How To Get More Airbnb Bookings In The Off-Season

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If you host in a summer vacation destination, as we do on 30A, congratulations on making it through your busy season. Take a minute to congratulate yourself and take a deep breath! But then, we’ve got to get back to work. Today, I’d like to share some tips on how to increase Airbnb bookings during the off-season and shoulder seasons.

Of course, everything depends on your location and type of accommodations, but typically, these tweaks will help you increase your Airbnb occupancy during the slower months.

I will say that the smaller your space is, the easier it is to stay booked all year with couples and small families. Larger homes, which are typically popular for multifamily or multigenerational travel, often have a harder time staying occupied during the school year.

Airbnb Bookings In The Off-Season

Owning Airbnbs is great during peak season, when higher rates, occupancy, and demand mean larger payouts. But it can really be a grind in the off-season when you have to lower rates and hustle to fill your space.

To be honest, sometimes it’s easier and makes more sense to let your space remain vacant. Why? Unfortunately, my experience shows that guests booking at the lowest rates for short stays tend to be the most difficult. Sometimes, it’s not even worth risking a less-than-5-star review.

READ: Why I Don’t Always Leave Airbnb Guest Reviews

However, I like to keep my places booked as much as possible during the slower months to help keep my cleaners employed and limit dust buildup that occurs after a 5+ day gap on your calendar. Often, when that happens, I have to have my cleaners come back to refresh our condos, and it’s not always cost-effective when offering last-minute deals.

How To Get More Airbnb Bookings In The Off-Season

If your goal is to keep our short-term rentals booked and get as many Airbnb bookings as possible, here are six strategies to increase Airbnb bookings during the off-season and shoulder seasons.

#1 Change Your Airbnb Title & Listing Description

It’s a good idea to adjust both of these regularly, especially during the off-season. In your title, use the maximum number of characters (50) to highlight seasonal amenities that set you apart, such as a heated pool, fall foliage, firepit, etc. Or maybe target digital nomads with your fast wifi and dedicated workspace.

It could look like these:

4 Bdrm w/Heated Pool, Fire Pit, Baby Gear, Wifi
Updated Cozy Cabin | Fall Leaves| Near State Park
Top Rated Condo for 4: Walk To Duval St + Marina

I update my Airbnb listings a few times a year, highlighting the heated pool in the cooler months and the beach access in the summer.

In your Airbnb listing description, add a short bulleted list toward the top. Here, you can again highlight the reasons why your place is great in the off-season. If any are happening nearby, mention seasonal events or festivals.

Of course, depending on how far out your calendar is open, you will still want to mention seasonal amenities for guests booking further in advance. You can put that below your shoulder season highlights!

#2 Make Your Listing Baby Friendly

Most families with children ages 5+ are tied to school calendars that limit their ability to travel outside of school breaks. However, families with babies and younger children have more flexibility.

My one-bedroom condos are baby-friendly, with essential baby items such as a mini crib, booster, baby bishes, bottle racks, and more. Most of my shoulder-season guests are couples with toddlers who choose my condo over others because of these cost-effective amenities. It is 100% worth investing in these amenities, and make sure to advertise them!

READ: How To Make Your Airbnb Baby-Friendly

#3 Adjust Your Airbnb Rates Daily

I adjust my Airbnb prices daily. It’s easy to do so via the Airbnb app or desktop website. About three to four weeks out, I drop them by 5% to 10% per day until I find the sweet spot for last-minute shoulder-season bookings.

Weekends are easier to book, but you will often need to discount weekday rates significantly. However, have a bottom line, and don’t go below it. In my experience, lower-priced bookings attract lower-quality guests.

Also, if you typically require weeklong stays during peak season, consider reducing your minimum to 3 or 4 nights. Again, I will say that my most demanding and difficult guests are almost always two-night stays who got an amazing last-minute deal. So, again, be cautious here.

If all of this feels overwhelming, consider using PriceLabs to help set your seasonal prices and determine the best rates for your market.

#4 Join Local Groups On Social Media

You are going to have to hustle more to get those off-season bookings! Look for local or regional Facebook groups in your area or for travel-related groups where it’s acceptable to post links to your Airbnb listing. I do this often in a 30A vacation rentals group on Facebook and have received many bookings through it. Just make sure not to be spammy!

Also, build your own social media presence. In the post linked below, I share my strategies for leveraging social media for my rentals. Sharing airfare deals, local events, and seasonal content in your Instagram stories is a great way to get past guests excited about a future visit!

READ: How To Use Social Media For Your Rental

#5 Offer Discounts For Longer Stays

I am usually not a fan of long-term rentals (4 months+) in a short-term rental if profit is the main goal.

However, longer stays of four to twelve weeks, such as for snowbirds, can be a good fit in the off-season if your property is well-suited. I offer 10% off for a week-long stay. That said, my rentals are smaller and tend to draw a year-long audience of couples and young families. If you have a large, multi-bedroom house, you need to be flexible to get booked in the off-season, and you may need to offer a much higher discount.

I would prefer a heavily discounted 20-day rental to seven consecutive discounted three-night rentals. Why? A booking requires the same amount of effort from me (reccomendations, cleaning, check-ins, follow-ups, etc.) regardless of its length. And the longer stays give me a bit of a break! And there are fewer chances of bad guests and bad reviews, which, again, discounted stays seem to draw.

That said, if you allow mid- or long-term rentals on your Airbnb, make sure to follow these tips! In most states, bookings longer than 30 days are treated differently and can grant tenants more rights than you intend. That said, you can always require back to back 28 day rentals to get around this.

#6 Use This Time For A Refresh & Deep Clean

In some instances, there may not be a market for your Airbnb rental in the off-season. And, that’s ok! This is especially true in a seasonal vacation destination.

If you simply can’t get any Airbnb bookings, use this time for personal use. It’s always important to stay in your rental property to learn more about the area and ensure everything is in order. Eat at restaurants, visit shops, take photos, listen to live music, and create content for your social media. I am sure the local businesses appreciate your patronage this time of year as well.

Or, just close your rental for a month or two during your slowest season. Use this time to take a break, and let other local hosts compete in that race to the bottom in pricing.

Choose your slowest time to do an annual deep clean and refresh. Handle any special projects, such as touch-up painting. I recommend doing this during your low season and as close to the start of your Spring season as possible.

READ: Deep Clean & Refresh Your Airbnb

More Airbnb Hosting Strategies

Check out all of my Airbnb hosting blog posts for more helpful strategies to help you earn more money, streamline your workflow, and earn top Airbnb reviews.

Also, make sure to sign up for my Airbnb newsletter and join my 5-Star Airbnb Hosting Facebook Group to reach out to me directly!

Here are some of my recent Airbnb hosting blog posts that you will enjoy: