Airbnb listing description examples, and a structure that works

A good Airbnb listing description answers the questions a guest would otherwise message you about: who the place suits, how they get in, where they sleep, and what is nearby. The examples below follow one structure you can copy, with a city flat, a country cottage and a family house.

The five-part structure

1. Opening line. Who the place is for and the one thing that makes it different. Guests see this first in the app, so put the most useful fact here.
2. The space. Room by room, in the order someone walks through the door. Say how many beds are in each room and what size they are.
3. Getting in and around. Self check-in or a meet and greet, parking, stairs, lifts and step-free access.
4. The area. Walking times to the station, shops and the thing people visit the area for. Use minutes, not "close to".
5. House rules in plain words. Quiet hours, pets, smoking and anything unusual such as a shared entrance.

Airbnb's own photo guidance tells hosts to use captions to explain what a photo does not show. The description works the same way. Say what the photos cannot: the noise level, the walk from the bus, the fact that the second bedroom is up a steep stair.

Example 1: city centre flat

Opening: A quiet one-bedroom flat for two, five minutes' walk from the station, with a desk by the window for anyone working during the trip.

The space: You come in to an open kitchen and living room. The bedroom is at the back, away from the street, with a king-size bed and blackout blinds. The bathroom has a walk-in shower.

Getting in: Self check-in with a key safe. The flat is on the second floor and there is no lift. No parking on site; the nearest public car park is a four-minute walk.

The area: Supermarket two minutes away, the market square seven minutes, the main museum twelve.

Rules: No parties, no smoking, quiet after 10pm because neighbours start work early.

Example 2: country cottage

Opening: A two-bedroom stone cottage for walkers, with a log burner and a boot room, on a footpath that leads straight onto the hills.

The space: The front door opens into the boot room with hooks and a drying rack. The living room has the log burner and a sofa bed. Upstairs are a double room and a twin room that share a bathroom with a bath.

Getting in: The last mile is a single-track lane. Parking for two cars beside the cottage.

The area: The village pub is a twenty-minute walk along the footpath. The nearest shop is a ten-minute drive.

Rules: Two well-behaved dogs welcome. Logs for the first evening are included.

Example 3: family house

Opening: A four-bedroom house for families, with a fenced garden, a travel cot and a high chair, ten minutes' drive from the beach.

The space: Ground floor kitchen-diner opening onto the garden, a separate living room and a downstairs toilet. Upstairs, one king, one double and two singles, plus a family bathroom. The fourth bedroom is a loft room up a steep stair.

Getting in: Driveway parking for two cars. Step-free from the drive to the kitchen.

Rules: No events. Please use the stair gate on the loft stairs with young children.

Mistakes that cost bookings

• Describing a feeling instead of a fact. "Cosy" tells the guest nothing; "a living room with a log burner and two sofas" does.
• Hiding the inconvenient detail. Steep stairs or a shared entrance found on arrival turn into a poor review.
• Repeating the amenities list. Airbnb shows amenities separately, so use the description for context.
• One long block of text. Short paragraphs read better on a phone.

Match the description to your photos and video

Guests read the description after the photos, so the two should tell the same story in the same order. If you describe the house room by room, order the photos the same way. Our guide to Airbnb photo order covers that step.

A walkthrough video goes one step further, because guests see the layout in motion before they read a word. ReelSieve builds that video from your listing link, using your photos in walking order and a real review from the listing.

Related reading from Braivex

Writing in your own voice matters on LinkedIn too, if you market a co-hosting business there; see LinkedIn About section examples. Guests read your reviews alongside your description; agencies with several offices can see 5-star review reply examples.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an Airbnb description be?

Long enough to answer the five parts above. Most of the examples here are around 120 to 180 words, which reads comfortably on a phone.

Should I write the description in the first person?

Either works. Write it the way you would answer a guest's message, and keep the same voice across the listing and your replies.

Can I use AI to write it?

You can use it for a first draft, but check every fact against the property and cut generic adjectives. Guests notice when a description could describe any home.

Next step

Once your description and photos tell one story, make the video version at reelsieve.braivex.com. The first two videos are free.