Video for Airbnb and Booking.com: what to show so guests choose you

Guests choose a place to stay by its photos, reviews, location and price. A short video adds what a photo can’t carry: atmosphere. How the morning light fills the living room, what the view from the terrace is like, how cosy the bedroom feels. And it can be shared wherever people look for travel ideas.

This guide covers where to use a holiday rental video, what to show and in which order, and how to get one from the photos you already have.

Where to use a holiday rental video

On Airbnb and Booking.com themselves, photos do most of the work. Whether and how you can add a video to a listing differs between platforms and changes over time. That’s why a video does most for you elsewhere:

• Instagram Reels and TikTok. A short portrait video is exactly the format people use there to discover places to stay.
• Your own website with direct booking. Guests who book directly don’t cost you a booking platform’s commission. A video on your site gives them a reason to stay and book.
• Your Google Business Profile. You can add photos and videos to your property’s profile and reach people searching for places to stay nearby.
• Facebook and YouTube. Landscape video suits YouTube and posts; the portrait version suits Stories.
• Messages to guests. A link to the video in the booking confirmation or a few days before arrival sets the mood and shows guests where everything is.

What to show

Build the video as the guest’s journey, from arrival to the best thing they’ll experience with you:

1. Arrival and the outside. The house, the entrance, the garden, parking. Guests immediately know where they’re going.
2. The main living space. The living room or shared space in good light. If it’s your strongest shot, put it right at the start.
3. The bedroom. A made bed, fresh linen, light from the window.
4. The kitchen. Equipment guests appreciate: a coffee machine, a dishwasher, enough crockery.
5. The bathroom. Cleanliness, towels, the shower or bath.
6. What makes you different. The view, a terrace, a hot tub, a fireplace, a sauna, a garden for children or a desk for remote work.
7. The area. The beach, the mountains, the city centre or quiet countryside, but only from footage or photos that are yours or that you’re allowed to use.

Tip: Besides daytime photos, take one or two evening shots with the lamps on. An evening by the fireplace or on a lit terrace can catch the eye more than one more daytime photo.

Length, format and style

• Length: 15 to 30 seconds for social media, up to a minute for your website. People finish short videos and watch them again.
• Format: portrait (9 : 16) for Reels, TikTok and Stories, landscape (16 : 9) for websites and YouTube. You’ll get the most out of having both.
• Style to match the place: a city apartment can take a livelier edit, a mountain cabin or villa a calm pace and warm evening light.
• Music: match the mood of the place. Guests often watch without sound, so make sure the video works silently too.
• Signature: end with the name or logo of your rental so guests remember you.

Good photos are the foundation

A video made from photos is only as good as the photos. Shoot in daylight, from the corner of the room, in landscape and level. Our guide How to photograph a flat for a listing walks you through it, and it applies to a seaside apartment as much as to a mountain cabin.

Several properties? Keep one style

If you manage several rentals, keep their videos consistent: the same pace, similar music, your logo in the same place. Your listings become recognisable at a glance and look professional. For a larger number of properties, you can arrange a partnership with us.

How to get one from us

Send us photos of your place, or just a link to your Airbnb or Booking.com listing. We take the photos from it ourselves; we need at least 5, ideally 6 to 20. Choose a style and format and you’ll have a video with music, and your logo if you like, within 24 hours of us receiving the photos, in portrait for Instagram and TikTok and in landscape for your website.