How do I write an Airbnb listing title and description?

Your title and the first lines of your description do most of the selling, and they're also where a bad review starts if the home doesn't match. Below is Airbnb's own guidance, read on Nov 4, 2026, a list of the disclosures guests need, and a fill-in template written by HostCalmly. HostCalmly is not affiliated with Airbnb.

Airbnb's title rules

Airbnb's title guidelines (opens in a new tab) set the pattern:

• Under 50 characters. Longer titles get cut off in search results on smaller screens, so put the most important words first.
• Capitalize only the first word, plus proper names such as a neighborhood or landmark. No all caps.
• No emojis or decorative symbols. A single special character is acceptable, but repeating one for emphasis isn't.
• Separate ideas with a comma and a space, or a slash with no spaces.
• Don't repeat what search already shows, such as the city, the total bed count or the fact that the listing is new.

Airbnb's listing tips (opens in a new tab) add one more: highlight your location or a top amenity. Its own example is four words, "Modern loft overlooking downtown."

To change a title on desktop, go to Listings, pick the listing, open Your space under the Listing editor, click Title and save. Airbnb's edit your title article (opens in a new tab) says changes can take up to an hour to show, and that misleading information breaks its Content Policy.

A title formula

[Standout feature] + [type of home] + [one useful detail]

Count the characters before you save. Each "Better" example above is under 50.

What goes in the description

Airbnb's description guidance (opens in a new tab) says guests scan, so lead with the most important features and don't repeat what's already on the listing, such as the full amenities list. Describe what staying there is like, highlight what guests in your area want most and be realistic. Overselling leads to disappointment and negative reviews.

The same article tells you to fill in the other sections too:

• Your property. Rooms and spaces, with practical details.
• Guest access. Which areas guests can use, including anything shared.
• Interaction with guests. How much contact to expect, from in person to app only.
• Other details to note. Anything not covered elsewhere.

None of the Airbnb pages we read state a character limit for the description. The listing editor shows you if you go over. If you also list on Vrbo, its listing guidelines (opens in a new tab) set a headline of 20 to 40 characters and a description of 400 to 10,000 characters, so a 48-character Airbnb title needs a shorter Vrbo version.

What to put first

The first two or three sentences should answer what a guest is checking:

1. Who the home suits, described by its layout (bedrooms, beds, bathrooms, how many it sleeps)
2. The one or two features that set it apart
3. Where it is, in terms a guest can use (minutes to the beach, the trailhead, downtown)
4. How arrival works (self check-in, parking)

Describe the space, not the guest you want. Airbnb's Nondiscrimination Policy (opens in a new tab) bars indicating a preference for or against a type of guest, but it does allow factual information about a home's features, including accessibility features, so guests can decide for themselves.

Honest disclosures guests need

Airbnb's ground rules for hosts (opens in a new tab) list what counts as misleading. They include leaving out information about the surroundings that may affect noise, listing amenities that aren't available, not disclosing seasonal or hourly limits on an amenity and misstating bedrooms, bed sizes or whether anyone else is on site. Airbnb's description guidance also tells you to be upfront about anything that could be hard for guests with limited mobility or for families with children.

Write each of these down plainly:

• Stairs and access. Steps to the entrance, stairs inside, the floor the home is on, no elevator, a steep driveway.
• Noise. A busy road, a bar or train nearby, thin walls in a duplex, neighbors who share a wall or yard.
• Parking. How many cars fit, where, whether it's on the street, any permit, and if a garage or space is off limits.
• Shared spaces. Anything guests share with you or other guests.
• Amenity limits. A pool that isn't heated in winter, hot tub hours, a fireplace that's decorative only.
• Animals on site. Airbnb's animal safety policy (opens in a new tab) asks you to tell guests about pets that live at the property, so guests with allergies can decide.
• Cameras and noise monitors. Airbnb's device policy (opens in a new tab) bans cameras inside the home. Any exterior camera you control must be described in the listing, including where it is. A noise decibel monitor must be disclosed too, though you don't have to say where it is. Our camera and noise monitor rules page covers the wording.

Devices go in the Guest safety section of the Listing editor, not only in the description. Guests who have already booked don't see later edits, according to Airbnb's editing after booking article (opens in a new tab), so if you change something they were counting on, message them directly.

What not to put in

• Links or contact details. Airbnb's pricing and payment policy (opens in a new tab) bans links in listing pages that take people off Airbnb.
• Amenities you don't have, or photos edited to hide flaws or add features. Both are on the ground rules list.
• New rules outside the house rules section. For reservations booked on or after Nov 20, 2026, Airbnb's house rules policy (opens in a new tab) says house rules must appear in the designated section at booking, not elsewhere in the listing or in messages.
• Fines. The same policy says hosts generally can't impose fines or penalties on guests.
• The full amenities list. Guests already see it.

Fill-in template

Copy this, replace the brackets and cut any line that doesn't apply.

Title (under 50 characters) [Standout feature] [type of home], [one useful detail]

Listing description [Number]-bedroom [type of home] that sleeps [number], with [standout feature] and [second feature]. It's [distance] from [the place guests come for]. [One sentence on what a day here looks like.] Check-in is [self check-in with a keypad / meet-and-greet], and there's parking for [number] cars [where].

Your property Bedroom 1 has [bed size]. Bedroom 2 has [bed size]. [Number] bathrooms, [shower / tub]. The kitchen has [the items guests ask about]. Outside, [deck, yard, grill, fire pit].

Guest access You'll have the whole [home / unit]. [Any locked closet or owner area.] [Anything shared, and with whom.]

Interaction with guests [We're available by Airbnb message from X to Y. / We live next door and are happy to help.]

Other details to note - The entrance has [number] steps and there's [no elevator / an indoor staircase]. - [Road, neighbor or other noise source] can be heard from [room]. - Parking is [details, permits, limits]. - There's an exterior camera at [location] covering [area]. [A noise monitor that doesn't record audio is in the living area.] - [Seasonal or hourly amenity limits.]

Once the listing reads well, put the same practical details in your house manual so guests can find them during the stay. The house manual builder lays them out room by room.