What are Airbnb essentials, and what amenities do hosts always forget?

There is no definitive answer to this question, as everyone’s needs will be different when staying at an Airbnb. However, some items are generally considered to be essential for a comfortable and enjoyable stay, such as toiletries, bedding, and kitchen supplies. Additionally, it is always a good idea to communicate with your guests ahead of time to find out what their specific needs and expectations are. By doing this, you can ensure that your Airbnb is fully stocked with everything they might need during their stay. This also gives you a great opportunity to “wow” your guests which will lead to more 5-star reviews.

Before we jump into a giant list of amenities for your short-term rental we need to define what they are and what Airbnb’s baseline expectation is for you as Airbnb hosts.

If you provide special amenities for guests make sure to talk about it in your listing description. When you have a well-stocked chef’s kitchen that is a stand-out feature. The same goes for design-led furniture, luxury items, and special gifts. Potential guests will definitely gravitate toward your listing if you

What does Airbnb consider essential amenities or basic amenities?

Airbnb considers the following amenities to be essential:

• Toilet paper
• Soap (for hands and body)
• One towel per guest
• One pillow per guest
• Linens for each guest bed

All of these items help to ensure that guests have a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Toilet paper and soap are essential for basic hygiene, while towels and linens help to add a sense of luxury. Pillows are important for a good night’s sleep, and linens help to keep guests warm and cozy. By providing these essential amenities, Airbnb ensures that guests have everything they need for a pleasant stay.

You should consider these supplies to be the bare minimum and just a starting point for hosting Airbnb guests.

Bedroom amenities for your vacation rental

Guests need to sleep when they’re traveling. If you can help your guests achieve that easier they will reward you for it during the rest of their visit and after check-out when they leave a glowing review. The bedroom amenities are for sure a super host’s not-so-secret weapon!

• High-quality mattress
• Luxury bedding
• alarm clocks
• full-length mirror
• luggage rack

Essentials for Airbnb business travelers

People traveling for work often have to juggle a lot of different balls while they’re on the road. In addition to attending meetings and giving presentations, these days over Zoom as well, they often have to keep up with email, make phone calls, and stay on top of their work back at the office. That’s why it’s so important as an Airbnb host to set up your home to cater also to business travelers. The desk in the room should be spacious and well-lit, and the WiFi should be fast and reliable.

• Laptop friendly work space
• Super fast wifi
• Iron and ironing board
• Charging cables

Essentials for leisure travelers

This is where you want to ask yourself why people are traveling to your vacation rental. If you’re at a beach destination, as one of my vacation rentals is, you should consider adding different items than if you’re in a big city. For the beach consider beach towels, an umbrella, chairs, a cooler, sun screen. For a city: how about curated restaurant recommendations, tourist tips, metro cards, a rain umbrella, etc?

Airbnb bathroom essentials

Your guests will appreciate it if you have some basics in the bathroom, like toilet paper, shampoo, and soap. You may also want to consider providing other items like bathrobes, slippers, and towels. If you have a hair dryer, that’s also a nice touch. Don’t forget the un-fun things like a plunger and toilet scrubber. Bathrooms are totally under-appreciated as places to ‘wow’ your Airbnb guests.

• Toilet paper
• body wash
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Hand soap
• High-quality towels
• Basic toiletries are a nice touch.

Kitchen Supplies checklist

A well-stocked kitchen with staples that allow your guests to cook during their visit will go a long way in making their visit great. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked into a vacation rental only to find everything empty in the kitchen including salt and oil. It’s so frustrating! Don’t do that to your guests. Provide coffee and tea to your guests, and add sharp knives and clean pans.

Coffee maker

Coffee pods

What Safety Amenities should you provide guests

When you have guests staying in your home, it’s important to make sure that they feel safe and comfortable. There are a few basic safety amenities that every guest room should have, including a smoke detector, and locks on the doors.

You should also provide information about where to find the main water shut-off valve in case of a plumbing emergency. If you have a gas stove, it’s a good idea to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home as well. You should also definitely have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and if you have a fireplace you should have fire prevention tools nearby as well.

• Smoke detector
• Carbon monoxide detector
• Fire extinguisher
• Privacy locks on bedroom and bathroom doors

Safety information for the front of your fridge

All of your labels and information don’t have to be boring or seem like you’re screaming at someone. However, you should have some information printed and visible to guests. Those are police and emergency services, hospital locations, emergency plumber, animal emergency hospitals (if you’re a pet-friendly host).

• Emergency phone numbers
• Water shut-off location in case of a burst pipe
• Emergency vet hospital
• Fire extinguisher location
• First aid kit

Cleaning Supplies

Make it easy for guests to pick up after themselves! When I travel I’m always amazed when I can’t find a broom or all-purpose cleaner. Your cleaning company will thank you if you help guests make their jobs easier. Plus guests with long-term reservations will want to clean up after themselves so you may as well provide tools so everyone can no matter the length of their reservation.

• Vacuum
• Broom
• Trash bags
• All-purpose cleaner
• Cleaning towels

General vacation rental amenities

• Smart tv
• Smart lock
• Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO
• Free wifi goes without saying right??
• A spare alarm clock
• Self check-in locks
• Free parking (guests HATE paying for parking).

The ‘Wow’ factor: What everyone always forgets

Most guests will be blown away by you having just one additional gift for them or special touch. If you provide extra amenities that guests aren’t expecting they will be thrilled with you as an Airbnb host and your guest’s experience will improve across their entire visit. However, as Airbnb hosts, we get bogged down by the must-do items and forget to really improve the guest experience. You don’t need to over-complicate it but pick at least two items from the list below and add them to your host checklist.

• Fresh flowers
• We leave local chocolate and toffee
• Local coffee beans
• Free breakfast
• Cream for coffee
• Bottle of wine (we leave sparkling wine for people coming to the Outer Banks).
• Handwritten note
• Cheese
• Pastries
• Gifts for traveling dogs
• Service animal gifts

In conclusion

By being proactive and preparing your vacation rental with the necessary items on this checklist you will elevate your guests’ experience to a whole new level. Your goal should be to make their stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible so they want to come back again and again. If you succeed you will hear about it in their reviews and in time you’ll achieve Super host status which will improve your booking percentages, increase your nightly rate, and most importantly guests will trust you quicker. Beyond essentials you also want to check out Airbnb’s other hosting requirements.

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