Airbnb amenities are the ticks on your listing that tell guests what the apartment has, from towels and Wi-Fi to a washing machine, a cot or free parking. They matter twice: guests read them before booking, and many guests use them to filter search. Airbnb says many guests filter search results by amenities, so a missing tick can keep your listing out of a search it should be in.
Our guide to Airbnb listing optimization explains how amenities fit into ranking. This post is the practical part: finding what you already have, deciding what to add, and keeping the list honest.
Why do Airbnb amenities matter for search?
Amenities decide which filtered searches your listing can appear in. Airbnb says that some guests look for specific amenities, and that adding sought-after amenities can make a listing more attractive and improve its visibility in searches for them. Its examples include a crib, a hot tub, a step-free entrance and allowing pets.
The logic is simple. A family filtering for a crib won't see a listing that hasn't ticked one, even if there's a cot in the cupboard. A remote worker filtering for a dedicated workspace won't see the flat with a good desk that nobody listed.
Which amenities does your apartment already have?
Most listings miss a few amenities the apartment already has. Go through the apartment room by room with Airbnb's amenity list open:
- Kitchen: kettle, coffee maker, microwave, oven, dishwasher, basic cooking items.
- Bathroom: hair dryer, shampoo and soap, hot water.
- Bedroom: extra pillows and blankets, hangers, blackout curtains or shutters.
- Laundry: washing machine, dryer, iron, drying rack.
- Comfort: air conditioning, heating, ceiling fans.
- Work: Wi-Fi, a dedicated workspace with a real chair.
- Building and outside: lift, free parking, balcony, step-free entrance.
- Safety: smoke alarm, first aid kit, fire extinguisher.
- Family: travel cot, high chair, stair gate.
Airbnb describes amenities as running from hand towels to hot tubs. The small ones count too, because they answer questions guests would otherwise message about.
Which amenities are worth adding?
The ones that open a filter for the guests you want, at a cost the apartment can carry. This is a judgement for each apartment, not an Airbnb rule, so start from who books, or who you'd like to book:
- Families: a travel cot and a high chair cost little and put the listing in front of families who filter for them.
- Remote workers and long stays: a proper desk and chair, fast Wi-Fi you've tested, and a washing machine.
- Guests arriving by car: parking, if you can arrange it. If you can't, say where the nearest parking is in the description.
- Couples on a short break: a good coffee machine and a balcony set up to sit on.
Don't buy for a filter your guests won't use. A hot tub on a city balcony is a cost and a cleaning job before it's a booking.
What should you leave off?
Leave off anything that isn't there, doesn't work, or works only some of the time. Guests rate accuracy as its own category, and Airbnb's question for it asks whether the home was accurately represented with up-to-date photos and info, and whether everything was in good working condition.
- The air conditioner in one room, listed as if every room has it. Say which rooms in the description.
- Wi-Fi that drops in the bedroom. Test it in every room between stays.
- "Free parking" that's a street space you can't guarantee.
- The dishwasher that's been broken for a month. Fix it or untick it.
Each of these is a promise the guest checks on arrival, and a broken one can cost an accuracy star. Our guide to 5-star reviews on Airbnb covers what guests look for in that category and the other six.
How do amenities work with your title and photos?
The amenity list is where guests check, the title and photos are where they first notice. The one or two amenities that most set the apartment apart deserve a place in both.
Airbnb's own title guidance suggests highlighting a key amenity, like dedicated office space, and gives "Remote work-ready guesthouse" as an example. Our guide to your Airbnb listing title has more formulas.
Then show it. If the title says balcony or workspace, a photo of it belongs among the first five. Airbnb also suggests adding amenities and other details to each room in the photo tour, so a guest sees the washing machine in the right room, not only as a tick in a list.
How often should you check the list?
Every time something in the apartment changes, and at least every few months otherwise. New appliances get added, broken ones get removed, and the list should match the apartment on the day the next guest arrives. A quick walk through the apartment with the list open, after a turnover, is enough.
Questions owners ask
Do amenities affect where my listing appears on Airbnb? They can. Airbnb says many guests filter search results by amenities, and that adding sought-after amenities can make a listing more attractive and improve its visibility in searches for them.
Should I list an amenity that only works some of the time? No. Fix it or take it off the list. Guests rate accuracy, which includes whether everything was in good working condition.
Which amenities should I add first? Start with what your apartment already has but hasn't listed. Then look at low-cost additions that suit the guests you want, such as a travel cot for families or a proper desk for remote workers.
Should amenities go in the title? Only the one or two that most set the apartment apart. Airbnb's own title examples include highlighting a key amenity, like a dedicated workspace.
Keeping the listing, amenities included, current with the apartment is part of both of our plans. You can see them on the pricing page.
