Hi Everyone… we are so excited to be part of this community. We are enjoying browsing the site and conversations and have 2 bookings to host families at our apartment. WE are really struggling with finding bookings for our family. I believe we have messaged at least 20 different homes that show available and they write back saying they cannot accomidate or that the dates are not available. Any tips or thoughts. We were hoping to get a ski trip booked to Bromont but have also messaged people about other areas in which our dates are flexible and have had not luck. Is this really common or is there any advice people can share.
1 Like
Hello and welcome. Indeed, it’s a common problem, calendars are just an indication and are not always up to date ( don’t forget members are not hosting professionnals) . 20 requests is not a lot, it’s the average value of requests we all have to send, and depending and when/where it’s often more than this. It’s not like a booking system.
Ok. Glad to know.
We’ll keep messaging away and see if we can work something out. Thanks for your feedback as again we are new so understanding expectations is helpful. Thank you.
2 Likes
Welcome to the community!
For the members who you are messaging to request a stay at their home, what colour does the calendar show for the time period you are requesting?
Also, for these people, are your requesting a stay for guestpoints or a reciprocal exchange?
Assuming that their calendars are up to date (note that there are many members who do not keep their calendars up to date), then…
If their calendar shows orange, for reciprocal exchange, then the answer may be as simple as they are not interested in visiting your area.
If their calendar shows green, then they say that they are open to “any exchange”. However, perhaps the length of the stay that you are requesting is not suitable for them. Perhaps they prefer not to exchange with new members because they prefer their exchange partner to have a record of exchanges and reviews. Perhaps there are more people in your party than they wish to accommodate in their home.
If their calendar shows blue, meaning they are seeking guests in exchange for guestpoints and you offered guestpoints, there are probably fewer reasons for declining your request. However, it could still be the case that they prefer more experienced exchangers or that the length of your stay is longer or shorter than they prefer.
Receiving answers such as dates not available or cannot accommodate may simply be more vague and polite ways of saying “the dates are not good for us” or “we prefer more experienced members” or “there are too many people in your party”.
2 Likes
Ok. We are open to exchange or guest points so we offer both.
How does one build “experience” of no one take you. We can keep renting our place but if it’s not reciprocal it’s difficult. Well keep going. It’s new to us so working out the kinks. Thanks for your message it’s much appreciated.
1 Like
That’s why you should stop hosting for now, or you only accept request for a reciprocal exchange, a place you want to go. Members with homes in desirable location often do that, they don’t really need gp in general. At least the time you get experience and see how it works for you
3 Likes
You have people coming to your home, but they have not been yet? Then you don’t have any reviews yet and that may also not help. And you talk about bookings; a lot of members will say no to members seeing HE as a booking site. You ask if you may stay in someone’s home, it’s not the same as renting a holiday home.
Do you write personalised messages? If you tell why you want to come to their location and what you specifically like about their home and say that you are tidy and clean and will leave everything perfect, chances of getting a yes will rise.
Good luck!
1 Like
Hello and welcome to the Forum and to HomeExchange! All of the advice you have had so far here is excellent 
It can feel a bit confusing at first, but you’ll soon get into the swing of things. It can be tricky to find a first exchange without any reviews as a guest yet. It is a bit like the “chicken and the egg” analogy. Having reviews as a host though is certainly a good start. My first exchange was a reciprocal exchange just 2 hours from where we live. It was a long weekend, with a very experienced and friendly HE family. This was a good way to get our first review. Skiing locations are in high demand and therefore harder to find. Perhaps try and arrange a few less challenging exchanges to get some reviews under your belt first.
1 Like
yes. I understand it’s not a booking site. We definitely write a personal message about why their home and location is desirable to our family for travel.
Thanks for the feedback
2 Likes
Welcome @cozycornerguesthouse - thank you for your hospitality!
You’ve had excellent advice. Would just add that sometimes - also regardless of calendar etc. - it can ve that it is just not convenient or they are not motivated enough. «But the calendar says they are open» - still it is a mismatch of sort - maybe they would have been open to another location, home etc. For some of us, a HE is also work, preparing the home and organizing everything around it, it might be related to other things in life (workload at work, responsibilities to relatives or other). Sometimes I say no just because it feels like I can’t manage an exchange at that time.
The usual thing is to use your primary home for holiday exchanges, I think. So you would need to be able to vacate your home, and it would need to align with holiday regulations at work/ school for everybody in the exchange party. I think many also as it is a primary residence ONLY DO RECIPROCAL EXCHANGES. This will limit the possibilities of using GP.
I’ve been a member for many years, and many HE requires loads of requests. It seems to me that sometimes factors to get a good match is
-Locations that are not the obvious tourist site (they get less interest and might be more open)
-Homes that are similar in size/ standard (can accommodate their needs/ interests and create a feeling of likeminded people)
-Hosts that are «similar» (a couple, a family with kids, etc).
My exchanges have also broken all of those «rules», by all means!
So after all - don’t overthink it. It wasn’t you, it was just not a good match. It is very normal to send out a lot of requests (more than 20).