How to improve my Airbnb listing and decide between renting the whole apartment or separate rooms?

[Gheula-Deborah0]

Hi everyone,
I’m Gheula, a host in Milan, Italy. I’ve been renting my apartment for a couple of years now, thank G-d with good results overall — though it hasn’t always been easy, especially when it comes to Airbnb.

My apartment has been listed on Airbnb since 2022, but I’ve had only a few bookings — literally just a handful. Most of my guests come through Booking.com or directly from my website, which is why I’m now trying to understand how to improve my Airbnb performance.

Let me tell you a bit about the place:
It’s a 60-square-meter apartment, centrally located in Milan’s Jewish area, on the first floor (there are a few stairs to reach it).
It was fully renovated 5 years ago and has:

• Two separate bedrooms, each with two single beds

• Two private bathrooms (one for each room)

• A shared kitchen and a small dining area

Here’s the listing:
👉 https://www.airbnb.it/rooms/37114356

Now I’m wondering what’s the best strategy:
Should I rent the whole apartment, or should I list the two rooms separately, with access to the shared kitchen?
On Booking.com I rent the two rooms separately, and there’s been decent demand.
On Airbnb, I’ve been renting it as one entire apartment — but almost no bookings.

I was also wondering if it’s possible to have both options active at the same time (one listing for the entire apartment and two listings for each private room), where if one gets booked, the other automatically blocks those dates. I asked Airbnb support, but they told me that Airbnb could see it as a double listing and might remove them.

Has anyone found a smart way to handle this?
And more generally — what are the most effective ways to improve visibility and appeal on Airbnb?
What are the key elements (text, images, structure) that really help to catch guests’ attention?

Thank you so much in advance to anyone willing to share advice! 🙏
I’d really appreciate your insights.

— Gheula

[Alex]

Hi @Gheula-Deborah0! 

Thank you for this amazing post, sharing your listing and asking for insights. In order to help you, I’m going to mention some experts in the Community to see what they can recommend: @Dr-Jayanthi1, @Patricia2526, @Neha176, @Lin29864, @Gunarto-0, and @Evan1118. 

Thank you everyone in advance and I hope we can help you! 

Best, 

Alex 

[Evan1118]

Wow, what a beautiful apartment!
My Airbnb rental is a private room and bathroom in my home, and I often host couples and solo travelers visiting San Diego.

You might consider creating two separate listings on Airbnb—one for each private bedroom and bathroom. You can describe the kitchen and living room as shared spaces. Airbnb allows you to link the calendars for both listings to prevent double bookings, and you can also enable one party to reserve both spaces if needed.

It may take a bit more coordination and cleaning, and you’ll likely want to adjust your pricing accordingly, but it could open the door to a whole new group of guests!

[Antonius15]

Hello Gheula... nice to meet u here...

I would to share some my journey...hope this okay for u ...

I’ve managed a few properties with both full-unit and room-by-room setups, and what I’ve seen is that guest behavior really depends on your market. If your place attracts groups or families, whole-unit usually converts better and saves time on turnovers.

But if you’re in a city or near coworking areas, splitting rooms can fill gaps and stabilize occupancy. The key for me was using one central calendar to avoid double bookings and keep pricing aligned — once that’s set, managing both styles becomes much easier.

[Grace1408]

Hi Gheula, given your experience renting rooms separately on Booking.com, listing the two rooms individually on Airbnb could increase bookings, especially for budget-conscious travelers, while keeping the whole apartment option for groups or families. To avoid double-booking, use a channel manager or Airbnb’s calendar syncing to automatically block dates across listings. For visibility and appeal, focus on high-quality photos showing each space clearly, descriptive titles, and detailed, honest descriptions highlighting unique features like the location, private bathrooms, and renovated interiors. Prompt responses, competitive pricing, and guest reviews also boost ranking and trust on Airbnb.

[Codexa0]

hey gheula, you can list both rooms separately and also keep a full-apartment listing. just sync the calendars in airbnb so when one gets booked, others block automatically. add bright photos, clear titles, and highlight private bathrooms and central location to boost visibility.

[Kartik51]

Amazing listing. Loved the pictures, my 2 cents:

1) I saw a 10% discount currently, try increasing that to 20% so that Airbnb puts a discount banner next to your listing & will send promo emails to potential guests.

2) Pick a catchy headline, currently it's not very clear and generic. Example: Newly done 2BHK in Kosher area or Furnished 2 BHK near Milan area

3) Do list it as single rooms as well, you might be leaving money on the table. Don't forget to link their calenders via Airbnb itself 

4) Speak with upcoming guests during their Checkout (physically meeting them works the best) and understand why they booked your place. Speak with nearby Airbnb owners for local advice. Maybe the average group size visiting that area would be 1 or 2 (solo or couple)

[Grace1408]

Hi Gheula! Since your Booking.com guests prefer booking individual rooms, you’ll likely see better results on Airbnb by listing each room separately instead of the whole apartment. Private rooms with their own bathrooms and a shared kitchen are popular among solo travelers and small groups. To manage both room and whole-apartment listings, you can use a calendar-syncing tool or a channel manager so bookings automatically block overlapping dates. For better visibility, use bright, high-quality photos, a catchy title highlighting your location and comfort (“Modern Jewish Area Room with Private Bath”), and a detailed, friendly description. Quick responses, competitive pricing, and frequent small updates to your listing also help boost Airbnb’s search ranking.

[Grace1408]

To make your company’s month-end party feel warm and relaxed, keep things simple and friendly—good food, music, and a comfortable setup go a long way. Add small personal touches like a welcome drink or a quick icebreaker to help people connect. Keep the schedule loose so conversations can flow naturally, and briefly acknowledge everyone’s hard work to show appreciation. When the atmosphere feels genuine and pressure-free, your team will unwind and truly enjoy the evening.

[Loren4859]

You could test both options for a month each to see which gets more bookings. Listings with clear, bright photos and simple titles like “Cozy room with private bath near city center” tend to perform better. Also try syncing calendars with Booking.com to avoid double bookings.

[Grace1408]

Hi Gheula, based on your experience, listing the two rooms separately on Airbnb—like you do on Booking.com—might attract more bookings than renting the whole apartment, especially if demand for full apartments is low. Airbnb generally discourages duplicate listings for the same space, so to avoid conflicts, you could manage availability using a channel manager or calendar-sync tool to prevent double bookings. To improve visibility and appeal, focus on high-quality, well-lit photos, clear descriptions highlighting unique features (like the two private bathrooms), accurate pricing, and guest-friendly policies. Prompt responses to inquiries and positive reviews also boost search ranking and trust.