Setting Up Your Airbnb: A Comprehensive Guide to Dining Areas & Bedrooms
Creating a comfortable and functional environment in your Airbnb is essential for ensuring guest satisfaction. Whether it’s a well-chosen dining setup or thoughtfully arranged bedrooms, attention to detail can make all the difference. This guide will help you set up your Airbnb’s dining areas and bedrooms to maximize comfort, style, and practicality.
Dining Area Essentials
Dining Table and Chairs
Carefully select a dining table that fits with the theme of your property—whether it’s a rustic country cottage or a whitewashed beach retreat. If space is limited, consider an expanding table that can fold away when not in use.
Ensure your property has enough seats for all guests to sit down and eat dinner together. Having a couple of different areas to sit down and eat is acceptable, as long as there’s enough seating for everyone.
High Chair
To be family-friendly, a high chair is a must-have. A folding high chair that can be stored away when not in use is a practical option.
Bedroom Essentials
Single Beds
Where space is tight, consider bunk beds to provide room for an extra person. Trundle beds are also a good option for kids’ rooms.
Queen Beds
Never opt for a double bed unless space constraints absolutely require it. Queen beds offer an acceptable level of comfort for both sleepers. Avoid cheap metal-framed beds or budget furniture—invest in quality, such as timber beds. If you must use a double bed, ensure it does not have a bed end at the foot. This allows taller guests to hang their feet off the end of the bed, preventing discomfort.If you have room for a King bed, this is even better!
Bunk Beds
Bunk beds are a great way to increase the capacity of your Airbnb, especially if you cater to families with children. Kids love bunk beds, and adults will tolerate them if they are full-sized king singles or doubles (tri-bunks). Again, avoid cheap metal bunk beds, which can give your property a budget look. Ensure bunk beds have secure ladders and periodically check the bolts, as they may require tightening at least once a year.
Mattresses
Getting the mattress right is crucial. Since guest preferences vary, aim to buy mattresses of reasonable quality and medium firmness.
Pillows
Provide two pillows for each single bed and four for queen beds. Avoid very cheap pillows and opt for medium height. Keep extra pillows available. If you have personal pillows you don’t want guests to use, lock them away with your personal items, as guests will find and use them if left out.
Bedside Tables
Each bed should have two bedside tables. Guests need the convenience of a place to lay a book or a pair of glasses at night. Closed bedside tables with drawers are preferable, as they prevent dusty shelves and reduce the cleaning required. Always ensure bedside tables are higher than the top of the mattress for guest comfort.
An owner shares:
“We kept finding alarm clock radios unplugged and hidden in drawers. It was obvious that they were unpopular with guests. We decided to swap them for universal chargers for smartphones, which proved infinitely more popular.”
Bedside Lamps
Provide bedside lamps if space allows. Guests often enjoy reading in bed or relaxing in the bedroom, and lamps offer a softer alternative to glaring ceiling lights. Bedside lamps also give a bedroom a balanced, finished look.
Wardrobes
Always provide space for guests to hang their clothes and drawers to store other items. For guests staying a week or longer, ensure the wardrobe has sufficient capacity to store a week’s worth of clothes for each person in the room. If space is limited, a small rack may be acceptable. All hanging space should include at least twelve coat hangers. Remove personal belongings from wardrobes to provide ample space for your guests.
Chair
Where possible, provide a chair in the bedroom to make it easier for guests to put on shoes or to offer another seat for relaxing. Many beds are too high to comfortably put on shoes.
TV
A TV in the bedroom, preferably with Netflix, can be useful in larger properties where guests may want some privacy or separation from others.
Powerboards
If you don’t have power points next to each bedside cabinet, be sure to supply power boards so guests can charge their phones and other gadgets. Installing extra power points can make things more convenient for guests and reduce the clutter of unattractive power cables.
Blankets/Throws
If your Airbnb is in an area that gets cold, extra blankets or throws are recommended for the winter months.
Fans
In hot areas, and especially if there is no air conditioning in the bedrooms, a fan in each bedroom is essential. Ceiling fans or wall-mounted fans are ideal for saving floor space. If your budget permits, opt for ceiling fans with remote controls for extra guest convenience. Be sure to have spare batteries for the remote control easily accessible. Fans can get dusty quickly, so ensure your cleaners check and clean them at least once a month.
Heaters
In cold climates, a small heater in each bedroom, such as a fin oil column heater, is a good idea. If space is limited, consider a combined heater/fan, like a Dyson. If you choose to install gas heaters, make sure to also install a carbon monoxide detector.
Portacot
To be family-friendly, you must have a portacot (also known as a travel crib). Portacots can fold up to fit in a wardrobe or slide under most beds, so they don’t take up much room.
Final Thoughts
By carefully selecting the right furniture and amenities for your Airbnb’s dining and bedroom areas, you can create a comfortable and inviting environment that appeals to a wide range of guests. This attention to detail not only enhances guest satisfaction but also helps ensure positive reviews and repeat bookings, making your property a top choice in the competitive Airbnb market.
