Airbnb hosts in Bournemouth: an empty winter is optional
If you host on Airbnb yourself and your calendar goes quiet after September, here is what changes with Sea Breeze: co-hosting, daily pricing, more channels and Flexiestays for winter. 16% commission, no retainer.
- Highest rated in Bournemouth on Google
- Booking.com Traveller Review Award 2024
- 100+ properties managed
- Airbnb Superhost
- 16% commission
Plenty of Airbnb hosts in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch do well from Easter to September. Then the enquiries thin out, the nightly price drops and the calendar sits half empty until spring. It is easy to assume that is simply what a seaside Airbnb does. It is not. It is what a property listed only for holidays does.
This page is for hosts who run their own listing and want to know what would change if Sea Breeze managed it. The detail of the service is on our Airbnb management page.
Why winter goes quiet
Most Airbnb guests here are on holiday, and holiday demand on this coast falls away after the school holidays. The people who still need somewhere to stay in winter are a different group: contractors on local projects, people relocating for work, NHS and university staff, households placed by an insurer while their home is repaired, visiting families and remote workers. They want a stay of weeks or months, a desk, good wifi and a weekly or monthly price, and many of them never search Airbnb at all.
What changes with Sea Breeze
Your listing stays yours. If your listing is on your own account and in good shape, we co-host it. The reviews, the history and the account stay with you. We rework the photographs, title, description and house rules where they need it, and take over the messages, check-ins and guest support, 24 hours a day.
Pricing every day. Nightly rates and minimum stays are reviewed daily against the season, school holidays, local events and the weather. In winter that includes weekly and monthly rates for longer stays, not just a lower nightly price.
More than one platform. The same property goes on Booking.com, where we hold the Traveller Review Award 2024, on Vrbo and on more than 20 channels in total, all on one calendar, so a booking anywhere closes the dates everywhere.
Flexiestays for winter and long stays. Every property we manage is also listed on Flexiestays, the Flexiestays group's own platform and Bournemouth's number one for winter and long stays. It is where contractors, relocations, NHS and university staff and insurance guests book for weeks and months. Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings.
How we plan the colder months is on the winter let management page, and stays of one to six months are covered under mid-term let management. Long stays are set to end before Easter and the summer, so they fill the quiet weeks without taking your best ones. Stays of 28 nights or more raise their own questions on business rates and tenancy, and we use the right agreement for each stay.
What it costs
Our commission is a flat 16% of booking revenue, with no retainer and no monthly fee. If the property earns nothing in a month, neither do we. A one-off onboarding fee covers the photography, the listings and a set-up visit, and it comes out of your first month's income rather than being paid up front.
Cleaning, linen and maintenance are not part of the 16%. If you already have a cleaner and contractors you trust, keep them and we coordinate them around the bookings. If not, we recommend trusted local companies, you pay them directly, and we arrange them for you. Our pricing sets out what is included and what is extra.
How switching works
- Tell us about the property and share your Airbnb listing. We look at its reviews, its calendar and what it could do across the year.
- Set-up visit. We check the property has what guests need, including what a long-stay guest looks for: a desk, broadband, parking and a washing machine.
- Co-host or rebuild. A good listing on your own account is co-hosted. If it needs a fresh start, our photographer shoots the property and a new listing is typically live within a week of the visit.
- More channels. The property goes on Booking.com, Vrbo, Flexiestays and the other channels that suit it, on one calendar.
- Monthly payouts. Either Airbnb pays you directly and we invoice our fee each month, or we pay you by bank transfer at the start of each month for the previous month, less our fee. The owner portal shows every booking, and you block your own dates there.
Bookings you have already taken are honoured. If you decide we are not right for you, you give 45 days' notice and your own listing stays yours.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my Airbnb reviews if I switch to Sea Breeze?
No. If your listing is on your own account and in good shape, we join it as co-host rather than building a new one, so the listing, its reviews and its history stay yours. We then work on the photographs, title, description and pricing within the existing listing.
Why is my Airbnb so quiet in winter?
Because most Airbnb guests on this coast are on holiday, and holiday demand drops after the school holidays and stays low until Easter. The people who do need somewhere in winter, such as contractors, relocations, NHS and university staff and insurance guests, often look for a stay of weeks or months, and many of them book on Flexiestays rather than Airbnb.
What does Flexiestays charge?
Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings. It is the Flexiestays group's own platform and Bournemouth's number one for winter and long stays. Sea Breeze is part of the same group, and every property we manage is listed there.
How much does Sea Breeze charge?
A flat 16% commission on booking revenue, with no retainer and no monthly fee. Cleaning, linen and maintenance are paid separately, directly to the local companies we recommend or to your own. A one-off onboarding fee covers photography, listings and a set-up visit and comes out of your first month's income.
Can I keep my own cleaner?
Yes. If you already have a cleaner, a linen supplier or contractors you trust, keep them. We coordinate them around the bookings. If you would rather not, we recommend trusted local companies, you pay them directly, and we arrange them for you.
How long does switching take?
A good existing listing on your own account is co-hosted rather than rebuilt, so there is no gap while a new one is made. A new listing is typically live within a week of the photographer's visit. Bookings you have already taken are honoured, and we pick up the guests from the day we start.
What could your property earn as a holiday let?
Enter the postcode, the number of bedrooms and the property type. You get a monthly and annual income range on screen, with the assumptions behind it.