EP126: This Week in the World of Airbnb
Summary
This podcast episode from 2017 discusses Airbnb's community initiatives, including home-sharing clubs and their role in fighting regulations, along with a look at revenue management and CEO focus for STR businesses. Hosts can learn about the importance of scheduled revenue management and how to prioritize their time for strategic growth. It also covers the shift in mindset that needs to happen to get out of the chaotic 'hectic host' stage.
Key Insights
- •Airbnb established 112 home-sharing clubs to fight regulatory battles and partner with small businesses.
- •STR pricing is harder than hotel pricing due to product uniqueness, booking window impacts, and operational constraints.
- •CEOs of STR businesses can waste 30-50% of their time on low-value activities.
Action Items
- ✓Schedule revenue management and review bookings daily and weekly to reveal pricing and demand signals.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓STR CEOs should identify and address the biggest bottlenecks to growth.Effort: mediumImpact: high
Tools & Resources
- →Freewyld Foundry: Freewyld Foundry is mentioned for revenue reviews.
- →Aviva IQ: Aviva IQ automates messages to Airbnb guests.
Watch Out For
- ⚠Most STR operators underperform not because they lack tools, but because they don’t know what to look at, when to look at it, or how to interpret booking behavior.
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