[Closed] Good alternatives to air bnb

I’m no help on the main question but I am looking for a place in Cornwall in mid July to sleep 4 (ideally 3 bedrooms). Got a link?

Haha no probs, here you go... just reduced July too!
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/13510493?location=Bude%2C%20Cornwall&adults=5&check_in=2019-07-13&check_out=2019-07-20&source_impression_id=p3_1561444945_OtlokMFV0PhimDAJ

Ownersdirect? Which is now homeaway or some such

Great looking place. I can't tell from the site exactly which part of N Cornwall it is though? (Which could be a drawback in marketing it?)

Just from a personal point of view I've used Sykes Cottages for the last few years. Just from a security point of view really - we don't go away much so like to know the place actually exists! 🙂

Sure it's not price? £1600 / week looks steep for a place that sleeps 6.

It’s near bude, very popular area in summer and a beautiful location by the best beaches
Price is £1400 a week, air bnb charge the ever increasing extra on top
But that aside, our price hasn’t changed for two years and it’s always booked very quickly (a static caravan in croyde is the same price during the school hols 😳)

Sykes, owners direct charge so much these days, it’s only worth using them
If you run a holiday let business, we just rent our house occasionally.

I think it’s just a case that the market may now be saturated and unless you do what air bnb want, they drop you to the bottom of the listings

Great looking place. I can’t tell from the site exactly which part of N Cornwall it is though? (Which could be a drawback in marketing it?)

I followed the link and saw a lovely house but no photos of the location. Then eventually I scrolled past the reviews and saw the map (it's near Bude). So, not immediately obvious but most people start from a search by location, so maybe not so important. Also if it has always sold out before then I suspect some sort of overall drop in holidaying activity is most likely the explanation (Brexit? There, I've said it).

Haha, crossed my mind too nico!

I followed the link and saw a lovely house but no photos of the location.

This - if you have views, show them. Give people visual context to the surrounding area. When I look on AirB&B (or any holiday site) I assume that if there are no views pictures then there are crap views and I don't go on holiday to be looking at the back of a disused tractor workshop or whatever.

And you say Beautiful views from the house, allowing you to watch the sunset every night, through the large picture windows, or out on the veranda. so take some pictures of that to back it up!

Fair point, used to have some location pics. Don’t know where they have gone...
I’ll upload some more.

Have you got smart pricing on? When I had a look earlier it was suggesting £2000 for 6 guests for the week.
Might be worth checking that isn't pricing people out. My place is less busy this year (we're slowly filling up) we're at the other end of the spectrum price wise, but I have looked at dates & noticed they are more expensive throughout summer, so am contemplating turning off smart pricing.

Sorry I don't know the UK market but I have a villa in Spain which this year may turn out to be the worst in 17 years of letting. Portal fees are partly to blame but I actually think it's a barometer of where the real economy is.

If people have little confidence in their job security they won't spend x k on a summer holiday. So much negativity out there even if you are doing ok you think the party is about to finish.

General leisure market is poor, look at airlines and premier inn performance via trading updates.

The first photo you have up is a bit random, I'd use the one that showed the whole of the house, number 17 gives a much better impression. I think with the first photo, some people won't even click through

I can understand not allowing short stays like long weekends but but maybe insisting on 7 days may be off putting too. Perhaps 5 nights minimum. That way when people use the trip to Cornwall as a opportunity to visit friend and family on route in sat Somerset they feel able to consider your place.tiu could still say Saturday change over is earliest / latest .

Cheers for all advice.
Smart pricing is off, so worrying that it’s showing as £2k!!! It is set at £200 per night now. I’d better try and contact air bnb, looks like a problem

We have to do 7 days only, as we only rent for school holidays and shorter stays are not worth doing with change overs etc, for such a short rental period.

Just weird that for 5 years we have been swamped with bookings and this year is desolate... nothings changed, not even our prices!

I’ve just put my place on air bnb with smart pricing. Sykes cottages want 22% for their marketing but our mgt company reckon that they get better prices and occupancy by more than that.
I think you should be able to list through booking.com and home away yourself and there are some nifty tools to prevent double booking from different platforms. I need to look more into it.

To echo what some others have said here, we've a place (in the Peak District) that we've marketed through Sykes for about 3 years. Bookings this year are *very* slow.

We wondered if it was us, but talking to others in the business (all over, including a friend with a place in the Dordogne) this year seems to be a bit of a stinker.

From the other side of the fence it seems a lot less of our friends are going on Hols this year.

I wonder is last years weather plays a part?

The last post is a fair point, I am seeing a fair few ex holiday let homes in the Lakes for sale. Surprising mid season for selling up, the Lakes has always been a strong performer. Some of them look well maintained too.

I agree with the photos feedback. I might click past that house as I am suspicious as to why there are so few external shots. Lose some of the photos of beams and architectural detailing, replace instead with external shots and views. Lovely looking place though and price seems fair.

I think most people are being far more cautious with money, not just on relatively big treats like a week in a holiday home, due to the reality of major economic uncertainty and general decline after the unicorns promised just over three years ago.

I will echo some of what has been said above, I think the whole market is a bit flat. Some holiday companies are experiencing a similar tough year. P&O ferries for example say that bookings have been down all year. They think it’s Brecht related and have been doing some interesting deals with 100% refunds available until quite close to the departure date to try and tempt people like me who are wary of wasting money on a bit of a holiday that we will lose if we have to stay in the U.K. as finances get squeezed.

Nice looking place! I guess you have changed the order of the photos as the first one is now a cracker, but I might be tempted to change the second one for a ‘better’ internal image

this year may turn out to be the worst in 17 years of letting. Portal fees are partly to blame but I actually think it’s a barometer of where the real economy is.

Yup. Our European bookings are 20% + down on last year despite a rate reduction (Highland inn with 7 bedrooms). Agree that insecurity is a big factor but there is also the perception amongst some, as mentioned by a couple of Dutch/Belgian guests, that Brits don’t like them! No question in my mind that Brexit is to blame.

Seems to be the consensus that it’s low across the board this year. I have spoken to several tourism related business friends who are seeing the same.

We have reduced our remaining weeks to lower than we first rented it for 5 years ago and still no bookings

Bloody brexit... it must be