How should I style beds, towels and the bathroom for listing photos?

Guests decide from your photos which bed they'll sleep in and whether the bathroom looks clean. Airbnb has published detailed staging steps for its own photoshoots, and both Airbnb and Vrbo set technical rules for photos. This page keeps the two apart: each section says whether a tip comes from Airbnb, from Vrbo or from general practice. Everything from the platforms was read on Nov 4, 2026, and HostCalmly is not affiliated with either one.

What Airbnb says about light and angles

These come from Airbnb's Resource Center article How to take great photos for your listing (opens in a new tab):

• Shoot rooms when they get the most daylight. Open blinds, shades and curtains, and turn the flash off.
• Use lamps only as a fallback, if a room is still too dark after you've let in all the daylight.
• Shoot outdoor areas in the golden hours, which Airbnb describes as the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset.
• Hold the camera level, not tilted up or down, and center the subject. Turning on your phone's grid helps.
• Shoot horizontally. Search results crop photos into squares, and listing pages show horizontal images.
• Mix wide, mid-range and close-up shots of each room and guest area.
• Use photos of at least 1200 × 800 pixels, with larger files up to about 10 MB.

Airbnb's separate photoshoot prep guide (opens in a new tab), written for its professional photo shoots, says to turn off all lamps and overhead lights so editors can avoid color casts. If you shoot yourself, the Resource Center article's rule applies: daylight first, lamps only if you need them.

What Airbnb says about order, the cover photo and captions

From the help article on setting up a photo tour (opens in a new tab):

• The first five photos appear prominently on your listing, and the first one is the large image in search results. You can drag photos into a new order, or pick a photo and choose Make cover photo.
• Every room needs at least one photo to show in the photo tour, which sorts your photos by room.
• The minimum size there is 1024 × 683 pixels, and bigger is better.

Airbnb's How to add the best photos of your space (opens in a new tab) says you need at least 5 photos to get started. Use captions for what a photo can't show, such as how much a table seats. If your sleeping count includes a couch, futon or air mattress, Airbnb's article on guests, beds and rooms (opens in a new tab) says to say so in the description and photo captions.

Airbnb doesn't say which photo should go first. A common order, which is general practice and not an Airbnb rule, is: the best exterior or view, the main living space, the kitchen, the main bedroom, the main bathroom, then the rest room by room.

What Vrbo says

From Vrbo's photo guidelines (opens in a new tab) and its article on adding photos (opens in a new tab):

• Keep at least 6 photos published at all times. Vrbo says fewer than 6 for more than 30 days can lead to an indefinite suspension penalty.
• Horizontal displays best, though vertical is accepted.
• Minimum 1024 × 683 pixels, ideally 3840 × 2160 or higher.
• Not allowed include black-and-white or sepia photos, collages, blurry photos (Vrbo says to avoid portrait mode), text or contact details on the photo, watermarks, logos and borders. The guidelines also list close-ups, so keep detail shots wide enough to show the room around them.
• Vrbo's AI tool picks the hero image and the photo order from what you upload. The help article links to a survey if you want to opt out.
• Photos can be assigned to bedrooms and bathrooms once Rooms and Spaces is set up.

Bedroom staging

From Airbnb's photoshoot prep guide

• Take towels and stuffed animals off the bed.
• Tuck in the comforter and check that it hangs evenly.
• Fluff the pillows, with two pillows per sleeper.
• Clear bedside tables, dressers and desks.
• Remove personal items such as family photos, and take stored clothing out of the closets.

General practice

• Use the bedding guests will actually sleep in. Airbnb's Refresh your listing (opens in a new tab) article notes that guests want your place to look like your photos. If the photo shows a thick duvet and the guest finds a thin blanket, that gap can end up in a review.
• Iron or steam the top of the duvet and the pillowcases. Creases show up more in photos than in person.
• Smooth the fitted sheet first. A lumpy mattress protector shows through a flat duvet.
• Square the pillows against the headboard, two per sleeper, so a King reads as a bed for two at a glance.
• Shoot each bed from the doorway and from one corner, so guests can see the bed size against the room.

Bathroom staging

From Airbnb's photoshoot prep guide

• Arrange toiletries and hang towels neatly.
• Put in a new toilet paper roll and put the toilet seat down.
• Open the shower curtain or door.
• Clean mirrors, glass doors, handles and other surfaces.

Towels, which is general practice

Airbnb says to hang towels neatly but doesn't say how to fold or which color to use. These are common choices, not platform rules:

• White towels, in one line you can rebuy, are what HostCalmly recommends for rentals in our towel guide. They photograph clean, wash hot and match when you replace them.
• Fold in thirds lengthwise, then hang over the bar, so the edges line up and no label shows.
• Or fold and stack one bath towel, one hand towel and one washcloth per guest on a shelf or stool. A stack shows guests how many towels they get.
• Accent towels are optional. If you use a colored hand towel for contrast, put the same one in the bathroom for guests, so the photo stays accurate.
• Check the mirror. Make sure you, the camera and the toilet aren't the main thing reflected in it.

Photo-ready shot list

The kitchen and outside checks come from the same Airbnb prep guide (opens in a new tab), which also says to remove BBQ, pool and hot tub covers and to set out accessibility features such as ramps or shower chairs. Airbnb's photo article also suggests featuring accessibility features, so give them their own shots.

Before and after the shoot

• Do a full turnover first, then stage, then shoot. Use the turnover checklist so nothing is skipped.
• Shoot every space guests can use. Airbnb's Help your listing stand out (opens in a new tab) article says to photograph every space guests have access to.
• Write captions with bed sizes, which floor each room is on and whether a bathroom is attached.
• Reshoot after changes, such as new bedding or a renovated bathroom, so the photos still match.
• Use [HostCalmly's planner](/plan/) to list the bedding and towels each room needs before you buy for the shoot.