they hate it when you don’t really care. Their only measure of how much you care is how quick you act!Experience Airbnb Agent
In exceptional situations, we agree to the owner managing her own home with her own staff. It is critical that we agree with the owner on the standards guests expect. The past record of owner-managed-homes is not exactly what guests and CapeHolidays expected.
As you may know, guests score SuperHost CapeHolidays at 4.9 out of 5. And owner-managed-homes score less. If they consistently score 4.7 out 5 or less we will have to correct the issue with the owner in no uncertain terms or cancel our agreement.
When we manage the home and a third party (appointed by the owner) have access to the home; this is a recipe for disaster. In most cases, the third party causes friction between CapeHolidays and the owner. To date, this arrangement has never worked. And we will not be interested in managing the accommodation with such a third party arrangement. If this third party report to us, get paid by us and can be fired by us we may agree.
Initially, owners may want to use their own maintenance teams. But they quickly realise their team many be great but not as responsive as critical- and frustrated guests expect. Time frustrates! And more so when guests are on holiday. You either fix it now or get a bad review. From 2009 we have learned the hard way and have a team subcontracting-maintenance-providers who don’t argue. If we call they jump. And high.
FAQs: T&Cs | Rules | Protection (4)
This is not the question you should ask CapeHolidays. We suggest you read what our guests and owner have to say about us.
- See what our Airbnb guest said about our Cape Town Accommodation here.
- We are SuperHosts because we do well. See the criteria for SuperHosts here. See the above link to see our SuperHost badge.
- We are not driven to be the biggest or largest Accommodation Agency in Cape Town. Our only drive is to be the best. This mindset is critical for our peace of mind and our homeowners and 1000s of guests.
- Why would more than 50 owners in and around Cape Town allow us to manage their accommodation? We must be doing something right.
- Why would we be in this business from 2009 if we were to not trustworthy?
- Why would owners recommend us if we were not remarkable? See this redacted email we received from an owner wanting an Airbnb accommodation agent in Simonstown.
I hope you don’t mind but I was given your details by Carol, who says that you look after and manage her house in Simonstown. We recently bought a house in Simons Town. We intend to let our the house via Airbnb or Booking.com and wanted to make contact with you to see whether you would be interested in managing it for us. Owner
In the hospitality business the motto is:
Act Fast Or Feel The Brunt Of Guest Revenge! Experience Airbnb Agent
The mandate we agreed with the owner is to do everything within reason to get a 5-star review. We can never use the excuse, “Guest, please wait for 24 hours, as we cannot get hold of the owner to okay replacing the geyser”.
If we cannot authorize work, in an emergency with our proven and trusted workmen, then the owner is not really committed to us and our aims with the home.
Most emergencies we may get hold of the owner immediately but if we cannot we must act. Immediately.
Guests don’t mind that things can go wrong. But they hate it when you don’t really care. Their only measure of how much you care is how quick you act!Experience Airbnb Agent
In exceptional situations, we agree to the owner managing her own home with her own staff. It is critical that we agree with the owner on the standards guests expect. The past record of owner-managed-homes is not exactly what guests and CapeHolidays expected.
As you may know, guests score SuperHost CapeHolidays at 4.9 out of 5. And owner-managed-homes score less. If they consistently score 4.7 out 5 or less we will have to correct the issue with the owner in no uncertain terms or cancel our agreement.
When we manage the home and a third party (appointed by the owner) have access to the home; this is a recipe for disaster. In most cases, the third party causes friction between CapeHolidays and the owner. To date, this arrangement has never worked. And we will not be interested in managing the accommodation with such a third party arrangement. If this third party report to us, get paid by us and can be fired by us we may agree.
Initially, owners may want to use their own maintenance teams. But they quickly realise their team many be great but not as responsive as critical- and frustrated guests expect. Time frustrates! And more so when guests are on holiday. You either fix it now or get a bad review. From 2009 we have learned the hard way and have a team subcontracting-maintenance-providers who don’t argue. If we call they jump. And high.
School Holiday Owners (4)
This is not the question you should ask CapeHolidays. We suggest you read what our guests and owner have to say about us.
- See what our Airbnb guest said about our Cape Town Accommodation here.
- We are SuperHosts because we do well. See the criteria for SuperHosts here. See the above link to see our SuperHost badge.
- We are not driven to be the biggest or largest Accommodation Agency in Cape Town. Our only drive is to be the best. This mindset is critical for our peace of mind and our homeowners and 1000s of guests.
- Why would more than 50 owners in and around Cape Town allow us to manage their accommodation? We must be doing something right.
- Why would we be in this business from 2009 if we were to not trustworthy?
- Why would owners recommend us if we were not remarkable? See this redacted email we received from an owner wanting an Airbnb accommodation agent in Simonstown.
I hope you don’t mind but I was given your details by Carol, who says that you look after and manage her house in Simonstown. We recently bought a house in Simons Town. We intend to let our the house via Airbnb or Booking.com and wanted to make contact with you to see whether you would be interested in managing it for us. Owner
When you list your home it has ZERO trustability ; no reviews and no bookings.
More on the topic
But, when we list your home, under our Flag – CapeHolidays, your home is seen as a SuperHost home immediately. Our GOODWILL becomes yours.
To be SuperHosts:
We must maintain a 4.8 star rating with positive reviews (more on criteria). Something we have achieved:
As you can see we score 4.9 out 5 for every of the nearly 600 guests who reviewed us. Designed for success from 2009.
For this reason, we are SuperHosts and very proud of it (see our profile at Airbnb).
Obviously, we can, with confidence, say we are a successful professional Airbnb Agency in Cape Town.
Because of this Badge of Trust, we share it with owners who are willing to work with us and have remarkable accommodation.
Unfortunately, choosing remarkability is not that easy. Why? Because the final judge is the very critical guest who paid to stay and have earned the right to review your home.
These guests come with high expectations. If your home fails at the first booking it will be uphill to recover.
When we choose, the owner and/or the home, incorrectly we could lose our SuperHost status. Therefore, we must be supercritical before a holiday home is added to our portfolio.
Guests who book and see our SuperHost badge know:
- Superhosts are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.
- When we reached Superhost status, a SuperHost badge automatically appears on our listing and profile to help guests identify us.
- Airbnb checks Superhosts’ activity four times a year, to ensure that the program highlights the people who are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality.
In other words, SuperHosts attract more business because of established trust. This overcomes the lack of trust you have when you list your home from ground-zero. It takes time and lower rates to attract guests when you are new and competing with the masses out there.
I have said it:
We choose our owners and homes very carefully.
We are a team working together and the sky’s the limit. And there is nothing like reading reviews from happy guests. Wait. You’ll see. It’s fun to bank good money while everyone is happy!
In the hospitality business the motto is:
Act Fast Or Feel The Brunt Of Guest Revenge! Experience Airbnb Agent
The mandate we agreed with the owner is to do everything within reason to get a 5-star review. We can never use the excuse, “Guest, please wait for 24 hours, as we cannot get hold of the owner to okay replacing the geyser”.
If we cannot authorize work, in an emergency with our proven and trusted workmen, then the owner is not really committed to us and our aims with the home.
Most emergencies we may get hold of the owner immediately but if we cannot we must act. Immediately.
Guests don’t mind that things can go wrong. But they hate it when you don’t really care. Their only measure of how much you care is how quick you act!Experience Airbnb Agent
In exceptional situations, we agree to the owner managing her own home with her own staff. It is critical that we agree with the owner on the standards guests expect. The past record of owner-managed-homes is not exactly what guests and CapeHolidays expected.
As you may know, guests score SuperHost CapeHolidays at 4.9 out of 5. And owner-managed-homes score less. If they consistently score 4.7 out 5 or less we will have to correct the issue with the owner in no uncertain terms or cancel our agreement.
When we manage the home and a third party (appointed by the owner) have access to the home; this is a recipe for disaster. In most cases, the third party causes friction between CapeHolidays and the owner. To date, this arrangement has never worked. And we will not be interested in managing the accommodation with such a third party arrangement. If this third party report to us, get paid by us and can be fired by us we may agree.
All FAQs: Home Owner (4)
This is not the question you should ask CapeHolidays. We suggest you read what our guests and owner have to say about us.
- See what our Airbnb guest said about our Cape Town Accommodation here.
- We are SuperHosts because we do well. See the criteria for SuperHosts here. See the above link to see our SuperHost badge.
- We are not driven to be the biggest or largest Accommodation Agency in Cape Town. Our only drive is to be the best. This mindset is critical for our peace of mind and our homeowners and 1000s of guests.
- Why would more than 50 owners in and around Cape Town allow us to manage their accommodation? We must be doing something right.
- Why would we be in this business from 2009 if we were to not trustworthy?
- Why would owners recommend us if we were not remarkable? See this redacted email we received from an owner wanting an Airbnb accommodation agent in Simonstown.
I hope you don’t mind but I was given your details by Carol, who says that you look after and manage her house in Simonstown. We recently bought a house in Simons Town. We intend to let our the house via Airbnb or Booking.com and wanted to make contact with you to see whether you would be interested in managing it for us. Owner
When you list your home it has ZERO trustability ; no reviews and no bookings.
More on the topic
But, when we list your home, under our Flag – CapeHolidays, your home is seen as a SuperHost home immediately. Our GOODWILL becomes yours.
To be SuperHosts:
We must maintain a 4.8 star rating with positive reviews (more on criteria). Something we have achieved:
As you can see we score 4.9 out 5 for every of the nearly 600 guests who reviewed us. Designed for success from 2009.
For this reason, we are SuperHosts and very proud of it (see our profile at Airbnb).
Obviously, we can, with confidence, say we are a successful professional Airbnb Agency in Cape Town.
Because of this Badge of Trust, we share it with owners who are willing to work with us and have remarkable accommodation.
Unfortunately, choosing remarkability is not that easy. Why? Because the final judge is the very critical guest who paid to stay and have earned the right to review your home.
These guests come with high expectations. If your home fails at the first booking it will be uphill to recover.
When we choose, the owner and/or the home, incorrectly we could lose our SuperHost status. Therefore, we must be supercritical before a holiday home is added to our portfolio.
Guests who book and see our SuperHost badge know:
- Superhosts are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.
- When we reached Superhost status, a SuperHost badge automatically appears on our listing and profile to help guests identify us.
- Airbnb checks Superhosts’ activity four times a year, to ensure that the program highlights the people who are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality.
In other words, SuperHosts attract more business because of established trust. This overcomes the lack of trust you have when you list your home from ground-zero. It takes time and lower rates to attract guests when you are new and competing with the masses out there.
I have said it:
We choose our owners and homes very carefully.
We are a team working together and the sky’s the limit. And there is nothing like reading reviews from happy guests. Wait. You’ll see. It’s fun to bank good money while everyone is happy!
In the hospitality business the motto is:
Act Fast Or Feel The Brunt Of Guest Revenge! Experience Airbnb Agent
The mandate we agreed with the owner is to do everything within reason to get a 5-star review. We can never use the excuse, “Guest, please wait for 24 hours, as we cannot get hold of the owner to okay replacing the geyser”.
If we cannot authorize work, in an emergency with our proven and trusted workmen, then the owner is not really committed to us and our aims with the home.
Most emergencies we may get hold of the owner immediately but if we cannot we must act. Immediately.
Guests don’t mind that things can go wrong. But they hate it when you don’t really care. Their only measure of how much you care is how quick you act!Experience Airbnb Agent
The short answer: NO!
This is a common concern for new owners. As we implement our trust-building phase we use competitive rates to attract reluctant guests to stay and get reviews at the new accommodation.
The Consequences of AirBnB’s Commoditization On Rates
It’s only after new owners become familiar with the painful reality and impact of AirBnB’s commoditization of the short term accommodation market, that they change their mind about our rate setting philosophy.
After this introduction let me address the concern about low rates equaling bad guests.
When we talk about low rates to buy trust we are talking about competitive rates only and not Rock-bottom rates.
As you know, we don’t have the accommodation seeker’s trust yet, and we must use our only effective driver, namely rates, to overcome resistance to book.
The guests who book initially are the same guest who may pay premium rate tomorrow. But with no reviews (trust) forget it.
Only a remarkable holiday home at a bargain will do.
In the market we operate, guests are not poor.
Let me make a statement based on experience.
Even if the rates are competitive you still get great guests.
Now let me share why I say this:
The real risk is not bad guests but rather uneducated guests. With today’s social media profiles guests cannot hide any longer.
And Forbes did a great job of explaining why guests’ requests to stay are sometimes declined more here.
We started our business in 2009. This was before social media. And many people left homes untidy as there was no recourse. Even owners got away with shoddy offerings.
Today Your Social Profile Is A Valuable Asset.
When a guest book and stay they review us. And these positive reviews made us SuperHosts. Trust! As guests depart we review them. And they establish trusting profile overtime. Today we all know the consequences of a bad review for both parties.
Let me repeat: Even if the rate is competitive no guests will risk getting a bad review knowing other hosts will not approve them with a bad previous review.
The only risk for us is first time users on Airbnb. Unfortunately, they are not familiar with the implications of getting a bad review and how it impacts their future ability to use Airbnb. And some of them, ignorantly, will not leave the property in the same clean state they received it.
When they get hit with a bad review they never again treat any Airbnb place poorly. And if they do they get blocked.
Our challenge is to make it as difficult for new guests to book without first qualifying (See Forbes article above) them and then we educate them on what we expect.
To answer the question: No. Competitive rates are not the cause of bad guests. Bad guests are mostly new guests unfamiliar with their responsibility.