Creating an Irresistible Airbnb Listing: Your Guide to Standout Hospitality and Maximum Profit (2024)

You survived the daunting task of furnishing and preparing your property to be listed on Airbnb. Now its time to create your listing. Your listing is the first impression guests have of your property, so it's crucial to make it as captivating as possible. In this guide, we'll explore the key elements of creating an attractive Airbnb listing that entices potential guests to choose your space for their next getaway.

Check out my step-by-step guide for carting the perfect airBNB listing below.

Setting up the account

Sign up for an account atAirbnb.com. Sign in and on the upper right corner click the “Become a Host” Button. Or click HERE and use my referral link.

Select your property type

There are several types of properties you can list on Airbnb. Airbnb allows you to list a house, a spare room in your house or a unique experience space, like a tree house. Some of the options are House, Apartment, Boat, Cabin, Farm, ect. There are a bunch of unique property types so be sure you select the one that meets your property.

Once you have selected what type of property you are offering, you will need to select what part of that property the guest will have access to.

Entire house/apartment

When you rent an entire property on Airbnb, you are essentially renting the home or apartment for their exclusive use. This can be a great option if you have a spare home and are looking to rent more space than what a standard hotel room can offer, or if you want guests to have a little more privacy during their stay.

By renting an entire property, it’s important to know that guests expect to have all the amenities of a normal home at their fingertips. This includes a full kitchen, cooking utensils to laundry facilities. This type of accommodation attracts bigger groups and families, and can often be rented out for longer periods at a higher price point.

Private Room

This option provides guests with their own private space, while still allowing them to socialize with others. This type of accommodation attracts solo travellers or couples that want to experience living in a new city but don’t want to commit to renting an entire place. Plus, it’s often cheaper than staying in a hotel.

Shared Room

Renting a shared room is when you list a space that is shared with other people. Examples of this are a hostel or bunk beds in a bedroom. This is perfect for guests who are looking to meet new people as they will often be sharing the space with someone else. With this type of room, guests tend to be more transient and expect a lower price point.

It’s still recommended that you provide all of the necessary amenities for your guests, such as sheets, towels, and toiletries. You will also need to make sure that you are comfortable with having someone else in your home, as you’ll be sharing the common areas.

Select your location:

Once you’ve decided on your type of rental, the next step is to add in your location. This needs to be accurate because it will be given to guests who book your property. For browsers, they’ll only be able to see your exact location if you choose to turn this option on. Your location will also show up in Airbnb’s map search function, so bear this in mind when listing your property. You can update the location on the map by dragging the map to adjust the pin location.

The basics:

An important aspect of creating a successful rental on Airbnb is including clear and specific details about the bedrooms and amenities that are available. By outlining these features in your listing, you can help guests better understand what your space has to offer and whether it will meet their needs. Additionally, providing this information up-front can help avoid any misunderstandings or disappointments during their stay – in return, gaining you more positive reviews.

This is a key part of setting up your property on Airbnb because, if anything should go wrong, you’ll be able to use this to validate your concerns if you choose to file a report. Such as, having too many guests stay at your property when the group staying stated they had less.

First, you’ll select how many guests you allow in your space, how many beds you’re providing, how many bedrooms and how bathrooms there are.

Next, list any amenities you have or will have. Airbnb makes this easy by providing all the popular ones broken down into groups, such as “stand out” amenities, “safety items” and “guest favorites.” If you’re unsure what to offer guests, take note of what is listed under “guest favorites.” These are often requested or expected amenities, and if you provide them, they’ll help sell your listing to browsers.

Add Photos:

Adding photos to your Airbnb listing is important for several reasons. First, potential guests want to see what your space looks like before they book it. Secondly, well-chosen photos can make your listing more inviting and help it stand out from the competition. And finally, good quality photos will help you get better reviews from guests as they’ll provide an accurate representation of the experience they’ll have at your property.

Here are a few tips for selecting the perfect photos:

Pro Tip: I highly recommend hiring a professional photographer that has experience in real estate photography. It typically is affordable and it makes a huge difference in the listing.

Add the details:

Before you get into the details, it's crucial to understand who your ideal guest is. Are they business travelers, couples, families, or solo adventurers? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your title & description to appeal to them specifically.

Title:

The title is a 32 Character line to grab your guest attention. This line will be the header of your listing, so you want highlight the most important things. An example of one of my title descriptions is “Gameroom, Lakefront, Easy walk to the water”. A lot of homes in my area that are lake front have a steep walk down to the water, so calling out the easy walk and the gameroom are things that set my listing apart.

Your headline should spark curiosity and give guests a glimpse of the experience they can expect.

Highlights:

Next, you will be prompted to pick two highlights to describe you home. The options are preselected by Airbnb, you will want to think about what type of guest your are looking to attract when selecting these. Some examples are things like “peaceful”, “family friendly” ect.

Description:

Your description should be reflective of the overall atmosphere and tone of your rental listing. You only have 500 Characters so you will and to chose your wording carefully. You will want to include the keywords that your target guest will be looking for and highlight any unique things that sets your listing apart from others.

How you will confirm bookings:

You will have to decide between accepting instant bookings or approving/declining every booking that comes in. I personally like to accept instant bookings. I do require approve/deny for same day bookings, but anything that is not a same day booking is eligible for instant book. The majority of the bookings I get are instant book.

Set your price:

Setting the price for your Airbnb listing is a balancing act – you want to gain bookings, make money but also keep guests happy. Make sure that your price is fair, but that it also covers all of your costs and leaves you with some profit.

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting your price:

When setting your Airbnb price, it’s important to do your research and see what similar listings are charging in your area. Use this information as a starting point, and then adjust your price accordingly.

If you’re signing up for the first time, there is also an option available to give the first 3 guests a 20% off discount to gain initial bookings quicker.

Final Questions:

For the final step before you publish, you’ll need to answer whether there are security cameras, weapons or dangerous animals on your property. This needs to be answered truthfully and must comply with local laws and regulations.

After this is complete, you will be prompted to review and publish your listing.

I don’t love how airbnb has the listing set up. It doesn’t feel complete to me when you are prompted to publish. There are a lot of other places to add details and things that need to be included with a listing that you have to go back and do after you publish.. We will start discussing those steps now.

After the listing is published, you will see it under “listings” on your Airbnb app. When you open the listing you will see 3 options at the top under your title. The options are listing, booking settings, Co-Host.

Listing:

As you scroll down through the listing you will see the photos, the rooms and spaces, property and guest, title, and description that you filled out in the first half of the steps.

Description: When you click on the description, you will see the listing description you entered during the initial set up. As well as a few fields that were not filled out during the initial set up.Now is your change it add additional information about your space.

Your space:

I use this area to really describe my property. I go room by room explaining the flow, amenities that each room, bedsize ect. This is where you can really add the details about your property. I try to write this in a way that the guest can picture the house and determine if the space will work for their group.

Guest Access:

I use this area to explain how the guest will access the home will they use a lock box, smart lock, have to meet for a key ect. (do not include any check in codes, this is open to the public).

I also call out any areas the guest will not have access to. For example, is the garage off limits or a locked owners closet.

Interaction with Guest:

Use this area to set exceptions around how you would like guest to communicate with you. Some host live on site and might opt to meet each guest in person. You will want to let the guest know that here. They may not prefer meeting the host and may opt to stay somewhere else. Since all of my properties are strictly investment short term rentals, I am not available to meet. Ilet the guest know that I am available by phone for emergencies and perfect that all integration goes through the app. I want to keep as much communication as possible on the app in the event that there is an issue and I need airBNB to have access to our conversation.

Other details to note:

Use this area to include any other information that you want potential guest to know prior to booking that is not included in the other areas.

Neighborhood:

Neighborhood description:

Use this area to talk about things around the property. I have used it to call out the close marinas with nightly slip rental for a lake property and to note nearby construction at a property in an up and coming area.

Getting around:

Let guest know how they can get around the neighborhood and what parking is like.

Booking Settings:

How guest can book:

This is where you can chose to allow instant book for everyone, only those with a good track record or turn off instant book completely. You can also opt to set a Pre-Booking message that requires the guest to read and respond before the booking is complete.

Guest requirements:

Airbnb has the requirements of potential guest having a confirmed email address and phone number as well as payment information before booking. You can also require guest to have a profile picture in order to book.

House Rules:

Setting clear expectations for your guest will help ensure your home is treated as you would like. This is where you can set rules around pets, smoking, events ect. You will also set your check in and check out times here.

You want to be careful not to go too excessive with the rules or you will give the perception of not being an accommodating host. No one wants to rent a place to have their vacation and end up having to read a list of 50 rules. I keep it pretty simple with my rules, and out of the thousands of guest I have hosted, I have only had a few issues.

Cancellation policy:

This is where you will set your cancellation policy. You will have to determine how far out a reservation will need to be cancelled for the guest to receive a full or partial refund. I would recommend taking into account the booking lead time when making this decision. Check out my guide to Aribnbs cancellation policies HERE.

Management:

Local laws:

Gives you an overview of any laws that may apply to your properties.

Status:

Allows you to adjust you status if needed. You can pause, deactivate ect.

Co-Host

This is where you can invite a cohost to assist with your propety.

Calendar

When you select a calendar for a specific property, you can access the settings at the top right corner. Airbnb allows you to decide on the availability of your listing.

There is flexibility in choosing whether you want to be booked all the time or just on given days or specific time periods

You can also set pricing, weekly or monthly discounts and add in any additional fees like a cleaning fee or pet fee.

Crafting an attractive Airbnb listing involves telling a compelling story about your space and providing potential guests with all the information they need to make an informed decision. By paying attention to catchy headlines, vivid descriptions, engaging photos, and detailed information, you'll create a listing that stands out and attracts the right guests. Your Airbnb adventure begins with a listing that speaks volumes about the unique experience you offer. Happy hosting! 🌟🏡 #AirbnbListingTips #HospitalityGuide #VacationRentalSuccess #HostWithHeart #TravelExperience #AirbnbHost