When someone’s shopping for a short term rental, 9 times out of 10, they’re just looking for a place to sleep. Putting a lot of thought into the design and appointments within your bedrooms shows that you understand what your customers need and want. We’ve put together a handy bedrooms checklist that you can download to use as a guide as you’re outfitting or reviewing the effectiveness of the bedrooms in your rental unit(s).
Beds = Dollars
This is obvious, but the number of beds is directly related to income. Without sacrificing comfort and style, provide as many comfortable beds as you can. You can offer a pull out couch in the living room or a folding rollaway mattress to increase the maximum number of guests. Just be clear in the listing the details of each bed. If you have room, provide two full beds in the second bedroom. Put the largest mattress that will fit in the master bedroom.
Protect your mattresses
Once you’ve invested in a good mattress that earn those great reviews, you’ll definitely want to protect it from mishaps from coffee spills to leaky bladders. Additionally, small investments in fully encasing covers can help protect against bed bugs and spills. But be careful to avoid the plasticky, rubbery kind that sleep hot, make a crinkly noise when your guests roll over, and just feel cheap in general.
Accessorizing the Bedrooms
Keep the bedrooms clean and neat, with minimal personal belongings. Provide lots of storage for belongings. If you don’t have closet, invest in an antique wardrobe with hanging space. If you are on a budget, you can get away with rolling rack, styled in a cute way. Be sure to have plenty of hangers, and it feels nice to have matching hangers. Provide dressers with empty drawers in each bedroom.
A folding luggage rack is nice way to bring a touch of the hospitality industry to your short term rental, allowing guests to get their luggage off the floor and a place to put shoes.
A bedside table with a decent reading lamp is very important. Many lamps now come with a plug for a phone charger, which is a nice feature that saves space and clutter, but if you don’t opt for that be sure and provide an easily accessible power strip.
Investing in black out curtains can bolster reviews. Being able to sleep in on a long weekend is a luxury, and light peaking through blinds or curtains can be disruptive to a laying in.
A full length mirror is a must for the master bedroom and nice touch in the other bedrooms. The master bedroom should include a chair and lamp for reading, if there is sufficient room.
Invest in the Best Linens
Invest in the best linens you can afford, preferably white ones. The higher rate you charge the better the linens you’ll want to provide. On one level, you are competing with a hotel, and hotels generally feature great white linens. Also, because a duvet cover can be cleaned between guests, we recommend using them. Cleanliness is paramount to great recommendations. With a naked quilt or comforter, guests will feel they are sharing the bed with your last guest, don’t do it. Opt for a cover.
