How do you list a campground on Hipcamp and Airbnb?

Airbnb supports tent sites, RV pads, and glamping setups under its Campsite property type.

What do you need in place before you list?

Before you touch either platform, pull your local zoning file. Both Hipcamp and Airbnb place compliance responsibility entirely on the host, so if your county restricts short-term campsite rentals, you need to know that before a guest books, not after.

For Hipcamp specifically, confirm you can meet the toilet rule. Hipcamp Support — Toilet Policy states that every listed site must have access to a toilet, whether you provide it or the camper brings one. If you offer glamping or structured accommodations, a contracted portable toilet or a rustic or advanced toilet is required; a basic camp toilet does not qualify.

Also count your acreage. Hipcamp Support — Sites Per Acre limits non-professional campgrounds to three sites per acre; a property of one acre or less may only have one site.

For Airbnb, confirm any RV you plan to list is stationary. Per Airbnb Community — RV Lot Listing Steps, the unit must be semi-permanently attached to a set location and parked in a privately owned space during the reservation. Mobile or driveable rentals are prohibited and can result in account suspension.

How do you create a Hipcamp listing, step by step?

1. Go to Hipcamp — Become a Host and click "List your land." Create a host account with your name and email.
2. Enter your property address. Hipcamp will show you a satellite view; confirm the pin is on your land.
3. Add your sites one at a time. Name each site, select the site type (tent, RV, glamping), and set your nightly rate.
4. Upload at least five photos per site. Cover the site itself, the hookups if you have them, the toilet facility, and the surrounding area.
5. Set your availability calendar and your minimum stay.
6. Read and accept the Host Standards, including the quiet hours rule: 10:00 pm to 8:00 am unless local rules differ, per Hipcamp — Host Standards.
7. Submit for review. Hipcamp typically reviews new listings within a few business days.

Once live, you can add Extras, things like firewood, farm tours, or gear rentals. Hipcamp — Become a Host notes that hosts keep 85% of Extras earnings, with the same 15% commission applying to the rest.

How do you create an Airbnb campsite listing, step by step?

1. Log into Airbnb and click "Airbnb your home."
2. When prompted for property type, select "Outdoor space" and then "Campsite," per Airbnb Community — Adding a Camping Site. For RV pads, choose "Campsite" then "RV or trailer site" (the exact menu path varies by region).
3. Enter your address and confirm the map pin.
4. Describe each site: number of guests it holds, hookup types available, and any shared facilities.
5. Set house rules, check-in instructions, and your cancellation policy.
6. Price each site and set your availability.
7. Publish. Airbnb will surface your listing in its Camping and Unique Stays category filters, which are browsed by millions of travelers.

List each site as a separate Airbnb listing if you want guests to book individual sites rather than the whole property.

Pre-launch checklist

• Zoning confirmed for short-term campsite rentals on your parcel
• Toilet access confirmed for every site (contracted portable, rustic, or advanced toilet for glamping)
• Site count at or below three per acre, or one site if your property is one acre or less
• Quiet hours policy posted at the property (10:00 pm to 8:00 am)
• Any stationary RV confirmed as non-driveable and parked in a privately owned space
• Photos taken: site, hookups, toilet, surroundings, five or more per site
• Nightly rate set and availability calendar filled in
• Extras list built for Hipcamp (firewood, tours, rentals)
• Local permit or registration number ready if your jurisdiction requires it

Hypothetical example

Hypothetical example: You run a ten-acre campground with eight RV sites and four tent sites. Under Hipcamp's sites-per-acre rule, ten acres allows up to thirty sites, so all twelve of yours qualify. You list the eight RV sites on Hipcamp and also create eight separate Airbnb listings, one per pad, selecting "RV or trailer site" for each. The same booking through Airbnb would carry Airbnb's host service fee, which varies and is shown in your payout breakdown before you publish.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

The biggest mistake is listing before checking zoning. Some counties have added short-term rental ordinances that cover campgrounds, not just houses. A complaint from a neighbor can trigger a cease-and-desist faster than either platform will respond.

The second mistake is misreading the Airbnb RV rule. If you own a travel trailer that a guest could theoretically drive away, it does not qualify. The unit must be stationary and in a privately owned space for the duration of the stay, per Airbnb Community — RV Lot Listing Steps.

On Hipcamp, hosts sometimes undercount their acreage and list more sites than the policy allows. Hipcamp can remove excess sites after review.

Pricing the same site identically on both platforms sounds safe, but each platform's fee structure affects what the guest pays and what you net. Run the math on both before you set your rate.

What should you measure once you are live?

Track these numbers weekly in a simple spreadsheet:

• Occupancy rate per site: nights booked divided by nights available. Pull this from each platform's dashboard.
• Revenue per site per month: total payout received, not the listed price. This accounts for the commission already taken.
• Booking lead time: how many days in advance guests are booking. A short lead time means you can adjust pricing closer to the date.
• Extras revenue on Hipcamp: shown separately in your payout summary. Compare it to your site revenue to see whether add-ons are worth expanding.

Collect these from each platform's host dashboard at the end of every month. After three months you will have enough data to know which platform drives more bookings for your site types and whether your pricing needs adjusting.

What should you do next?

1. Pull your local zoning file or call your county planning office this week.
2. Walk your property and confirm toilet access and site count against Hipcamp's rules.
3. Photograph every site: five or more photos each, in good light.
4. Create your Hipcamp host account at Hipcamp — Become a Host and submit your first site.
5. Create your Airbnb listing using the Campsite property type, one listing per site.
6. Set your calendar, pricing, and quiet hours policy on both platforms.
7. After your first three bookings on each platform, compare net payout per night and adjust your rates accordingly.