5 Airbnb Listings Photos Mistakes and What You Can Learn from Them

Airbnb recently launched their new Airbnb Luxe category of listings.

These listings have been specifically vetted on over 300 criteria and provide a customized experience coordinator to plan out your activities.

In this post, I will review some Airbnb Luxe listing photo mistakes and what you can learn from them in order to improve your listing photos.

Lesson #1: Always put your Best Photo Forward

This is the representing photo for this 1960 home listing.

My first thought was “why is this considered an Airbnb Luxe?” So I clicked on the listing to investigate further and then saw this.

You only have a second or two to make a good impression, so showcase the best feature of your Airbnb and show give your guests a reason to want to book your Airbnb.

Lesson #2: Photo Distortion

Notice how the living room looks oddly shaped with very long sofas and rug. In other photos of the space, we can see that this is not the case and this photo is distorted.

Lesson #3: Not having a Layout Image

More and more I see that listings are adding a layout image to let their potential guest know how the property is set up. The layout image creates clarity for your guest and gives them a sense of proportion.

By not including this feature you ARE losing out to the listings that do have them. Read more about why you should add a layout image to your listing here.

If you want to add a layout image to your Airbnb listing you can order yours here.

Lesson #4: Having too many Photos of the Outdoors

When a listing starts with 5-10 photos of the view or outdoors I know there’s a reason for it. It’s usually because the indoors are less impressive. But even if this is the case don’t tire your potential guest out by making him scroll, he might get annoyed mid-way and just move on to the next listing.

Lesson #5: Close-up Photos of Minor Details

Don’t get me wrong this place is AMAZING as you can see from these photos!!!

And this listing actually doesn’t overly focus on unnecessary close-ups, but you can see why having one of the fruit basket isn’t really necessary.

Guests are looking to get an overall picture of the space, don’t waste their time with close-ups UNLESS you want to show off high-end finishings like special shower fixtures or things that really add value to your listing that your guests will want to book it for that specific reason.

Do you have additional tips for listing photos? Would love to hear them, leave yours in the comments below.