Key Findings on Airbnb Listings

New research from PriceLabs, a revenue management software, indicates that only 12% of Airbnb listings adhere to industry standards. These compliant listings show a 35% better performance in their respective markets.

The PriceLabs Listing Optimisation Report details multiple issues impacting listings:

• Poor-quality images: Nearly 70% of listings feature images that are poorly lit, blurry, or presented in a confusing order.
• Inadequate descriptions: 54% of listings provide unclear or incomplete descriptions, with similar percentages citing discrepancies between text and images.

These challenges affect major short-term rental markets in cities like Barcelona, Budapest, and Melbourne. Hosts are under increasing pressure to elevate their listings as online travel agencies adjust algorithms to favor quality alongside cost and availability.

A survey cited in PriceLabs’ 2025 Global Host Report reveals that 63% of hosts worry about their ranking on these platforms, which are critical for bookings.

Richie Khandelwal notes, “Hosts often underestimate how much listing quality affects visibility and performance. What seem like small issues, like bad photo sequencing or vague descriptions, can have an outsized impact on whether a guest clicks, books, or scrolls past.”

To assist hosts, AI-powered tools like PriceLabs’ Listing Optimiser are available to identify and rectify these issues, ensuring competitive listings in a bustling market. For deeper insights, the full PriceLabs Listing Optimisation Report elaborates on strategies for crafting high-performing listings.