Transparency in Representing Size of Properties

Richard1826
Level 3
Nashville, TN

Transparency in Representing Size of Properties

AirBnb should require hosts to publish the true size of their properties, in terms of both square meters and square feet.  It is a given that all hosts use wide-angle lenses to make the spaces seem larger than they are, forcing us to discount the photos when evaluating listings.  However, some hosts use these photos to intentionally mislead prospective visitors, even putting words like "vast" and "spacious"  in their descriptions, when the spaces are anything but.   We just returned from a European trip where we stayed in 13 AirBnbs, and four of these were listed with photos that made the apartments look palatial, whereas in reality there wasn't even enough space to open our suitcases.   

 

I think that AirBnb should mandate all hosts to include the precise size of their lodgings, which is the only way one can evaluate the accompanying photos in context.  To not do so is to aid and abet unscrupulous hosts in  misrepresenting their properties - which may be good for their pocketbooks (and for AirBnb's bottom line), but is not a good practice for long-term client retention.  

51 Replies 51

@Jennifer1421 @Richard1826 

I'm actually going to do this too! Is it nerdy if I say it sounds like fun? I'll start measuring once my current guests check out!

@Emilia42Not at all nerdy! Though I was less enthused about the project when I discovered that the only measuring tape in my possession is a 10' one 😄

Thanks for doing this.  For what it's worth I use a laser measurement tool, which is a lot less work.    You can find them on Amazon for $15 US, for ranges up to 50 ft (about 15 m) which should be sufficient for AirBnB room sizes.

Julie660
Level 4
Rockford, IL

I will admit it, I use a wide angle lens when taking real estate photos, and I will also admit it does make spaces look larger than they actually are...BUT it also produces a much much better picture.  I do think it's a good idea to mention overall; square footage, and that is an addition I will make to all of my listings.

Michelle2137
Level 4
New South Wales, Australia

im really not good with square feet but I opted not to get professional photos so that may guests would hopefully be surprised by my space. so far it has worked.

Rowena29
Level 10
Australia

@Richard1826 

I think your point - re the measurements - is a valid one and could be very useful.  I know a lot of the hotel platforms have something similar and it influences me sometimes when I"m tossing up between several places. 

The only qualification I'd make is this. You are obviously a guest who takes the time and trouble to read listings carefully. 

A host has a really tough job including all the detail and information they think guests might need/want with trying to ensure that amount of description does not become counter productive.   

There are a LOT of guests who seem to have an inverse reading relationship with the amount of detail and the amount of comprehension.  They criticise for making the listing too onerous to read

 

 My last guest was like this.  When she arrived, and I showed her how to unlock the door, I said,

"do you remember your keycode?"

Oh no, the number was too confusing to remember.   

"but the code is your mobile number"

"MY mobile number"

"yes"

"Ooooh.  Well why didn't you say that in the message???"

"I did"

"oh. I got really confused. There were so many words"

 

It was clear she had not read a single thing in the description, or the house rules, because, as she kept saying "it was so long. It was confusing"    

I DO have some measurements of some rooms stated in my description, but because of guests like the above,  I am constantly trying to pare things back, balancing brevity and ease of reading with detail. 

I know this is a tightrope many, many hosts find difficult.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Rowena29  We should come up with a page of acronyms for all kinds of info we put in our listings and info we send to guests, like OMG and LOL. 

"Hi XX, Here's all the DL u'll need 4 CI. The DC is ur phone#, EZPZ."

So many words, huh. Unreal.

You've got it @Sarah977  - she was a purely mobile phone user.

Personally I'd love it if there was a way that we could see HOW guests have replied to our messages. You know, on an email it will say "sent with my iphone".  I wish there was something similar for airbnb messages  -It would be a great way of getting a heads up to know to adjust your communication style.  

( i wish there was a filter for "app only" guests. I think I'd cancel them all!)

 

Ps I had NO IDEA what EZPZ was - until I said it out loud!

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Rowena29  I find it pretty scary stuff that there seems to be a rising trend of people not being able to focus long enough to read more than a 6-word text. It doesn't bode well for civilization.

Miryam26
Level 1
New York, NY

I did not read all the responses but my listing has two sets of photos - the first set is back from several years ago when Airbnb sent a photographer to shoot our place for "verified photos". Those shots are all wide angle lens. After those we have our photos (much poorer quality). We also have a floorplan in our listing which shows room size.

 

All that being said, we live in NYC. When we use the term "spacious", it's got a very different meaning to someone from the midwest. 1500 Square feet in NYC is "palatial". Whereas elsewhere that might be considered very small. 

Our place has two queens, two fulls, and a twin bunkbed. For groups who need that many beds, this is a great listing. 

 

Our biggest complaint from guests is that we don't have a TV. We state it in our listing and from the photos it's clear. 

Thanks for your reply.  1500 feet is indeed palatial for New York (even Brooklyn where you are).  And you even give a room plan with measurements.   That's more than I requested in my original post.  With that information, any subjective description like "spacious" is beside the point.

 

I looked at your listed and I would certainly stay there when I come to NY.  Who needs a TV when you have Manhattan right across the river!

 

 

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

@Richard1826 why not just ask the hosts for a square footage measurement? If having a huge space is really important to you I would think that is the simplest solution. Many people just want a place to sleep when traveling.  For others the home itself is the attraction and they spend a lot of time in it. If space is important to you ask before you book. No matter how great the pics you won't end up disappointed if you take it upon yourself to be proactive .

 

 

Also I'm sure you understand that depending on where you are in the world there may be different ideas about what is "enough" space. Americans tend to be a bit biased towards large listings even if it's only for a single person or couple.  

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Laura2592 @Richard1826 ^ Exactly my thoughts!

@Richard1826   I agree with @Laura2592  on this one as well. Square footage is an important topic when you're buying real estate, but in the world of holiday accommodation it's seldom in the degree of demand that would make it essential to a listing. I don't see hotel listings publishing the dimensions of their rooms either.

 

And even if it were standard, the singular value of the property's floor area does not account for its distribution or how much of it is usable space. That would require a broader set of values that would be absurd to mandate from millions of hosts globally.  Like star ratings, it's merely a number whose meaning is locked up in the missing context. Besides, even with all the empirical measurements right out front, people will still have subjectively different expectations of how much space that's going to be, so we're right back to square one.

 

How about this:  when you're a guest, and you have special requirements  - whether it be accessibility needs, animal accommodation, or size demands  -  you consider it your responsibility to use that Contact Host button before placing a reservation. Hosts don't want their guests to be disappointed, but it's impossible for a listing to account for every detail and parameter that a guest could possibly care about.

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

'All' hosts do not use wide angle lenses. We don't as our apartment is actually very spacious. Bizarrely we were marked 4 stars by one guest for accuracy where she commented that the apartment was bigger than described!!!!