Standing out can be tough—especially when your listing is competing against hundreds of others in the same neighborhood. One powerful way to attract attention and boost bookings is by offering Airbnb Virtual Tours. These interactive 360° experiences allow potential guests to explore your space as if they were already there, giving them the confidence to book—especially if they’re comparing several similar listings.
In this article, we’ll cover what Airbnb virtual tours are, why they matter for your booking rate, how to create one, and how to showcase it effectively—even if Airbnb doesn’t support native embedding yet.
What is an Airbnb Virtual Tour?
An Airbnb virtual tour is a 3D, interactive walkthrough of your property that lets potential guests explore the layout, décor, and amenities at their own pace.
A virtual tour allows your potential guests to look around each room, zoom in on details, and navigate from space to space, providing a highly immersive experience.
These tours are created using 360-degree cameras and specialized software that stitches your Airbnb photos together into a seamless walkthrough. Short-term rental hosts often use popular platforms like Matterport, Kuula, and CloudPano to produce high-quality virtual experiences.
Why Virtual Tours Help Boost Airbnb Bookings
1. Increases Guest Confidence
Guests can see exactly what they’re booking, reducing uncertainty. For high-value bookings (e.g., corporate stays or mid-term stays), people are far more likely to book when they feel confident in the space.
2. Reduces Pre-Booking Questions
Virtual tours answer common guest questions like “How big is the kitchen?”, “Is there a desk in the bedroom?”, or “Can I see the layout?”. This cuts down on messaging and back-and-forth.
3. Differentiates Your Listing
A well-produced Airbnb 360 virtual tour makes your listing stand out in search results and marketing materials. It demonstrates professionalism and care, which can help justify premium pricing.
4. Boosts Conversion Rate
When integrated into your direct booking website, social media, or shared via Airbnb messages, virtual tours can significantly improve your conversion rate. Guests browsing multiple options will be more likely to choose a property they can “experience” ahead of time.
How to Create an Airbnb Virtual Tour
Creating a virtual tour might sound technical, but it’s more accessible than ever.
Here’s a simple step-by-step process:
Step 1: Choose a 360° Camera or Service Provider
If you want to DIY, invest in a 360-degree camera like:
- Insta360 X3
- Ricoh Theta Z1
- GoPro Max
These cameras are designed to capture spherical photos of rooms. Alternatively, hire a local Matterport or real estate photographer who offers virtual tour packages.
Step 2: Capture Your Space
Stage your property just like you would for a professional photoshoot—clean, well-lit, and decluttered. Then, capture each room from multiple angles, making sure high-interest spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor areas are included.
Step 3: Upload to Virtual Tour Software
Once you’ve captured the photos, upload them to a platform like:
- Matterport – Industry standard, highly detailed
- Kuula – Great for affordability and custom branding
- CloudPano – Easy to use, good for quick setup
These platforms let you link rooms, add text notes, and customize the flow of your tour.
Step 4: Generate a Shareable Link
After your tour is complete, you’ll receive a unique URL that you can use in emails, messages, social media, and even on direct booking websites.
How to Add a Virtual Tour to Airbnb
Here’s the catch: Airbnb does not currently support embedding virtual tours directly on listing pages. However, there are several clever workarounds you can use to showcase your virtual tour effectively:
1. Add the Link to Your Listing Description
Include a short sentence in your Airbnb listing description like: “Take a 360° virtual tour of the space here: [Insert Kuula/Matterport link]”
This lets interested guests click through and explore. Note that Airbnb removes clickable links, so use a short, easy-to-type URL (e.g., bit.ly or custom domain).
You can use STRings: Airbnb Description Generator to generate compelling, relevant, and best Airbnb descriptions for your listing within seconds.
2. Send the Tour in Guest Messages
When responding to inquiries, include the tour link. For example: “Thanks for your message! You can take a full 360° virtual tour of the home here: [link]—let me know if you have any questions!”
3. Leverage Your Direct Booking Website
If you have your own website, embed the virtual tour directly on your property pages. This increases trust and can drive more direct bookings—especially when paired with dynamic pricing tools like PriceLabs to keep your rates optimized.
4. Promote on Social Media
Post short clips or screenshots from your virtual tour on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, and include the full tour link in your bio or captions.
Tips to Maximize the Impact of Your Airbnb 360 Virtual Tour
- Highlight Key Selling Points: Use virtual tour “tags” or notes to draw attention to luxury features like rainfall showers, fast Wi-Fi, or private balconies.
- Keep It Updated: If you renovate or redecorate, refresh your tour to reflect the new look.
- Use Great Lighting: Natural light makes a huge difference in the look and feel of the space.
- Combine With Professional Photos: Virtual tours don’t replace high-quality photos—they complement them.
- Pair With Dynamic Pricing: With a compelling tour and competitive pricing via PriceLabs, you’ll maximize both interest and conversions.
PriceLabs is a powerful Dynamic Pricing and Revenue Management platform tailored for short-term rental hosts on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
It analyzes local demand, competitor pricing, seasonality, day-of-week patterns, and special events—to automatically adjust your nightly rates.
Hosts can set custom rules for minimum stays, last-minute discounts, and occupancy-based pricing to better align with their business goals.
By continuously optimizing prices in real-time, PriceLabs helps hosts increase bookings during low-demand periods and maximize revenue during peak times, all while reducing the manual effort required to manage rates.
This makes it an essential tool for hosts aiming to scale their rental income efficiently and strategically.
Final Thoughts: Why Virtual Tour Airbnb Listings Win
In a market where trust and visibility are everything, Airbnb virtual tours are an underused but highly effective tool. Whether you manage one property or dozens, adding a virtual tour that Airbnb guests can explore sets you apart, increases bookings, and shortens decision cycles.
Even though Airbnb doesn’t yet support native virtual tour embedding, the available workarounds are easy to implement and highly effective when combined with smart pricing, strong reviews, and solid listing fundamentals.
Ready to stand out and increase your bookings? Start creating your Airbnb 360 virtual tour today—and let the space speak for itself.