Three Strategies to Get Your First Booking on Airbnb
To secure your first booking, combine strategic promotions with an appealing presentation of your properties, making sure guests feel value and trust from the very first interaction.
Promotion for New Advertisements
New Listing Promotion: 20% off your first three bookings.
Available only for new advertisements.
Increases the speed of your first booking by 20%.
Generates 79% more bookings in the following year.
Find out how to set up the New Listing Promotion here.
Flexible Cancellation Policy and Non-Refundable Option
Goal: increase visibility, attract different types of guests, and boost total bookings.
Expected impact:
Greater visibility: +31% unique views in 2024 with a non-refundable discount.
More bookings: in 2024, about 20% of all active accommodation advertisements worldwide offered a non-refundable discount.
Higher revenue: flexible or moderate policy generates +5% annual gross value.
Best practices:
Adjust the non-refundable rate periods based on booking lead time (14, 30, or 60 days).
The non-refundable option is only shown up to 60 days before check-in.
Offering both options maximizes reach and visibility.
Learn more about the benefits of the non-refundable policy here.
How to Make Your Advertisement Stand Out
Title:
Between 8 and 50 characters (ideal <32).
Include property name, type, and main feature.
Avoid repeating the city, Airbnb, or number of guests.
Photos:
High-quality images (min. 1024 × 683 px).
Main photo: the most attractive one.
Upload at least 20 photos showing spaces, amenities, and outdoor areas.
The first five photos should highlight the strongest features.
Amenities:
Many “basic” amenities don’t give you a competitive advantage, but their absence penalizes you heavily. Wi-Fi, kitchen, parking, air conditioning/heating, pool, washing machine… are some of the amenities that have a strong impact on filters and visibility.
Guest experience:
Every detail should help guests imagine their stay.
Clear and honest images and descriptions set expectations and improve satisfaction.
Final summary: by applying these strategies, your properties gain visibility, attract different types of guests, and speed up getting your first booking. Review your promotions, policies, and presentation to maximize results.