ROUND UP: Short Term Rental & Airbnb Listing Hosting Must Haves
Believe it or not, we're rounding out our 6th consecutive year as Super Hosts! You can check out our current listings here.
We’ve learned a lot over the years and from time-to-time receive questions about our Hosting experience. Mostly, about “bad guests” (which we do have) but also about the products and amenities we offer our guests that continue to help us achieve our Super Host status.
✅ If you’re curious (or pressed for time), click here to jump to our complete list of the best short-term rental amenities for Hosts!
Or continue on for a description of each product and why we feel its a “must have” for successful Hosts.
More and more people are considering opening up their homes or properties, through short term vacation rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. It’s awesome to see this amazing community grow!
If you’re just starting out as a Host, we recommend you download our printable New Listing Inventory Checklist, Cleaning Checklist & Restocking Checklist to ensure you’ve prepared each space of your listing for success.
All 3-Checklists are also available as a bundle & ON SALE NOW.
If you’re just starting out or are looking to improve your short-term rental guest experience, the most important question to answer as a Host is,
“What do short-term rental guests want?”
Straight from our complete inventory list, we’ve extracted our, tried & true, MUST HAVE products and tips for successful short term rental hosting. You can also purchase from our Amazon Affiliate marketplace and review our full list of Airbnb Super Host Must Haves here.
1. Hygiene
The number one expectation of any short-term rental guests is a clean place to lay their head.
On a scale of 1 to 10, your guests expect a 15. “White glove” clean is the standard. This is BY FAR the most important step in getting high and consistent positive reviews.
Consider for a moment what you expect as a guest.
As a host staying at another Airbnb, I always check for a mattress pad and pillow covers. You would be SO surprise by how many Hosts don’t use them. Yuck!
This is STEP NUMBER 1 in showing guests that you take hygiene and cleanliness as a top priority, and it is such an easy upgrade!
Mattress Pad: Good Quality & Moderately Priced
Good Quality, Moderately Priced Mattress Pad
Hopefully, you’re providing guests with a great mattress and quality pillows, so be sure to protect your investment with a mattress pad and pillow covers.
Our suggestion: Look for a high quality mattress pad, under $45 which will ensure comfort and durability, but won’t break the bank when (it will happen!) you have to get a replacement.
Pillow Covers: Buy in Bulk
Pillow Covers in Bulk
I’m going to be real here… think about all the “things” pillows are exposed to during a regular, overnight reservation. Skin cells, makeup, sweat. Not to mention cold and flu season.
Gross, I know, but if you’re a Host, you should get to know all the nitty-gritty.
In addition to a quality pillow case (which is mainly decorative), purchase pillow covers in bulk so you can constantly wash and swap them during your turn over process and your pillows will remain fresh, not yellow and stained. Ewh.
Be sure your cleaning all of your spaces at a 5-star review level. Download our Cleaning Checklist perfect for professional cleaning crews to track progress and report issues.
Lint Roller
HAIR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND and is the quickest way to get a negative review.
2. No Hair
And while we’re on the topic of hygiene, you will quickly realize that HAIR (long, short, curly or straight) is ENEMY No.1
Do yourself a favor and stock up on sticky lint rollers!
HAIR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND and is the quickest way to get a negative review.
A lint roller is your new BFF! I keep one in my back pocket (literally) while I’m cleaning and changing linens.
I use it on all of our bed sheets, every.single.turnover. It’s so easy to overlook a single stand of hair, so use a lint roller on every surface and textile.
3. Security
Another important amenity that short-term rental guests want (and deserve) is Security. Of course, this particular necessity is different for every property, but in it’s simplest form:
Guests want to feel safe in your property and secure their belongings.
We recently visited a shared Airbnb property in Nashville that didn’t have a lock on the bedroom door! This is insane! - it was the worst night of sleep I’ve had in awhile.
When we asked the Host what we should do with our valuables, she said it was a safe neighborhood and we shouldn’t be worried.
HOSTS: DON’T BE NAIVE! Every neighborhood has crime and the last thing you want is a police report associated with your short-term rental property.
As a Host, there are a ton of high and low tech solutions for providing guests the security they deserve.
You can review the entire Security & Safety category of our New Rental Inventory Checklist available for digital download here.
The best way to communicate that security is important in your short-term rental, is to take it seriously!
4. Easy Check-In
The check-in procedure is your guest’s first glimpse into their reservation experience. So, it is CRITICAL to make this process easy and seamless.
Again, put yourself in your guest’s shoes. Maybe they are just arriving from a long flight or car ride. Maybe it’s very late at night and dark.
In our Super Host experience, we’ve found the simpler the checkin process, the better!
We set the reservation stage with a reliable, motion sensor light and the WordLock. The WordLock is a key-lock box, but instead of a number sequence, you chose a letter sequence.
The WordLock is great because it’s large enough to secure multiple keys and provides a fun guest experience before they’ve entered the property.
For instance, your beach rental code could be S-A-N-D or your mountain house code could be P-I-N-E.
Past guests have commented in our reviews that the word association is much easier to recall without having to reopen our check-in manual.
One easy step for a guest, is one step closer to a more favorable review!
5. Water
Whether you share your whole home or just an extra room, your Guests want and will need water during their stay. There are so many easy and creative ways to provide water.
In our rental, guests do not have access to our kitchen, so we have a few areas that guests can access filtered water, without having to ask us.
Swing Top Glass Water Carafe
In each guest room, we provide a glass carafe of filtered water, and at a separate coffee station, we have a water filter and dispenser that guests can use to refill their glass carafe or water bottle.
Water Filter and Dispenser
Whether you provide kitchen access or not, proving access to drinking water is a must! I love offering filtered water to guests and this sleek, 18 cup Brita filter doubles as a dispenser. It would look great on any counter or in-room setup.
I also like to provide guests with real glassware. We find that a stemless wine glass is perfect for water or for guests who treat themselves to a beverage during their visit with you.
6. Comfort
There is nothing more comforting than crawling into a bed that you know is clean! And in the world of Hosting, Guests want WHITE, STAIN-FREE sheets.
White sheets communicate to your Guest that you have nothing to hide and take cleaning seriously.
Your bedding may not be brand new, but that is what clean white sheets project to your guests. Dark sheets suggest otherwise.
For sheets, we suggest buying flat sheets in bulk.
We use flat sheets as our top and bottom sheets. After one busy summer wrestling fitted sheets, I threw them all away and simply sized up. Meaning, on our queen sized beds we use king flat sheets that tuck around a queen mattress as a bottom sheets.
Flat Sheets (Bulk)
Flat Sheets in Bulk
When we first started Hosting, one of the best decisions we made was to ditch the traditional, matching sheet set. We opted to buy flat sheets, in bulk. For our queen sized beds, we purchased king sized flat sheets which we use as a bottom sheet (laid sideways) and then a queen sized flat for the top sheet.
NO more struggling with elastic corners. Use king sized flat sheets as an alternative to queen sized fitted sheets
Another comfort we provide our guests, is the ease of removing makeup without the fear of ruining our white towels. Black makeup clothes are heaven sent!
These are the best wash clothes for makeup removal. Guests can be dummies, so the fact that these explain themselves with text:“Makeup” is genius.
Black Wash Cloth
Black Makeup Cloths
One of the biggest, nuisance expenses in our first year was from makeup stains, so in addition to providing our Guests with white bath towels, we encourage guests to use these black wash clothes for makeup removal as well as providing disposable facial wipes.
Black wash clothes and makeup wipes are our biggest cost savings!
7. Quiet
Again, put yourself in your Guests shoes. If this is their first stay at your property, every noise is new. And whether your Airbnb or VRBO property is in the suburbs or the city; noise will effect your listings reviews.
Of course, every guest is different. So we choose to give our guests the amenities to cater to their own comfort level.
Overall, Guests want the ability to control their own environment and when it comes to Noise, there are two products that we offer; one low tech and the other high tech:
Ear Plugs
Ear Plugs
Noise is an unavoidable part of a shared home experience.
We provide our guests with noise canceling earplugs in an attempt to keep the peace and though we can't guarantee a silent retreat, these are great at filtering out some distractions for a more restful night.
Another great option is a white noise machine which provides gentle sound that aids in guests falling and staying asleep.
Well rested guests are far more likely to leave higher reviews!
White Noise Machine
White Noise Machine
8. Curtains
The glow of sheer curtains looks beautiful in a listing photos, but the reality is that guests want privacy and a great night’s sleep.
The best way to achieve beautiful property listing photos AND give your guests a 5-star experience is by layering window dressings.
Cost effective option:
Start with a simple, sheer curtain and use a tension rod installed on the inside of the window casing, as close to the window glass.
More expensive option:
Use wood blinds instead of a sheer curtain. Wood blinds are similar to sheer curtains in that they let in light and are great for listing photos.
Then, install a curtain rod higher and wider than your window casing and use black out curtains which provide privacy and stop light from entering your space.
9. Luggage Rack
Giving your guests a place for their luggage seems so basic, which is why it is often overlooked.
We provide our guests with a folding luggage rack. Before we started providing one, we noticed guests would open their suitcase up on the bed which would often leave dirt and stains on our white linens. Not to mention, luggage can be covered with gems.
I mean, when was the last time you disinfected your suitcase?
The simple act of offering something, usually prompts a guest to think: They’ve given me this resource, so I should use it.
10. Coffee/Tea
And finally, but no less important to kicking off a great day, Airbnb guests want coffee! There's nothing better than waking up to freshly brewed cup of coffee.
Even if you're not prepared to serve meals, guests always appreciated getting their day started with a warm beverage.
We love all the Kuerig products, but this One-Cup Coffee / Tea Maker is our go to! Don't forget a great selection of K-cups, like this variety pack that includes coffee, tea and hot chocolate and nice big mugs to curl up on the couch with.
We also provide to-go cups which get used even more than our ceramic mugs.
11. Light Up Street Address Sign
This is a recent addition to all the properties we manage, but we absolutely love our lightup, solar powered street address sign. It’s such an easy upgrade but goes SO far with the guest check-in process.
There’s nothing worst than getting a late night call from a guest who can’t find your driveway or entrance, and this light up street address sign is the perfect solution.
The DIY setup is customizable, super quick and easy, and the solar light makes it perfect for any area of your property without having to run a permanent power line.
Solar Light Street Address Sign
The double sided view makes finding any location easier for guests and deliveries.
Download our 14-page Checklist Bundle here including guides for a New Inventory, Cleaning & Restocking your short-term rental.
Check out the whole Airbnb Host Must Have list here, and share your favorites below!
