How to increase Airbnb bookings as a host: the fixes in order

To increase Airbnb bookings, fix things in the order a guest meets them: the cover photo in search, the photo set, the first line of the description, the price for your dates, and the reviews. A listing that gets clicks but no bookings usually has a problem in the photos or the description. A listing that gets no clicks usually has a problem with the cover photo or the price.

1. Work out where guests drop off

Before changing anything, check your listing's views and bookings in Airbnb's host insights. Two patterns are common:

• Few views: guests are not clicking from search. Look at the cover photo, the title and the nightly price shown in search.
• Views but few bookings: guests open the listing and leave. Look at the photo order, the description and the reviews.

Change one thing at a time and leave it for a couple of weeks so you can tell what helped.

2. Fix the cover photo and photo order

Airbnb crops photos into squares in search results and shows wide images on the listing page, so its own guidance is to shoot horizontally. Use your best wide shot of the main living space or the view as the cover, then order the rest the way a guest would walk through the door. Our full guide to Airbnb photo order and the cover photo goes room by room.

3. Rewrite the first line of the description

The first line should say who the place suits and the one fact that sets it apart: "A two-bedroom cottage for walkers, on a footpath onto the hills." Our listing description examples show the structure for three property types.

4. Check the price against what is booked, not what is listed

Compare your price with similar listings for the same dates, and look at which of them are already booked. Listings still open for a busy weekend are often priced too high. Check the cleaning fee too, because guests see the total.

5. Make reviews easier to earn

Most poor reviews come from a gap between what the listing promised and what the guest found. The fixes are in the listing: mention the steep stairs, the street noise, the walk from the car park. Reply to every review, briefly and without arguing. Future guests read the replies.

6. Show the home in motion

Guests decide quickly, and photos alone make it hard to understand a layout. Airbnb does not let hosts add a video to the listing itself, as we explain in what Airbnb allows in 2026, but a walkthrough video works on a direct booking site, on Instagram, and in a reply to a guest who asks about the space.

ReelSieve makes that video from your listing link. It uses your own photos in walking order, your rating and a real review, and saves the file to your Google Drive. Our post on Instagram Reels for Airbnb hosts covers what to post.

7. Open a second booking channel

Relying on one platform leaves you exposed to its search changes. A simple direct booking page, a mailing list of past guests and a regular social post spread the risk. Our guide to holiday let marketing in the UK covers the channels.

Related reading from Braivex

Investors adding a second listing can find London stock with Housieve; see scored property alerts. If you advertise the listing on Meta, work out your break-even first with our ROAS guide.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Airbnb getting views but no bookings?

Usually the photos, the description or the price for those dates. Guests are interested enough to click, then something on the listing page puts them off.

Does lowering the price always help?

No. It helps when your price is out of line with similar booked listings. If the listing itself is the problem, a lower price only lowers your income.

Can I add a video to my Airbnb listing?

Not as a video file on the listing. Hosts use walkthrough videos on their own sites, social media and guest messages instead.

Next step

Make a free walkthrough video of your listing at reelsieve.braivex.com and use it wherever guests decide.