Good afternoon @Kathleen-M-0 !
Currently, I am a Airbnb Photographer. Many times I’ve experienced hosts being hesitant to accept. It’s completely normal to feel this way, considering the state of the world lol. I want to assure you, this is not a gimmick and not a rip off. As someone else mentioned, the professional photos absolutely boost your bookings and Airbnb is aiming to brand their company for all listings to be professionally photographed with their settings which I am trained to do. Some photoshoots are offered completely free, and some the cost is deducted from first months pay (which is roughly $100-270 depending on how many rooms your listing has).
Feel free to ask me any other questions, and I’ll do my best to share my experience with you! Hope this helps!