There’s a narrative around Airbnb (and short lets in general) that I’ve never quite agreed with.
It goes something like:
“Get a nice property, put it online, and the bookings will come.”
And to be fair — a few years ago, that wasn’t miles off.
Now?
Not so much.
We’ve been looking at a slice of our own data recently with our dedicated account managers at Airbnb and Booking.com.
Across our portfolio that we manage – April through to the end of July!
- Just over 1,400 bookings
- Around £1.45M in guest spend
- Average booking value north of £800
- And fairly consistently, £300k+ per month coming through
Which is good. We’re pleased with that.
But the more interesting bit is why.
Because none of that is accidental.
It’s not that the properties are wildly different to what’s already on the market — in fact, many are pretty comparable.
The difference tends to come down to how they’re run.
Pricing (which most people set once and forget)
If there’s one area where we see the biggest gap, it’s pricing.
A lot of self-managing hosts pick a number they’re comfortable with and stick to it.
We don’t.
Prices move constantly — based on demand, events, booking windows, gaps in the calendar… all the slightly dull things that actually make a big difference.
It’s not about being the cheapest.
It’s about being correct.
Listings (which people assume are “done” once they’re live)
Same story with listings.
Most are fine. Some are good. Very few are properly optimised.
And the truth is, guests decide quickly.
The first photo, the title, the way something is worded — it all matters more than people think.
We tweak things all the time. Small changes, but consistently applied.
Over time, that adds up.
Communication (the bit no one really budgets for)
This is the one that’s hardest to replicate if you’re doing it yourself.
Guest communication.
Not just replying — but replying quickly, clearly, and in a way that reassures people.
Evenings, weekends, last-minute queries… it doesn’t really stop.
And if you don’t stay on top of it, it shows — in reviews, in conversions, in repeat bookings.
For us, it’s simply part of the job.
Scale (which changes how you see things)
When you manage one or two properties, everything feels a bit anecdotal.
When you manage a lot, patterns emerge.
You start to see:
- What actually drives bookings
- Where money is being left on the table
- What works consistently (and what doesn’t)
That’s when decisions stop being guesswork.
The bit landlords actually care about
At the end of the day, all of this boils down to one thing:
👉 How much money ends up in your pocket
Better pricing, stronger listings, consistent communication — they don’t just improve performance on paper.
They improve outcomes.
Final thought
Most underperforming Airbnb properties aren’t underperforming because they’re bad properties.
They’re underperforming because they’re not being actively managed.
There’s a difference.
If you’ve got a licensed property already and you’re not quite seeing the results you expected, it’s usually worth a second look.