Three quieter weeks before summer, and what to do with them!
School holidays wrap up on 11 October. After that, the Great Southern settles into what’s considered the shoulder weeks: still guests coming and going, just not the flat-out run that starts in December.
It's the best stretch of the year to pull a room out of service, do the floors properly, and have it dry and back online without losing a booking.
Presentation Isn't a Soft Metric Any More
The other five, briefly:
• Check-in — how easy it was to arrive and get in
• Accuracy — whether it matched the listing photos
• Communication — how fast and clearly, you replied
• Location — the area and the access
• Value — whether it felt worth the rate
Location you can't change. Cleanliness you can, and it quietly props up two others: a tired carpet makes your photos look inaccurate, and it makes the rate feel steeper than it is!
Where those scores show up:
• On Airbnb, homes in the top 1%, 5% and 10% carry a gold trophy icon and a Guest Favourite badge, a highlight at the top of the listing page, and a label above the reviews. It needs five or more reviews, high marks across all six categories, and host cancellations and quality issues averaging 1%.
• On Stayz, Premier Host needs a 4.6 average or better, at least five bookings or 60 booked nights, five or more reviews, a 99% booking acceptance rate and zero host cancellations, assessed each quarter over the previous year.
• On Google, your star rating sits beside the business name in Maps, which is where most Great Southern travellers check you before booking direct.
A four for cleanliness because the stairs looked grubby isn't just one review. It drags the average that decides those badges, and the badge is what lifts you in the search results.
What Guests Notice Without Meaning To
People don’t tend to inspect a skirting board. They look down.
• The entry. First three steps inside, where every bag, boot and wet towel lands.
• The stairs. Guests carrying bags up a flight are looking straight down at the treads, so they catch detail they'd never notice crossing a room.
• The hallway runner. Usually, the oldest soft furnishing in the house, and the one nobody thinks to clean.
• The lounge. Arms and headrests collect body oils and sunscreen. Guests notice the moment they sit down.
• Tile and grout. Clean tiles with dark grout read as “not quite clean”, and date the space unnecessarily.
The same staircase, before and after. Traffic lanes are the first thing to go, and the first thing guests look at.
If your listing photos look better than the room does in person, that gap is what shows up in the reviews.
The Market Is Competitive Right Now
• WA recorded $19.2 billion in visitor spend in 2025, from 11 million overnight visitors
• $6 billion of it landed in regional WA
• But in July, operators around Denmark, Albany and Bremer Bay told the ABC that visitor numbers were noticeably down, with tours at half capacity through what should have been a busy stretch. Cost of living and fuel prices were blamed.
When travellers are choosing carefully, presentation isn't a finishing touch. Understand that it's the part of the decision you can still control.
A Short List for the Next Three Weeks
1. Start with the high-traffic areas. Entry, hallway, stairs and the main living space, where wear shows first.
2. Get the tiles and grout done in the same visit. Clean tiles with dark grout is the most common half-job in accommodation, and it undoes the rest.
3. Don't forget the lounges. Fabric and leather both need it, and leather needs conditioning too, or it dries out and cracks.
4. Re-shoot the listing photos if you've got time. Fresh floors are the cheapest photo upgrade going, and it's often the small detail that tips a booking your way.
5. Lock in a date while it still suits you. Once summer starts, the only gap you'll get is a changeover morning, and realistically that isn't enough time to do it properly or well.
We're Local, and We Come to You
F & L Carpet Cleaning is Frank and Lorraine, servicing Albany, Denmark, Mt Barker and Walpole, and everywhere in between. Carpets, rugs, upholstery, tile and grout, stain treatment and deodorising.
If you run a chalet, B&B, motel or Airbnb and want it sorted before the rush, send us an SMS or call Lorraine on 0409 398 131, and we'll find a slot that fits around your bookings. After hours, you can still send your enquiry through the Get A Quote button at the top right of this page.
Until next time, don't forget to stop and smell the freshness of spring, even if just for a moment 🌼
Sources
• Airbnb Help Centre: Guest Favourites
• Airbnb Help Centre: Guest Favourites and highlights
• Government of WA: WA achieves $19.2 billion in visitor spend, 23 March 2026
• ABC News: Tourism businesses worried about drop in winter visitors in WA's south, 22 July 2026
