AirBNB as a TS rental platform

[PhilD41]

@Robert D So, you might be on to something. Five days from listing an up coming June reservation, it was booked on Airbnb. It has been sitting on ebay and Koala for over a month already. I need to work out my pricing structure now that I see how everything works. I hit my goal, but I probably need to re-evaluate. I am curious if most people tend to take the non-refundable discount option.... anyway... now to figure out how the rest of this plays out. It seems straight forward enough.

 

[dsmrp]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice on this thread. I have a week next Feb to rent so will try out AirBNB. I could list it on Redweek too, but I'd rather not pay the redweek membership fee as I only have 1 week to rent.

I see a current listing at same TS resort I own, and it shows both a cleaning fee and a service fee. Two additional fees seems a bit exhorbitant and would deter me from renting if I were looking for a place. I talked to my daughter who has done several AirBNB and VRBO rentals, and she agrees the additional service fee would put her off too. She thinks a cleaning fee is reasonable. So I'm going to figure in the 3% AirBNB charge into my nightly cost, and set a cleaning fee. There's always a little worry on how much damage renters can do to the place, tho'.

 

[JudyS]

@JudyS That one took me a while to find as well. at the top, there is a calendar "tab." Once you set up a listing the calendar is all adjusted through that tab.

Ah! Just what I needed! PhilD41, Thanks so much!

So, the problem was I was trying to edit that the Calendar Availability section of the Pricing and Availability page, and instead I needed to be on the Calendar tab. This is one of the things that makes me dislike AirBnB -- the site isn't just hard to use. Sometimes it seems more like a puzzle or riddle than an E-commerce site.

Once I found the Calendar page , I had a hard time figuring out how to use the calendar. It's completely diffferent from last year. I *think* it's now set up to allow multiple identical rooms on the same days, which should well for many timeshare owners. But, I'm not sure if that is really how the new calendar works.

I also had to battle with dueling check-in days -- one section of AirBnB allow me to set check-in/check-out for Saturday only, which is what I want. Then, another section set it back to check-in any day of the week. I hope I get at least a couple of rentals from AirBnB to make this hassle worthwhile.

I'm really glad Tuggers are here to answer my AirBnB questions. Otherwise, I'm probably just give up on AirBnB -- using it isn't worth risking ulcers or a heart attack.

 

[jules54]

I’ve been using Airbnb and VRBO to rent my timeshares for 4 years. Never have I ever paid only a 3% commission. They charge you 3% for taking the Payment as credit card fees Or Airbnb calls 3% owner fee. I prefer Airbnb because you set the rental for the amount you want to net. I ad cleaning fees because I use that really for GC fees. Cleaning fees sounds better. VRBO you have to figure out yourself what the net will be after commissions. The commissions is more like 8% so 11% total. Now both sites are also collecting taxes for the properties which I think is double taxation as Wyndham and my other timeshares are already paying taxes. They add the taxes to rental price you don’t see it as an owner unless you drill down on the reservation. VRBO got pretty strict in 2019 with requiring permits and licenses from different cities I rent out. If you didn’t provide permit numbers your ads were taken down. In 2021 those permit requirements seemed to have disappeared. Airbnb figured it out by giving hotels, BandB and Timeshares an exempt status. For some reason in 2020 VRBO couldn’t figure that out yet.
The traffic these sites get are huge and you can price your rentals higher to recoup the commissions. These sites do not verify anything with the resorts. People(renters)trust Airbnb and VRBO which they really are running a risk with them also as these sites are really only marketing and payment vehicles. Unlike Koala that has to verify everything which is much better for the renter. Still have to see how much traffic Koala generates. Airbnb Example I did a rental this weekend. I netted 800.00 Airbnb charged the renter 1079.00

 

[jules54]

I always go for the strictest cancellation policy. You could put in the notes about additional information that you have a specific cancellation policy as with Wyndham 15 days before 100% after 0% refunded. I’m always renting my properties and I’m never the renter.
Here a little story in April I received a text notice that I had rented(buyer) a Daytona property for 7200.00 for a week. Airbnb confirmed it and charged my credit card the 7200.00 it was a short notice rental starting in a few days. 1)I contacted the property owner and told him I had not rented his property and he needed to check if his account was breached. He got back to me immediately and said he had taken that property down months ago. I then called Airbnb which is not an easy task and spoke to customer service. They checked everything out and forwarded the information to a different department that handles this type of problem. I got an email 2 days later my account had been breached and the rental amount was credited back to my credit card. They needed me to change my password and then they locked my account. It took me 3 weeks to get that account unlocked and functional again.

 

[rapmarks]

I listed Fourth of July week, five night minimum, 149 a night on Airbnb. Quite surprised that I received a confirmation for 2nd thru 5th for $100/a night. Talked on phone wait Airbnb and the y don’t know how it happened but I was stuck. I still have four nights but only way I can rent them is to clean unit and launder bedding and towels myself

 

[A.Win]

Here are two big problems with timeshares on AirBNB.
1. People often want fewer than 7 nights, when you really want them to take all 7 nights. You can set a 7 night minimum and maximum, but then you lose a lot of views by doing this.
2. People will try to cancel and get really upset when they can't get a full refund. Many seem to think timeshare resorts work like hotel rooms. I also have a STRICT cancellation policy, but that doesn't stop them from complaining. And even with a strict cancel policy, AirBNB might pay you 0 or only 50%, and you might not be able to find another renter. So you can end up losing money on a vacant unit.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I think there is a huge difference between Airbnb in general as it compares to timeshares. Comparing timeshare to private homes and condos is no comparison at all.

I tried to list Peacock Suites on Airbnb and had a heck of a time with the listing. I didn't have great photos of the resort and the site required better photos. I would have to visit the resort and take photos, which I would do, but for now I am hoping for Koala to work. I really want Koala to work for me.

Airbnb does charge taxes to the renter because that is what the states and cities expect, and so far, timeshares are different. Maybe they shouldn't be, but they are. Airbnb will automatically charge those taxes on the weeks to the renter.

 

[rapmarks]

I think there is a huge difference between Airbnb in general as it compares to timeshares. Comparing timeshare to private homes and condos is no comparison at all.

I tried to list Peacock Suites on Airbnb and had a heck of a time with the listing. I didn't have great photos of the resort and the site required better photos. I would have to visit the resort and take photos, which I would do, but for now I am hoping for Koala to work. I really want Koala to work for me.

Airbnb does charge taxes to the renter because that is what the states and cities expect, and so far, timeshares are different. Maybe they shouldn't be, but they are. Airbnb will automatically charge those taxes on the weeks to the renter.

But what do they do with the tax money they collect?

 

[rapmarks]

I attempted to rent a five day stay at Christmas mountain, Wisconsin dells.
Check in was for Automotion weekend, a classic car event that brings 100,000 tourists to Wisconsin Dells.
Facebook listing, about fifty responses, the majority asking is this available and never responding to my answer.
I listed on tug, 300 plus cleaning fee, 138 that the resort charges my ownership for each reservation. No inquiries.
I eventually got a three night stay (my minimum) off Airbnb and I cleared $350.

 

[jules54]

Both Airbnb and VRBO you can set a min of nights. And change those mins on the calendar. Also don’t take automatic bookings I never do. I want to see each request and accept or decline. This is the time you send the renter a message explaining that they either have to book more nights or the unit size might be different then advertised. Example might be a studio instead of 1 bedroom. Both platform you can get very specific on it just takes more work. Once you figure it out it’s a breeze. The more times you accept the request the higher your placement gets on the ad ladder.

[Comments deleted. TUG Rules prohibit using the public forums to advertise for personal gain.] <-- SueDonJ

 

[byeloe]

I think that I have my listing up, but when I search for "Westin Lagunamar" I don't see any results

 

[rickandcindy23]

How does one get better pictures of a resort's interior without pilfering them from Wyndham? I am talking Peacock Suites here. I would love to rent it on Airbnb, but my pictures aren't good enough for the site. If I could rent Peacock Suites easily, I would be in good shape for deeding back my Shell points, which I do not want anymore.

Maybe I should ask my daughter these questions. She does rent on Airbnb and has rented successfully, but with her many successful rentals on Koala, Airbnb may be in the rearview mirror. Working with the calendar on Airbnb has been somewhat difficult. She rented something we didn't have anymore, and that caused some issues on Airbnb.

Koala has gotten her far more rentals in the last few weeks than any other site.

 

[rapmarks]

How does one get better pictures of a resort's interior without pilfering them from Wyndham? I am talking Peacock Suites here. I would love to rent it on Airbnb, but my pictures aren't good enough for the site. If I could rent Peacock Suites easily, I would be in good shape for deeding back my Shell points, which I do not want anymore.

Maybe I should ask my daughter these questions. She does rent on Airbnb and has rented successfully, but with her many successful rentals on Koala, Airbnb may be in the rearview mirror. Working with the calendar on Airbnb has been somewhat difficult. She rented something we didn't have anymore, and that caused some issues on Airbnb.

Koala has gotten her far more rentals in the last few weeks than any other site.

I had to transfer my pictures to an email to myself, and then saved those and they worked.

 

[dioxide45]

How does one get better pictures of a resort's interior without pilfering them from Wyndham? I am talking Peacock Suites here. I would love to rent it on Airbnb, but my pictures aren't good enough for the site. If I could rent Peacock Suites easily, I would be in good shape for deeding back my Shell points, which I do not want anymore.

Maybe I should ask my daughter these questions. She does rent on Airbnb and has rented successfully, but with her many successful rentals on Koala, Airbnb may be in the rearview mirror. Working with the calendar on Airbnb has been somewhat difficult. She rented something we didn't have anymore, and that caused some issues on Airbnb.

Koala has gotten her far more rentals in the last few weeks than any other site.

Ultimately you need to find someone to take photos of the unit and resort or visit yourself. Not sure if AirBnB would be willing to accept Wyndham's photos (or any other online photos) since those are protected by copyright.

 

[jules54]

How does one get better pictures of a resort's interior without pilfering them from Wyndham? I am talking Peacock Suites here. I would love to rent it on Airbnb, but my pictures aren't good enough for the site. If I could rent Peacock Suites easily, I would be in good shape for deeding back my Shell points, which I do not want anymore.

Maybe I should ask my daughter these questions. She does rent on Airbnb and has rented successfully, but with her many successful rentals on Koala, Airbnb may be in the rearview mirror. Working with the calendar on Airbnb has been somewhat difficult. She rented something we didn't have anymore, and that caused some issues on Airbnb.

Koala has gotten her far more rentals in the last few weeks than any other site.

Cindy I’ve had some luck taking pictures off TripAdvisor. How bout the resort website if they have one. For my resorts on Airbnb I took them myself. I actually think other ads are using my pictures.

 

[dsmrp]

I listed Fourth of July week, five night minimum, 149 a night on Airbnb. Quite surprised that I received a confirmation for 2nd thru 5th for $100/a night. Talked on phone wait Airbnb and the y don’t know how it happened but I was stuck. I still have four nights but only way I can rent them is to clean unit and launder bedding and towels myself

That's a bummer. Too bad AirBNB couldn't do anything to help as it likely was their s/w logic at fault. Makes me wonder if AirBNB is worth it, especially if their UI and logic are not straight forward with a higher learning curve. I'm pretty good with s/w apps, but not really wanting to risk a higher MF Hawaii week on it.

 

[dsmrp]

How does one get better pictures of a resort's interior without pilfering them from Wyndham? I am talking Peacock Suites here. I would love to rent it on Airbnb, but my pictures aren't good enough for the site. If I could rent Peacock Suites easily, I would be in good shape for deeding back my Shell points, which I do not want anymore.

Maybe I should ask my daughter these questions. She does rent on Airbnb and has rented successfully, but with her many successful rentals on Koala, Airbnb may be in the rearview mirror. Working with the calendar on Airbnb has been somewhat difficult. She rented something we didn't have anymore, and that caused some issues on Airbnb.

Koala has gotten her far more rentals in the last few weeks than any other site.

I've seen pictures on AirBNB that came straight off the Hilton or resort site. Granted they are at least 10 years old tho. The majority of time we go to our home resort, we're tired and or it's late and lighting is not good. By morning that pristine clean unit condition is gone!

 

[tschwa2]

But what do they do with the tax money they collect?

They send it to the county. Owners pay property tax. Most counties expect anyone who rents out more than 7 days total in a year (but fewer than 30 consecutive days) in a particular county to charge and send in an occupancy tax like hotels collect. Some counties expect owners to collect and remit these taxes with as few as 3 nights per year. When timeshares rent out units they collect and remit the payment. Individuals are expected to know the rules and to sign up for a tax ID if they rent out their home or timeshare, but many don't. Local governments went after platforms like AirBnB to make them collect and send in those taxes. I couldn't imagine most local governments going after timeshare owners who rent out their own units and it is less than 30 days per year in any county. There certainly are megarenters who may or may not collect and pay these taxes who may have hundreds of nights in places like Orlando.

 

[PhilD41]

Okay, so Airbnb may be convincing me to take my business elsewhere. Listing a rental is mostly straight forward. There is certainly an audience on their platform as I was averaging about 100 views a day. People are also willing to rent, I had two of my listings booked within the first week of listing them. So, what is the problem... well, they let me pick a minimum, base and max amount per night; supposedly to allow them to fluctuate the price based on season and other rental prices on their system. So I set the base, min and max to a reasonable amount. I need a certain profit even if all nights rent at the minimum and they opt for the no refund discount. What did Airbnb do? Thank you for asking! They booked both units for $15 a night (that is $105) UNDER my minimum. So the reservations rented, but I netted less than I have Koala, ebay and Facebook.... Not sure I can use a system that doesn't obey their own settings... Or, maybe I need to turn off Smart Pricing and hope they can do it correctly if I don't give them any options.

Anyway... I will end my complaining. They don't have me happy right at the moment and I am tempted to delist my other listing.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Okay, so Airbnb may be convincing me to take my business elsewhere. Listing a rental is mostly straight forward. There is certainly an audience on their platform as I was averaging about 100 views a day. People are also willing to rent, I had two of my listings booked within the first week of listing them. So, what is the problem... well, they let me pick a minimum, base and max amount per night; supposedly to allow them to fluctuate the price based on season and other rental prices on their system. So I set the base, min and max to a reasonable amount. I need a certain profit even if all nights rent at the minimum and they opt for the no refund discount. What did Airbnb do? Thank you for asking! They booked both units for $15 a night (that is $105) UNDER my minimum. So the reservations rented, but I netted less than I have Koala, ebay and Facebook.... Not sure I can use a system that doesn't obey their own settings... Or, maybe I need to turn off Smart Pricing and hope they can do it correctly if I don't give them any options.

Anyway... I will end my complaining. They don't have me happy right at the moment and I am tempted to delist my other listing.

I was wondering that too, but they dropped my price by $3 a day. But I only set 1 price, no min and max. I would keep my price set a little higher just in case, but I had over a 100 views and rented in 2 days. So if I can accommodate the fluctuation, I like the results better. Now I have a payment coming in 2 weeks, first one. Lets see how that one goes. I was wondering if it is something to do if letting the renter pay in full and have no cancellation, they offer a discount off the price. I thought that is what was happening.

I rented one via a broker who contacted me. Money in was in my account in under 5 minutes. At asking price. Broker is keeping my info. Hope something else pops I can help her with.

 

[rapmarks]

I was wondering that too, but they dropped my price by $3 a day. But I only set 1 price, no min and max. I would keep my price set a little higher just in case, but I had over a 100 views and rented in 2 days. So if I can accommodate the fluctuation, I like the results better. Now I have a payment coming in 2 weeks, first one. Lets see how that one goes. I was wondering if it is something to do if letting the renter pay in full and have no cancellation, they offer a discount off the price. I thought that is what was happening.

I rented one via a broker who contacted me. Money in was in my account in under 5 minutes. At asking price. Broker is keeping my info. Hope something else pops I can help her with.

I used a broker and he charged half.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I used a broker and he charged half.

Like broker's commission was 50%? I would not be using THAT broker. Ever.

 

[Tacoma]

I rent my Banff Rocky Mountain Resort week on airbnb. Before I only listed it on timeshare sites and had a hard time getting much more than maintenance fees. I have also had several direct exchanges on TUG in the past. It trades above its quality since there are so few excellent weeks and it is the only timeshare in Banff. This year I did reduce my price and for the title I put the dates it is available, for example July 18-25 ONLY and block out all other days on the calendar. I also set a 3 night minimum and ask in the description that they either start or end their days on the Sunday. This summer's week just rented. They took the entire week since I also gave a discount if they did that. Last year my American renter had to cancel so my husband and I used it ourselves. I have only once had a problem with airbnb. However I will say when they have a problem they do seem to expect the owner to help them even if it is not your fault.

 

[rapmarks]

Like broker's commission was 50%? I would not be using THAT broker. Ever.

He also had a lot of other demands on me you wouldn’t believe. But the night I was supposed to meet the renter in the parking lot after eleven at night was the night we split ways.