Why Airbnb's Fail

A case study on an Airbnb setup in the middle of San Diego, minutes away from the most popular beaches in CA, with thousands of clicks and views but no conversions — and why it failed.

Spending money in all the wrong places

When purchasing furniture, you always want to splurge on the things guests will interact with every day during their stay dining table, couch, TV, bedding, pots & pans. Everything else you can cheap out on things that are meant to be looked at, or items placed on top or in.

White Couch

I have no idea what sort of hypnotic control white couches have on some homeowners, but don’t do it. It's a terrible idea. Even if your property is $3,000 a night, it’s just not worth it. It will be destroyed and fast. Please do not purchase a $1,200 couch and get angry when it’s dirty. It’s impossible and irrational to expect your cleaners to remove pigment from denim, or any other clothing for that matter, off the couch after every stay.

No, you cannot keep up with it. NO, you cannot just use a spot remover. NO, you cannot simply rely on a monthly cleaning service. It might help, but you’ll forever have a gross, musty smelling, nasty-looking couch...

"I'll save $200 and lose thousands!": Not hiring a photographer

You can be a poet, the next Don Draper but if your photos don’t capture the feel and look of the property, it will not succeed. Millions of people can view your listing, but if it doesn’t grab their attention within the first 3 seconds, you've lost the sale and will be pushed down, hidden away with all the other mediocre listings.

Amenities not working

When guests book a stay, they are taking everything you list at face value. So, if the Wi-Fi doesn’t work, it can derail their plans and instantly create a bad experience. If you're missing the hair dryer, trash bags, or the TV is broken, moved, or missing you're just solidifying the 1-star reviews coming your way.

Airbnb and other OTAs will dock you 30% for each night affected by anything negative. You have one hour to resolve an issue, or a discount will be granted. So, just have your systems in place and take care of anything before guests have the chance to bring it up