Earning money with Airbnb in low season

Is it possible to earn money with Airbnb in low season? Today we bring you some tips so you can deal with the low season of your tourist apartment... and not die trying.You look at your Airbnb or Booking reservation calendar and see that there are none in the coming weeks. You have a mini heart attack.Now that winter has arrived, in many coastal areas this situation is typical. It’s normal for guests to wonder if it's a seasonal situation or if you've hit rock bottom... and your tourist apartment has collapsed.To determine if it's for one reason or the other; as well as to implement some strategies to earn money with Airbnb in low season, you need to collect data.And that is precisely what we are going to talk about: Airbnb data.

Use data to plan Airbnb's low season

You can use historical data on rental prices to detect trends during the low season. This way you can better plan your Airbnb finances. Knowing what happened in the past can help you set reasonable expectations for your income.Unlike the US market, there are few software options with coverage in Spain and Latin America that cover this aspect. However, you can use open Airbnb data portals like DataHippo, InsideAirbnb, or commercial solutions like Transparent to get a better idea of price history in your area.So if you have a mortgage to pay every month, you can use these tools to discover price trends in the low season.Take advantage of these tools to know what your prices should be and how many reservations you should have to at least break even.

How much can you lower your Airbnb price?

This may sound obvious, but, yes. Lowering your Airbnb price during low season will attract more guests.You will have to experiment with prices until you find the right point for the low season.A 10-20% might not be enough. It depends a lot on the area and the seasonality of your location. If so, try lowering it by 25-50%.If you play your cards right, you can even earn money with Airbnb in low season. Or at least, break even... Which is much better than being at a loss.But why does lowering prices attract guests?When potential guests see these offers, they will take the opportunity to escape for a weekend. Think of these price drops as Amazon's flash deals.Also, sometimes during the low season, potential guests also take holidays, but they aren't thinking of anything specific. For example, in summer we think of family holidays in places with a beach or pool... we don't tend to think of visiting the Alcarria, in Guadalajara.But a romantic and well-priced getaway during winter can be a perfect excuse to spend a weekend in your apartment in Sigüenza.

Boost the advantages for guests staying with you

You don't want your accommodation to seem like just another one when it appears in searches, but this can be catastrophic if it appears during the low season.Add and boost advantages to your Airbnb to make it more appealing to your potential guests.Think for example:What can I offer my guests so they believe their money is well invested if they book with me and it leads them to spend a few holiday days in my accommodation?Here are some suggestions for advantages that can help you earn money with Airbnb in low season:

• Free breakfast with snacks and juices, coffee, or milk
• Pick-up and drop-off to and from the airport
• Tickets for a local event or a gift card for a local restaurant

When guests click on your listing and see the Airbnb cleaning fees added; the commission; taxes... they will be tempted to look for even cheaper accommodation. However, with these kinds of extra advantages, they will think their money is well invested.

If you don't have guests, find them!

Why are networking and customer service so important?Because they help your business survive in these situations. Let's look at an example.Send an email to your previous guests and let them know you have a special offer.You can invite them to celebrate Valentine's Day or Three Kings' Day in your accommodation... for a highly discounted price.Why does it work?Firstly, you are contacting people who have already stayed with you and who, hopefully, have left you good reviews, so they already know something about your Airbnb.Secondly, you are showing interest in your clients. Furthermore, the special offer is a way to show that you value them, and that is why they are the first to know about the offer.

💡 Good host tip: Always ask your guests to speak well of your accommodation to their friends in a follow-up email after checkout. You can offer them €20 in cash for each referral they bring; and a 5% discount to your guests' friends who stay at your accommodation. Ask the new guest who referred them to close the loop.

Maybe your area doesn't have many tourists in March, but... what if you invite them to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Position well in Airbnb searches

Today we are not talking about positioning your Airbnb based on the visitor, but about how to appear in the top positions when potential guests search on Airbnb. There are some technical tricks that will help you attract more visitors.Airbnb promotes accommodations that have fluid interactions with guests and facilitate conversion, so these tips will help you appear higher in Airbnb searches.

Update your Airbnb calendar often

Airbnb searches prioritize updated calendars. Your probabilities increase by 70% if you update your accommodation monthly, according to Airbnb.If Airbnb sees that you are consistent in updating calendars and prices, they assume that you are more active on the platform and are more likely to convert a guest or at least answer questions.Which is exactly what we are going to talk about today.

Reduce your guests' response time

If you want to earn money with Airbnb in low season, reducing the time it takes to answer your guests' questions is key. Respond immediately.Guests tend to choose the host who responds fastest. After all, they are requesting information from several hosts at once and will prefer to be with the one who is most attentive and available.In some competitive cities, like Paris, it's not uncommon for only results from hosts who take less than 3 seconds to respond to be shown on the first page.

Be reliable and easy to contact

Don't be the host who can't recover well from a cancellation.If your guests change their plans halfway through their stay; or just before arriving, do what it takes so they don't cancel. They will reward you with a good rating and no retaliation from Airbnb.If you want to earn money with Airbnb in low season, you'll probably have to reduce the number of minimum nights. Guests want flexibility: show it to them with flexible check-ins and check-outs and short stays.You might also need to relax your cancellation policy. Again, Airbnb wants its accommodations to be guest-friendly. And the cancellation policy is important for this aspect.

Have all Airbnb badges and verifications

There are three badges that are really important to have: SuperHost, Instant Book, and verified identity. This significantly improves your positioning in searches. It is also important to have a large number of reviews.

Update your Airbnb title

Include what local events are near your accommodation in the Airbnb or Booking title. This will make more potential guests click on your listing – even if it's just to find out what the "winter carnival" or the craft market is about.Earning money with Airbnb in low season (or Booking; or whatever platforms you use) is always a numbers game. More views in searches; more clicks; more likelihood of them ending up booking.

In conclusion: how to earn money with Airbnb in low season

In short, the low season for your tourist accommodation doesn't mean going broke. The reality is that you must be aware of how to strategically reach the breakeven point at least... although it's always good to earn money!Try to save something from the months before the low season. That way you can pay for extra tickets or complimentary breakfast with it. Think like the ant in the fable: it's key to earning money with Airbnb in low season.The good news about the low season on Airbnb is that it frees up your time and allows you to experiment with your tourist home. Furthermore, you can also take the opportunity to make repairs, paint, or install an electronic lock for Airbnb that saves you time when checking in your guests.