Why good Airbnb descriptions matter
Writing a compelling Airbnb description is no vacation.
I should know — for eight years, I was a professional description writer. I developed brand standards and led writing teams at Vacasa, the largest vacation rental manager in the US. During that time, I obsessed over perfecting the ideal format, length, tone of voice, prioritization of amenities, and level of detail to include in our property descriptions.
Because Airbnb descriptions matter. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but when a guest is choosing a vacation home, they also want to hear from the host or owner about what makes that property unique. And they want to read the fine print — do you have to go through a bedroom to get to that second bathroom? Exactly how far is it to the beach or the ski slopes?
But unless you’re a large company, employing professional writers to craft your listing descriptions is out of reach. That means property owners or local managers (people who are usually not professional writers) are put in the uncomfortable position of having to sit down with a blank page and compose their own descriptions.
Until now. Thanks to recent advancements in AI — namely, the large language models (LLMs) that are capable of generating natural, human-sounding language — generating an Airbnb description is as easy as copy and paste.
But all AI is not created equal. The quality of what you get out depends entirely on what you put in — and what tool you choose to use.
How to use AI to generate Airbnb descriptions
There are a few ways to use AI to create your Airbnb descriptions: using a purpose-built solution, or DIYing with a general AI tool like ChatGPT.
Use AutoMate’s Listing Optimizer
I’m totally biased, but the best and easiest way to use AI to generate Airbnb descriptions is with
AutoMate’s Listing Optimizer.
Once it became clear what these new LLMs were capable of, I partnered with a talented AI engineer (who also happens to be my husband, and a fellow Vacasa alumni) to create our own Airbnb description generator. Together, we trained an AI copywriter to analyze your existing listing, amenities, and reviews, then use that information to create compelling descriptions that match Airbnb’s standards and help your ideal guests picture themselves in your property.
Step 1: Copy and paste
Enter your Airbnb URL and email
Step 2: Check your email
Get your optimized description instantly— no credit card required
Here’s how easy it is: copy and paste your Airbnb URL into the Listing Optimizer and enter your email. Within five minutes, you’ll get a refreshed description and title in your inbox, along with tips from our AI copywriter to help you understand what was changed and why.
And here’s why it’s the best: we trained our AI copywriter on the ins-and-outs of writing Airbnb descriptions, based on my own years of experience working in the vacation rental industry and the latest developments in Airbnb’s own search algorithms.
Just like when I led teams of writers at Vacasa, I trained our AI copywriter to understand:
- The length and formatting requirements for Airbnb listings
- How to use an inviting and welcoming tone of voice, without being too flowery
- Which amenities are most important to include, both in the description and the title
- Setting the stage for travelers to imagine themselves in a property
- Avoiding repetition and improving flow throughout the description
- How to delicately mention potential drawbacks or concerns to set accurate guest expectations
- Self-editing for grammar and spelling accuracy
- When and how to mention policies like pets, cancellations, or minimum stay requirements
- When to use bullet points versus full sentences
- How to read and incorporate reviews to highlight what guests love most
After all, a good Airbnb description isn’t just about the number of bedrooms and baths — it’s about setting the right expectations to help the right guest book the home, have the experience they wanted, and ideally leave a 5-star review after their stay. If that’s what you’re looking for, get your first AutoMate description for free now.
All that said — even the most thoroughly trained AI isn’t perfect. There may be nuances our AI copywriter missed or misinterpreted from your original listing. So you’ll always want to review your description carefully for accuracy and completeness, and edit as needed before publishing.
If you want to DIY your AI, you can use
ChatGPT from OpenAI or another similar text-generator. This approach lets you have full control over your description and customize your prompts just as you like.
Since ChatGPT can’t directly access external websites like Airbnb, you’ll need to copy and paste your existing description and your full amenity list into the ChatGPT window, along with any additional information you want to incorporate (like guest reviews). Then, you’ll want to give ChatGPT more guidance about how to tailor your listing, such as Airbnb’s preferred lengths and formatting, plus details about your property’s unique selling points or must-include amenities.
If you have lots of background knowledge about what goes into a high-performing Airbnb description, developing your own ChatGPT prompts might be a good use of your time. But it will take longer and require more expertise than copy-and-pasting your URL into AutoMate’s Listing Optimizer.
Ready to see how easy it is to get a professional-grade Airbnb description from AutoMate? Get started today with a free description and title. And keep up with our newest features and insights on LinkedIn.
