How to write a rental cottage description that tells the truth

Say first what the guest gets

You have no influence over whether someone opens the photo, the price or the description first. You do have influence over the first sentences of your own text. Use them for the kind of place, the privacy and the condition that can decide the choice.

If you rent a room with a shared bathroom, write that in the room description. If the guest gets the whole house but shares the garden with the hosts, separate those two pieces of information. "Exclusively yours" without saying of what can promise more than you intended.

Instead of an adjective, give the thing that can be seen

"Comfortable", "unique" and "perfect" express your judgement. A table on the veranda, a separate entrance and a shower in the room describe the equipment. The guest can judge for themselves whether that is the comfort they are looking for.

When you are looking for the answer to how to write a rental house description, start from one place: the room the first photo shows. Name what the guest has there for themselves and what they share. Do not start by copying the whole listing.

A sample guest room description

Below is an invented example showing the way of writing, not a description of a real property.

A room for two people with separate beds. The bathroom is in the corridor, shared with other guests. The window faces the garden. We do not serve breakfasts, you can prepare them in the shared kitchen.

This text is not trying to catch every enquiry. Whoever needs a private bathroom learns at once that this is not their room. Whoever is looking for separate beds and wants to do their own cooking gets an answer without a phone call. Do not copy the equipment from the example if you do not have it.

Write about the limits of the promise too

"Close to the trail" does not say whether you can walk there or have to drive. Give the point you measure the distance to and the way of getting there. "A view of the mountains" should explain whether you see them from the rented room or only from the meadow behind the house.

"Quiet and peaceful" is a risky sentence when there is construction next door or parties in the house. You can honestly describe the location and the quiet-hours rules. You do not control every sound in the area.

The same goes for families and animals. Instead of just "family friendly", write what actually makes a stay with a child easier. Do not promise a cot if there is none on site. If a stay with an animal needs to be agreed, do not hide that under a general invitation.

How to describe an accommodation property on Booking

First separate the features of the whole property from the features of the specific room. A shared kitchen does not mean a kitchenette in every accommodation option. A private bathroom in one room should not sound like equipment of them all.

When fixing the sentence about the bathroom, look also at the matching amenities field of the same room. A nicer paragraph does not settle a contradiction with a ticked option. If you cannot change the text visible to the guest, save its fragment and report it to the portal's support. Do not assume that an entry in the dashboard is already the corrected public listing.

A good description can be defended at check-in

Read your promise as if the guest had just shown it on their phone. Can you point to that kitchen, provide that parking and take them in at the stated hour? If the answer is "yes, but", add the relevant condition before the booking.

You do not have to start with a long history of the place. You can tell it later, once the person already knows where they will sleep. Give them what they need to decide first.