But of course, no one is actually going to say this to you directly. And obviously, your photos aren’t unsettling to you. You know your space like the back of your hand. So your photos go unchanged, the same month after month, turning away guests and hindering your bookings.

Here’s your mistake: you took your photos at night.

For whatever reason—perhaps that’s just when you had time, or you were trying to avoid a glare from a certain angle—your photos were all taken after the sun had fully set. So the curtains are drawn or the windows are pitch black.

And as a potential guest swipes through your photos, they get this unnerving feeling of being trapped or unsafe. Which is, of course, the very last association you want prospective guests to make with your place. And yet, we’ve seen these types of pictures frequently enough to know that it’s an honest mistake. But one that definitely needs to get fixed. And quickly.