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VRBO/Homeaway push us to have 50 photos. It used to be 24, and then they increased it to 50, and hammered on us to post lots of photos. It’s really hard to have more than 20 useful photos of a house unless it’s huge (and 20 is pushing it, in my estimation). So I have multiple sunset, sunrise, double rainbows, beaches, hummingbirds, flowers, coffee beans (from our coffee shrubs), etc., photos.
But I was truly surprised - we were booked recently from someone that said the picture of the coffee cherries (what they call them when first picked) really sold them on our property. It was picture number 48!
I just looked at my photos, my number is the high 20’s. There are about 10 photos of things to do and the ones of the homes are in the high teens.
As far as utensils, I don’t have the drawers or the pots and pans but I do have a photo of the pantry cupboard open which also has kitchenware in it and a close up of the condiments.
I have photos of the kitchen appliances, but not the cutlery, cookware, dishes, etc. I really prefer people that don’t cook! My favorites are the people that don’t use anything in the kitchen.
We have inlaws in Ruddington, and your place is so much more beautiful than the motel 8 near her.
November-March is our slow season, but we’ve tapped into a new market this year, grandparents! They visit whenever a new grandchild comes, slow season means nothing to them. They want to be closer than a hotel but they want a place that doesn’t have a screaming baby at night.
I’ve been putting business cards where new parents hang out, both online and real life. It might be worth your while to find online forums for local parents. Some don’t allow advertising, but some do if you don’t spam and can explain why it’s relevant.
FWIW, i’m very fond of the pictures in my listing and how i use them to prepare my potential guests.
Yes, grandparents are definitely a market for us too. In fact, our most recent guest was a grandmother visiting her first grand child. She stayed for ten days and was one of the most respectful and easy guests we ever had. We gave her a bottle of Prosecco on arrival to celebrate the momentous occasion. Thanks for the tips.
It may be less painful to let photos go if you move them into your guidebook or Self Check-In instructions. There are some detail pictures of the kitchen and bath that might be better used to inform booked guests of what’s available (ie they don’t motivate a booking, but let them know you have soaps, dishware, etc when they’re planning their stay)
Sorry I can’t agree with your advice @Poppy about finding photos online or taking them from other listings.
This breaks copyright law in the UK and internationally and @Suntory could end up with a large bill from the photo agency or photographer, if they follow your advice.
I also don’t agree with having a maximum of 12 photos for the listing. Surely it depends on the size of the listing and what key amenities you want to show off.
As ever, there is no one size fits all when it comes to Airbnb, hosting is a personal business (unless you are a management company) and hosts will do what works for them taking into account best practice and advice they receive/or read online.
That’s a really good tip. We will do exactly that because having guests that know that certain things are supplied is actually very useful. We had guests arriving with kitchen utensils in the past. Thanks for the tip.
Absolutely correct. My other half is a photographer and we have successfully sued when photographs of his have been used without his permission. (USA law). Copyright owners will find them - Google image search is simple to use.
Taking photographs from other listings is subject to the same ruling. I also had a neighbour who copied the wording of our listing and wording too cannot be stolen.
Everyone is different but I have to say that listings that show local scenes annoy me a lot. I, like most guests, have the gumption to research where I’m going and don’t need the listing to show me badly-taken stolen-from-the-internet photographs of local sights and landmarks. If someone chooses to go to a certain area, they have chosen that town/city for their own reasons, not for the host’s.
I think it depends on your area. In my case people are coming to Bristol but it is a large city and I want guests to understand what my area is like as it is an inner city area and I want to manage expectations.
It’s therefore important to help show visually what this means.
They aren’t choosing to stay in my area, just in my city.
Quick update to all of you and to follow up on your amazing feedback: the day after we made all the changes to the photos, description, pricing etc, we received a very nice booking for the weekend after next. The reason why this is significant is because it’s our very FIRST instant booking (e.g. a booking made without any questions asked in advance). In the very least it indicates the listing is more clear now. So that’s great progress for us and once again thank you all for your help.
Ahhh you beat me to it @helsi. Yes, we live it here. Check out the last photo on my listing which I took two days ago: saxophonist Craig Handy performing at at Peggy’s Skylight - a new jazz bar in Hockley a mere ten minutes away by bus from our flat. I couldn’t believe when I bought a round of three drinks for less than £10. Are you based in the East Midlands?
Wasn’t he making a joke about the movie bombing and saying “no one” is going to the movie or to the real Nottingham (merely related to Suntory not getting bookings).
Well he says ‘people avoiding Nottingham’ so to me that is talking about people avoiding the city rather than the film about a legendary character set in a legendary area.
I knew someone would bring up copyright law when I wrote it, and predictably it was you. As if someone is going to come and chase a little host for “breaking copyright law”! No solicitor would touch it with a barge pole, what return would the company or the lawyer get? The very worst that would happen is you would receive a letter asking you to take it down. I was actually directly involved where someone cut and pasted my entire website under their name. My sister is a solicitor and she contacted them telling them to remove it. End of story. I have had many cases where I have seen my work in hard copy print in shops and online. There are also many photos on the internet that don’t have copyright on them.
Stop looking for problems where none exist.
I also suggest you re-read what I wrote as I addressed the size of the place and the reason I believed there were too many photos,
Way, way, way too many photos and too many of styling items e.g the mirror and unnecessary like the stairs. It’s not a big place so 10-12 photos are plenty. Every photo has to have a purpose, tell a story and not duplicate another one.
Once again you are looking for problems that don’t exist. I also commented on the number of photos I have:
I just looked at my photos, my number is the high 20’s. There are about 10 photos of things to do and the ones of the homes are in the high teens.
As far as utensils, I don’t have the drawers or the pots and pans but I do have a photo of the pantry cupboard open which also has kitchenware in it and a close up of the condiments.
When I see you have commented on a post I have written I always know it will be to disagree with me (which is fine) but it’s a getting a little boring and obvious - just move on, nothing to see here.
Absolutely, people who cook are a pain! We are 80% one nighters, within walking distance to a stack of great restaurants but still the cleaners say the majority cook. Who could be bothered? Apparently lot’s of people!
Plus if you are showing a working, usable kitchen then obviously there is going to be cutlery and pots and pans. But are there condiments, a slow cooker, a juicer? These are the things that are worth photographing - it comes back to the: “every photo needs to tell a story”.
- the area is one of the biggest tourist areas in the UK.
