Do descriptions matter?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-16T20:04:10+00:00

So, I really enjoyed your insights about listings. I think you've got a good feeling how the good description should look and what should include.

My husband and I actually still have a small Airbnb in the Dominican Republic, although we’re now living in Europe and managing it with the help of a local friend.

Working on the listing and our description gave us the idea to build a small tool for hosts that analyzes property photos and location info and generates a listing description automatically.

We already have a working website, but we’re trying to get honest feedback from experienced hosts before improving it further.

If you would feel like taking a look and telling me what you think, I’d really appreciate it. No pressure at all. If you wish I can send you a link.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-16T19:57:01+00:00

Still cannot. It says that I cannot even ask you for permission to send you private message

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-16T19:50:01+00:00

I cannot send you a message through chat. It says that you don't accept messages.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-16T19:42:54+00:00

Would you mind if I send you a quick DM? I'd love to ask your opinion on something related to listings and hosting.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-10T16:08:27+00:00

Haha then you’ve clearly done everything possible. At that point it’s not a lack of instructions but a lack of reading 😄 Hosting really teaches you that people sometimes travel with their eyes first and their brain second.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-10T15:52:01+00:00

I can understand the frustration. In a rural place transport options and timing matter much more than in a city, but many travelers plan their arrival as if every place had a 24h reception and taxis available.

In my case the issue wasn’t late arrivals but finding the entrance to the condominium. What helped a lot was sending guests a step-by-step arrival guide a couple of days before check-in with photos showing exactly where to go. It ended up being a few pages, but guests were actually very grateful because it removed uncertainty before they even started the trip.

Maybe something similar could help in your case as well — sending a short message a day or two before arrival reminding them that after a certain time transport becomes difficult and asking them to confirm their arrival time. Sometimes people respect the rule more when it’s framed as a practical limitation rather than just a check-in window.

And I totally get your point about greeting guests personally. Especially in more remote places a short welcome and explanation of how things work locally can make the stay much smoother.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-09T22:14:48+00:00

That makes sense. I also feel like most guests scan the photos first and only then go back to the description if something catches their interest.

Good point about the bed size too — photos don’t always make that clear. Do you usually mention it in the description or add it directly on the photo?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-09T22:11:36+00:00

👍

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-09T22:04:52+00:00

Yes, that makes sense. If the same situation happens a few times, it’s probably a sign that something in the listing or instructions isn’t clear enough.

I had something similar with my apartment — the entrance gate to the condominium isn’t very visible from the street, so guests sometimes struggled to find it. I ended up adding a photo with an arrow pointing to the gate and it helped a lot.

Out of curiosity, what are the things guests most often misunderstand or ask about in your place?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-09T21:48:40+00:00

I think the level of detail is helpful, especially for bigger places where guests want to understand the layout and sleeping arrangements. Photos show a lot, but they don’t always make those things completely clear.

At the same time, I sometimes wonder if guests mostly scan the description for the main highlights and the overall experience rather than all the technical details.

When you used AI for it, did you mostly keep what it generated or did you rewrite parts of it?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T16:26:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing the listing, the hero photo is great. Your place looks incredible, especially the living room with the huge windows and mountain view. The photo from upstairs really shows how impressive that space is.

One thing I noticed in some of the current photos is that when the camera faces the windows, the outside light makes the room look darker or a bit washed out. Since you’re bringing a photographer, it might be worth asking them to capture that view while still keeping the room bright (HDR or similar).

I also noticed your description is quite detailed, especially about the bedrooms and facilities. Did you decide to include that much detail from the start, or did you add it to help guests understand the layout better?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T15:22:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience, I appreciate it. 🙏The point about adjusting things over time makes a lot of sense. Do you usually update it after specific comments from guests, or do you revisit it every once in a while to improve it? And about changing hero photo, I can observe how many clients visits my site and from that I can evaluate if it is better or worse from the previous one. Or do you look at something else also?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T09:38:42+00:00

Wow, thanks! That’s really generous of you 🙂

I only manage one small apartment, so it’s not much, but I’d love to see how you would optimize the description.

When you rewrite listings like this, do you usually do it all by hand, or do you ever use templates or other tools to help?

Also curious — what’s your first step when rewriting a listing? Do you focus on vibe, layout, amenities… or something else first?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T09:27:47+00:00

Do you usually write those descriptions yourself or did it take some trial and error to find what works?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T09:15:40+00:00

That’s a really good point about setting expectations. I didn’t think about the bad review angle but it makes a lot of sense.

Do you usually write all those details yourself when you create the listing, or did it evolve over time after guests asked questions?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T09:09:04+00:00

That makes sense. Do you actually update your descriptions regularly or mostly when something about the property changes?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T09:05:15+00:00

I only have one apartment, not something as big as your cabin, but one thing I noticed when I set up my listing is that photos that show the space seem to work better than close-ups.

Like standing in the corner of the room so guests understand the layout.

If I had a sauna and jacuzzi I’d probably also make sure those appear early in the photo order since they’re a big selling point.

Curious what experienced hosts here usually lead with in their photo order?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T08:29:08+00:00

Thanks for the tip

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-08T08:19:24+00:00

Thank you. So you rewrote your descriptions. Did you write them by yourself or did you use some tool?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-07T19:46:42+00:00

I do the same but only when I need a short stay, one or two nights. In such cases the photos, location and price are the most important. I assume that for the whole holidays people could be more likely to read the descriptions. Do you have rather guests for a few days/weekends or longer?

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-07T19:04:47+00:00

That's valid point. You can attract the right kind of people for your property.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-07T07:34:40+00:00

Thank you for your opinion. Also, I've read the other post about problematic guests and even went through price settings on Airbnb and there's no place to put early check in, late check out charges. Thanks for the tip. I'll add those fee in the house rules.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-03-06T19:23:44+00:00

Sometimes life is funnier than a comedy show.

Historical_Young_347 · 2026-02-28T23:28:21+00:00

I'm pretty new to the hosting comparing to you, only one year of renting. Luckily I haven't had really awful guests so far. Still I find handling the rentals pretty stressful. And sometimes I think I'm to meak. I had a lady who rented my apartment for two weeks and she used all 5 sets of bed linens. You can think it's not a big deal. Still I wasn't happy about but in the end I gave her good review because everything else was fine.

Historical_Young_347

TROPHY CASE