Airbnb Essentials: How To Make Your Airbnb Stand Out

Ensuring your Airbnb has all the essentials and some extras will make your property more appealing to potential guests. If you have all the latest items in your kitchen and bathroom plus some quirky extras to make their stay extra special, they are more likely to book with you than a competitor. 

You could also potentially charge more if your property is of higher quality and fitted out to the top level. Therefore, here are some Airbnb essentials you should get to kit out your property.

The Airbnb Essentials Basics

When guests are renting your home, you need to ensure they have the basics to have the best stay possible. Here are some of the basic Airbnb essentials that you need to remember:

·  Towels: It’s a basic essential to have towels in your property for guests to be able to use during their stay.

·  Sheets: Another must is bedsheets in each of the bedrooms in your property. Spare sheets are also a bonus.

·  Pillows: You also need pillows in each of the rooms with at least one on each side. Make sure these are covered with a pillowcase.

·  Kitchen roll: Another essential is kitchen roll. Leave at least one for each guest to get them started.

·  Wi-Fi: You also need to add Wi-Fi to your property which is a necessity these days, especially for business trips.

·  Heating: Make sure the heating is working effectively and for any additional heating sources, for example, a log burner, make sure they have some available to use.

·  Ironing board: This along with an iron is essential for guests to use during their trip.

Add some homely touches

One of the best things you can do to ensure Airbnb guests have the best, most comfortable time is to add some homely touches. After all, you want them to have a home away from home when they are staying at your property or room. Here are some cosy features you can add:

·  Throws on the bed: These will make the bedroom really cosy for guests to settle down for the night.

·  Cushions: Add these to the lounge and the bed to make guests feel comfortable and at home.

·  Art: This is a great way for them to feel at home and you could theme it to the stay such as seaside inspired art and photos of the local area. Inspirational quotes would be good for business trips.

·  Flowers: A bright bunch of flowers will ensure they feel right at home and can brighten up the rooms.

·  Games: Games for the kids can also help the younger guests to feel right at home.

Kitchen essentials for your Airbnb

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms to get ready in your rental property. After all, they will need plenty of essentials to ensure they can cook up a meal after their daily adventures. You will need to kit out your kitchen with the following Airbnb essentials:

• A good fridge freezer: You will need plenty of room for guests to store all the fresh and frozen items.
• A working microwave: At a minimum, you need to stock up on a working microwave.
• A kettle: It’s essential to put a kettle in the accommodation.
• Pots and pans: These are vital to cook up your meals. A set of saucepans needs to be kept in the kitchen.
• Plates and cutlery: They need plates to serve up and eat from and a set of forks, knives and spoons.
• Dishwasher/washing up items: From sponges to scourers, ensure they have everything they need to wash those dishes. If you have a dishwasher, ensure there are a few tablets available to use.
• A working oven: Ensure you leave instructions so they can start cooking when necessary. Failing that a microwave oven is a must for your property.
• Coffee, tea bags, sugar: A hot drink when they first arrive is essential. Leave a couple of tea bags, coffee and sugar sachets for them when they arrive.

Add some extra kitchen touches

When you have stocked up the kitchen with essentials, it’s worth finding some items which will help you go the extra mile.  Here are a few items which will enable them to have an extra special trip:

·  Coffee machine: You will find that a lot of Airbnb homes now mention a coffee machine on their description. Invest in a ‘pod’ machine or opt for an expresso machine that uses ground coffee.

·  Smoothie maker: There’s nothing like fresh orange juice when you are on your holiday or heading to work.

·   Tupperware:  Add some Tupperware to ensure they can take food on the go when staying at your place. This is a great idea for families or professionals who are on a business trip.

Bathroom essentials for your Airbnb

You want to ensure you stock up your bathroom with all the essentials your guests need to stay comfortable and clean during their stay. Here are a few items you will need to add to the bathroom: 

• Shampoo, conditioner, body wash: It’s a good idea to add some bathroom toiletries to your accommodation. It could just be mini bottles, but having some is convenient to get them started during their stay.
• Hand soap: Add hand soap to every bathroom in the house. It’s more important than ever to stay hygienic and you should put a fresh bottle in the property.
• Toilet paper: It’s a must to include toilet paper in every bathroom and ensure there is a toilet brush as well. That way, they can clean up any messes and it’s important to keep the toilets clean.
• Hairdryer: A lot of Airbnb's have at least one hairdryer for guests to use during their stay. It’s great for guests as they don’t have to carry their own hairdryer from home.
• Floor and bath mat: You also need to put a bath mat in the bathroom, especially if families will be staying. You need one in the bath and one for when they enter and get out for safety reasons. A floor mat outside the shower is also vital for safety reasons.
• Towels: You need to include at least one hand towel and bath towel for each guest. If you are allowing up to six to stay in the property, ensure there is at least enough for all.

Outdoor essentials for your Airbnb

If you have a good outdoor area in your Airbnb, this will be an attractive feature for guests. After all, if they are away during the summer months, they will want to spend a lot of time outside. For guests to be able to enjoy the outside area, here are a few essentials you need for your Airbnb:

• Outdoor furniture: From a table and chairs to benches, you want to ensure there is plenty of seating for them to relax and eat alfresco. Ensure you allocate enough seating for the number of people that will be able to stay in your property.
• A BBQ: A lot of guests will love it if there is a BBQ available to use in your property. Leave some charcoal and BBQ tools for them to be able to use it during their trip.
• Plants and flowers: Ensure the garden area is beautifully presented by adding some gorgeous flowers and plants to the area. The more colourful the better to brighten up the outdoor area.
• Outdoor heating: From a chiminea to a fire pit, these are great items to ensure the outdoor area is used even during the colder months.

Extra special outdoor activities

Make your outdoor area extra special with a few additional activities that the guests will love. These will be an added draw to the property when potential guests are scouring for somewhere to stay. Here are a few extra special activities:

• Pizza oven: Pizza ovens are so popular now for outside areas, so it’s worth adding one of these to your garden. They will enjoy pizza parties while staying at your accommodation.
• Kids play area: If you are hoping to appeal to families, why not add some play equipment to the outdoor area. A swing or a slide is a great way to entice kids and parents will love you have thought of the children.
• Jacuzzi: Adding a hot tub to your property will enable you to charge more for the property. Guests will love a hot tub and it will make their trip extra special. Therefore, if you want to attract more guests, this would make a great addition to the property.

Accessibility essentials for your Airbnb

It’s worth thinking about disabled guests and what accessible additions you might want to offer if they are staying at your property. If you are going to make it accessible to the disabled, here are a few things you need to consider offering:

·  A ramp entrance: this is essential to enable them to enter and exit the property safely. You should add this to both the front and back of your home.

·  Bathroom features: From shower railings to accessible toilets, you need to ensure they can conveniently use the bathroom. If you can, offer a wet-room type of bathroom.

·  Grab rails: You should install rails around the property so they can easily get around the accommodation.

·  Adjustable beds: Ensure they can get into the bed easily with an adjustable bed. This can be moved to ensure it’s at the right height for the guest.

FAQs about Airbnb Essentials

Here are some tips on ensuring you are ready for those guests to come and stay:

Now I know the Airbnb essentials, where should I get them from?

You should look at shops which offer discount rates if you are buying in bulk. From discount warehouses to clearance shops, you will find some good rates on the items you will need to buy for the property. Whatever you buy, make sure that they have a good guarantee on the items. After all, if an accident occurs, you want to fix it quickly so that guests aren’t left without essential items.

It’s worth looking online too to find the best deals on items. Remember not to always go for the cheapest item; better quality will ensure you don’t have to keep replacing the items.

How do I wow our guests?

A thoughtful welcome pack is a great way to wow your guests. From some food and drink to start their trip to some relaxing products, these will also go down a treat. Remember to personalise depending on your guests too. For instance, if you know it’s a family coming, leaving some books and games will get you a five-star review after. Also making sure it’s clean and tidy will help you to wow your guests.

What is best to leave for the guests?

Some food and drink is always good to get them started. From a bottle of milk to some bread, they will be thankful for these items. Also, cleaning products such as washing up liquid, bleach and washing tables should be left for the guests.

Additionally, ensure you leave all the instructions, some leaflets on local attractions and names and numbers for local taxi firms, restaurants and the nearest hospital is a must.

What can I do to acquire Airbnb Plus listing status?

To become an Airbnb Plus listing, you need to rack up those brilliant reviews from guests. You want to ensure you get good feedback, take on bookings successfully and also not cancel any bookings at the last minute. It’s also important you have met Airbnb standards. You can then apply to try and get accepted onto Airbnb Plus.