How to List Your Property on Bookably
Listing your place on Bookably is now conversational. The Host Assistant walks you through the whole thing — you upload a few photos, tell it about your property in plain English, and it drafts your listing content for you. There’s no long form to fill out section by section.
Because Bookably charges 0% booking commission to hosts and no service fees to guests, the price travellers see is the price you set – you stay competitive and keep more of every booking.
What you’ll need before you start
- 5 or more photos of your property (10+ recommended, up to 30). Mix of exterior, living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor space.
- The property address – exact, for backend records.
- Basic facts – bedrooms, bathrooms, beds, guest capacity.
- An idea of your nightly rate – you can refine this with the Pricing Assistant in chat.
- A bank account in your name – required for Stripe Connect payouts before you can publish.
Step 1: Open the Host Assistant
- Click “List Your Property” in the main menu, or any “List Your Property” button on the site.
- The Host Assistant opens – a chat interface where you’ll create your listing.
Step 2: Sign in or create an account
You’ll need a Bookably account to continue.
- Existing host? Sign in with your email.
- New? Register with email + password, or use Google / Facebook sign-in.
Step 3: Set up your host profile and payouts (first listing only)
If this is your first listing, the Assistant walks you through two short setups:
- Host profile – your name, contact details, a short bio. The Assistant can draft the bio for you if you’d rather not write it.
- Stripe Connect – Bookably uses Stripe to pay your earnings directly to your bank. The setup is embedded into the chat: add your bank details, complete identity verification, and you’re done. One-time only.
Future listings skip both of these and go straight to step 4.
Step 4: Tell the Assistant about your property
This is the conversational part. The Assistant asks for:
- A short pitch – a sentence or two about what makes your place special. “Modern eco stay above Sumner with hot tub and views” is plenty.
- Where it is – address (start typing, choose from suggestions).
- Basic facts – bedrooms, bathrooms, max guests, beds.
- Photos – upload between 5 and 30. The Assistant analyses them and suggests which one to set as your hero shot.
From this, the Assistant drafts your listing title, descriptions of each room, nearby attractions, suggested tags and the listing category. You don’t write any of this from scratch.
Step 5: Review and refine each section
The Assistant presents the listing in sections. Walk through each one, accept what’s good, edit what isn’t:
- The basics – title, sleeps, beds, bedrooms, bathrooms, hero photo.
- Location – confirmed address plus a “nearby” description (cafés, beaches, landmarks).
- The story – your main description, vibe tags, optional video.
- The facts – pets, check-in/out times, parking, EV charging, internet, mobile coverage.
- Rooms & spaces – drafts for kitchen, outdoor areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, entertainment, luxury amenities.
- Rules & safety – house rules, safety features, accessibility, check-in instructions.
- Pricing – base nightly rate, extras (cleaning fees etc.), security deposit, discounts. The Pricing Assistant in chat can quote-test specific stays.
- Booking settings – minimum/maximum guests, stay length, lead time, instant vs. manual approval.
- Calendar sync – paste iCal URLs from Airbnb / Booking.com / VRBO / Lodgify to keep dates in sync.
- Tax & compliance – GST registration status, IRD number (if applicable).
You can jump between sections, ask the Assistant to redraft something differently (“make the kitchen description more casual”), or skip optional fields entirely.
Step 6: Preview & publish
When every section shows a green tick, hit Preview & publish. You’ll see your listing as guests will see it.
If you’re happy, choose a host package and confirm. If you have an unused listing slot from a previous package purchase, the Assistant offers it directly – no need to buy again.
Step 7: Submitted for review, then live
Your listing now sits in the Bookably review queue. The team checks:
- Accurate and complete details
- Clear, real photos of the property
- Compliance with Bookably’s policies
Most listings are reviewed within 24–48 hours. Once approved, you receive a notification and your property goes live in search results.
After your listing is live
You can edit any part of your listing at any time. Two paths, both kept in sync:
- Host Assistant – say “edit my listing” or pick the listing tile, then walk through any section again.
- Host Dashboard – the classic vendor admin still works for direct field edits.
Common things hosts add after launch: more photos, a video walkthrough, long-stay discounts, custom pricing periods, a tighter cancellation policy.
Need Help?
You can ask the Host Assistant anything mid-flow – it’s there for guidance, not just data entry. For anything else, contact Bookably Support.
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