What one Superhost has learned about pricing

When Daniel Chamillard began hosting in 2012, he wasn’t sure what to charge. “Gradually, with time and experience, I learned how to get more out of my listings,” he says.

Since then, he’s welcomed hundreds of guests to his properties in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa. Daniel became a Superhost in 2014, a Superhost Ambassador in 2020, and a member of the Host Advisory Board in 2022. The HAB works with Hosts to understand their challenges and provide feedback to Airbnb.

We asked Daniel to share how he thinks about pricing his listing and the importance of remaining competitive. Keep in mind that he noted there’s no one “magic” solution, and that it can take a little experimenting to find what works for you. 

Here’s Daniel’s perspective on pricing, in his own words:

There are internal and external factors to consider when setting a price for your listing. Internal factors include your financial needs or expectations. External factors include your property type, the seasonality of your area, local economic trends, and the overall economy. All of these will impact a pricing strategy. 

In my case, being an individual Host of four small properties located on a tourist island with elevated demand, a high percentage of occupancy is key for me to obtain profitability with affordable prices in a highly competitive market.

I think it’s important to set a reasonable expectation taking into account your expenses and the benefits you want to obtain. For some, hosting is the main activity and source of income, as it is in my case. Others expect to get extra money to help pay the mortgage, maintain or renovate their house, or send money to family. Consider reasonable expectations based on your goals and what you have to offer guests.

Just as our houses need almost daily maintenance, the same thing happens with pricing our listings.

It’s not a matter of creating your price and leaving it there, waiting for bookings. Hosts have to pay attention to their price. I recommend these daily actions:

• Review calendars and update prices

• Detect and react to economic trends in your area

• Play with promotions and minimum nights

• Refresh photos and captions

• Treat your listing as a showcase, because it is one!

The tools I use on a daily basis include setting minimum nights, weekly and monthly discounts, and promotions.

I get longer stays by offering weekly and monthly discounts. Usually, guests end up booking for a week, and that’s a small victory.

Promotions are one of my favorite tools. They allow me to set a price for the next few months, usually three months out, and then have the option to discount if there has been no interest in that time period. I like to know the degree of supply and demand and act accordingly.

We all worry when we don’t have sufficient reservations. And we all face this from time to time. I hope these suggestions will inspire you to make your place and price more attractive and competitive.

Hosts like Daniel now have more tools to use when setting and updating their prices. Learn about the 25 upgrades for Hosts in the Airbnb 2023 Summer Release.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.