Updated October 2026 – Andrea Sartore, photographer and videographer in Turin
Owners of luxury villas compete with five-star hotels, but have fewer tools to win the booking: no reception, no brochure, often no visit before booking. The listing's photos and video do almost all the work. In this guide I answer the questions owners, agencies and property managers ask before a photo shoot for a villa to be listed on Airbnb Luxe or on high-end rental portals.
I am Andrea Sartore, a professional photographer and videographer with more than 19 years of experience, based in Turin. I lead a team of photographers and videographers, including my wife Daniela, working all over Italy and abroad. Luxury hotels and resorts are the core of our work, and a rental villa is told with the same logic: showing in a few seconds what it is like to live in those spaces.
What does Airbnb Luxe ask of a villa, and why does it matter for the photos?
Airbnb publishes an official page with the Airbnb Luxe standards and requirements: premium materials and finishes, a fully equipped high-end kitchen, a main bedroom with private bathroom, well-defined living and dining areas, well-kept exteriors. That page sets no technical requirements for photos, but every requirement is in fact something guests want to see before booking. That is why I use the list as the basis of the shot list.
The same page explains that Luxe status is reviewed every quarter and that the home receives periodic inspections. The images must therefore match the reality of the villa: photos that promise more than guests find create problems, not bookings.
Which rooms are a must in the shot list?
The spaces to cover are those the Luxe standard considers essential: kitchen, main bedroom with bathroom, living area, dining area and exteriors. Each needs at least one overall shot and a few details that show the quality of the finishes.
- Kitchen: a full view showing appliances, worktops and preparation area; a detail of materials and finishes. The standard mentions high-end appliances, a full-size fridge, dishwasher, oven and hob: they must be recognisable.
- Main bedroom: the bed with headboard and matching bedside tables, then access to the private bathroom. Airbnb lists among the assessed elements white sheets and duvet, curtains or blackout blinds, a large rug and a seat.
- Main bedroom bathroom: the separate enclosed shower and the finishes.
- Living and dining areas: separate, readable spaces, with a number of seats consistent with the declared guests.
- Other bedrooms and bathrooms: one photo per room, because guests need to understand how the group will split up.
- Exteriors: seating, outdoor dining area, pool with loungers and umbrellas, grill, fire pit if any.
- The setting: the view, the garden, privacy. The standard asks for a prestigious neighbourhood and privacy for guests: it is a value to show.
How are the spaces prepared before the photo shoot?
The villa should be prepared as if for a guest's arrival, and even a little better. It is the same advice Airbnb gives for Luxe inspections: thorough cleaning, working amenities, tidy drawers and wardrobes.
In practice, before we arrive with the equipment it is best to:
- remove personal items, visible cables, cleaning products and unnecessary small appliances;
- make the beds with ironed linen, consistent across all bedrooms;
- have the pool clean, with loungers and cushions in place;
- check that all lights work, indoors and outdoors, including garden lights;
- decide which welcome details to show (set table, towels, bathroom products), without cluttering the spaces.
A site visit or a video call before the shoot helps set the order of rooms according to the light.
What time of day is best for shooting?
It depends on the villa's orientation, which is why the work plan is built around the light, not the list of rooms. Interiors look best in soft, even light; exteriors and the pool are at their best when the sun is not overhead.
For villas with a pool and well-designed outdoor lighting, a series of shots at sunset or dusk with the lights on shows an atmosphere you cannot see by day. Airbnb lists outdoor lighting among the assessed elements: the evening is the moment to show it.
Are video and drone footage needed too?
A short video helps a high-end listing a lot, because it shows the flow from one room to another better than any photo. A 60-90 second tour for the website and newsletter, plus a few vertical clips for social media, covers almost every need of an owner or property manager.
A drone is useful when the location is a strong point: a villa in the hills, on a lake or near the sea. In Italy drone filming follows the rules ofENAC and registration on the portal d-flight; in some areas extra checks or authorisations are needed, which must be verified before the shoot. For videos, both from the ground and by drone, see the page videographer in Turin.
What is the difference between photographing a villa and a luxury hotel?
In a hotel you tell the story of a service: reception, restaurant, spa, rooms that are all similar. In a villa you tell the story of an entire home to be enjoyed exclusively, so it matters to show the layout of the spaces and the relationship between inside and outside.
The quality required is the same, though. To see how we approach a shoot for a hospitality property, I have written a guide on how to prepare a luxury hotel photo shoot. More commercial work is on the page commercial photographer.
Do the same images work for Airbnb, portals and the villa's website?
Yes, if the shoot is designed from the start for several formats. Every platform has its own proportions and crops, so it is best to shoot with margin and plan both horizontal and vertical frames.
Before the shoot it helps to list where the images will go: Airbnb listing, other rental portals, the villa's or agency's website, social media, materials for agencies and tour operators. That list determines the number of photos, the vertical versions and the type of video.
How do I request a shoot for a villa?
A few details are enough: where the villa is, how many rooms it has, whether there is a pool and outdoor space, where you will use the images and whether you also need video or drone. With this information I prepare a tailored proposal.
Our team is available for the 2026–2027 season, in Piedmont and all over Italy. Write to us from the contact page for a quote.
FAQ
Does Airbnb Luxe impose technical requirements for photos?
The official Luxe standards page sets no technical requirements for photos: it lists the features the home must have. The photos serve to show those features accurately.
How many photos does a luxury villa need?
It depends on the number of rooms and outdoor spaces. The rule of thumb is at least one overall photo per room, plus details showing finishes, exteriors and view. The exact number is set after the site visit.
Should the shoot be done with the villa already furnished for the season?
Yes. Photos must show the villa as guests will find it: outdoor furniture in place, pool open, final linen. Shooting earlier means redoing the shoot later.
Can the drone be used anywhere?
No. In Italy ENAC rules and registration on d-flight apply, and some areas have restrictions. Checks are done before the shoot, based on the villa's location.
Do you also work outside Piedmont?
Yes. We are based in Turin, but we work all over Italy and abroad, on location: no studio, just the villa and its light.
In short
- The official Airbnb Luxe standards (kitchen, main bedroom with bathroom, living areas, exteriors) are the basis of the shot list.
- A villa prepared as for a guest's arrival and a work plan built around the light, with evening shots of the pool and lit exteriors.
- One shoot, designed for Airbnb, portals, website and social media, with video and drone when the location deserves it.
