There are many ways to deliver a great guest experience as an Airbnb host, but some are easier than others.
Sometimes, having the right item in your Airbnb listing can make all the difference.
Besides the obvious items to stock, here is a list of other items that hosts tend to forget. And guests won’t notice if you have them, until they need them. And they’ll appreciate it.
Do you have these other Airbnb essentials for your listing?
Airbnb Essentials: Safety First
Many of the other essential items are essential for a great guest experience but these first few items are MUST for guest safety. If you do not have ALL of these items in your listing, you’re putting your guests and your Airbnb operation at risk.
[su_box title=”Must Have Safety Items for Your Listing”]Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors (Get both or combo alarm)
Simple Carbon Monoxide Detector
Combination Smoke Carbon Monoxide Detector
Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Fire Extinguisher (At least 1)
First Alert Standard Fire Extinguisher
First Aid Kit
Non Slip Bathtub Mat to Prevent Falls
Fire Escape (if applicable)
Kidde 3 Story Fire Escape
Airbnb Essentials: Amazon TV Stick or Roku
There is NO excuse if you’re subjecting your guests to watching the local news channels during their stay with you. If weather or plan changes force a guest to spend some extra time in your listing, give them the option to relax and catch up on your Netflix or Amazon Prime shows.
As of October 2017, it is estimated that there are close to 100M Netflix subscribers and over 80M Amazon Prime members. Do you really want to potentially annoy and leave a bad taste with your guests when this could be EASILY addressed?
For as little as $20 during Black Friday, grab at LEAST one of these for your unit. For larger listings with multiple TV’s, you may want to have one for each TV.
[su_box title=”Get Latest Roku or Amazon TV Stick”]
For non 4K TVs:
New Amazon TV Stick w/ Alexa Voice Remote
For 4K TVs:
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Airbnb Essentials: A Working HDTV
Unless part of your listing’s appeal is an escape from the modern world, all guests expect there to be a TV from this century in your listing. But you don’t need to have anything fancy. You just need one that works and can access Netflix.
Here are highly rated and highly affordable TVs for your Airbnb listing (these range from as low as $148 up to $500 for 4K model).
[su_box title=”Smart TV Buys”]For Bedrooms/Small Studios:
Toshiba 32″ Smart LED TV – with Fire TV
Sceptre Ultra Slim 32″ inch HDTV
TCL 32″ 1080P Smart LED TV with Roku
For LivingRooms:
2018 TCL 40S305 40″ Roku Smart LED TV
TCL 55″ 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV
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Airbnb Essentials: The Right WIFI Router
It’s safe to assume your guests will be using your WIFI access. But what’s the point of having high speed internet if your router is a bottleneck? As demand for bandwidth continues to rise due to higher consumption of video content and the use of multiple devices, you’ll need the right router for to meet these demands.
If you’re not on an 802.11AC rated router, you need an upgrade. But it’s not just enough that you get an AC router, you need to get one that is well suited for the size of your listing.
Here are the best buys for WIFI routers that’ll keep your guests and your wallet happy:
[su_box title=”AC WIFI Routers”]For Studios and 1 Bedroom Listings ($)
Tenda AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Router
For 2-3 Bedroom Listings ($$)
For 4 Bedroom or Larger Listings ($$$)
Linksys WRT AC3200 Smart Wirelsss Router
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Airbnb Essentials: Coffee
Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, chances are excellent that many of your guests will be. A good cup of coffee can go a long way to starting the days off right for a travel weary guest.
And you don’t need fancy $1000 expresso machines to do that. Some choice roasted beans you can order in bulk along with some tried and true coffee tools will satisfy most your guests.
Have one simple coffee maker along with a french press but get WHOLE beans and a grinder. Why? Those who really want coffee will appreciate the quality items and those who don’t really want it won’t go through the trouble of making coffee. Plus, having whole roasted coffee beans (with an airtight container for storing) and a french press is something you could add to your listing description as an added bonus to appeal to those coffee snobs.
Here are the top recommended coffee essentials for your Airbnb listing:
[su_box title=”Coffee Essentials”]Simple Coffee Maker (Get 1)
Add a French Press (Get 1)
Coffee Maker French Press SterlingPro
French Press Coffee Maker 304 Stainless Steel
Secura Stainless Steel French Press
Other Items
Krups Coffee and Spice Grinder
Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans (Guest Favorite!)
Airtight Glass Jar (for storing coffee beans)
For Coffee Snob Guests
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Airbnb Essentials: Phone Charging Cables & Digital Clock
Besides having the bed essentials to deliver a great sleep experience, there are two simple items that guests will appreciate: extra phone charger cables and a digital alarm clock.
Guests forget to bring their phone chargers all the time. What is a cheap purchase for you could save your guests from the headaches of having to find a store and purchase overpriced charging cables.
?Have at least ONE multi-charging USB cable for EACH bedroom.
[su_box title=”Multi Charging USB Cables”] 6 in 1 Multi USB Charing Cable
Two Pack 4 in 1 Charging Cable
And don’t force your guests to have to check their phones every time they want to know the time. Instead, put a simple digital clock in each bedroom as well.
[su_box title=”Recommended Digital Alarm Clocks”] Simple RCA Digital Alarm Clock ($)
Travelwey Home LED Digital Alarm Clock ($$)
Philips Wake UP Light Alarm Clock Sunrise Simulation ($$$)[/su_box]
Airbnb Essentials: Often Forgotten Items
These are the most often forgotten items that hosts forget to add to their listing. These are not optional!
But don’t waste money on getting anything fancy. Reliable and affordable versions are all you need.
[su_box title=”Don’t Forget These Items!”]A Dryer
Revlon Infrared Hair Dryer ($$)
An Iron
A Straightener
A Curler
Wifi Enable Printer (for printing boarding passes!)
Canon MX492 Wireless All In One Printer ($)
HP OfficeJet 3830 All In One Wireless Printer ($$) [/su_box]
Just put yourself in the shoes of a guest and imagine you’ve traveled to a new town (or even new country!) and you’ve just checked into your Airbnb listing–which of these items would make a difference in your stay if it weren’t in the listing?
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Wi-fi enabled printer for boarding passes, on line tickets etc
You read our minds! Great add but especially if you get a good number of business travelers.
Can you recommend a wi-fi printer?
What about keyless entry sales??
This is a big category and deserves its own separate coverage in an upcoming post. 🙂
What about sheets and towels? How many should our place have?
At least 1 extra set of sheets for each bed. We recommend minimum two sets of towels for each guest, and an extra towel for every 2-3 nights for each guest. If you have pool for usage, we recommend having two extra set of pool towels for each guest.
Do you let guests use your Netflix account or do they sign into their own one? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I’m just wondering what happens if you want to watch something on Netflix in another room at the same time as your guest?
Most have their own accounts but if you’re okay with the occasional guest trolling your account by adding random shows to your watch list, it’s nice having that extra amenity, esp for international travelers who may not be familiar with Netflix in their home country. Some hosts just get a separate account for their Airbnb unit as the fee is nominal.
Netflix still allows you to have upto three profiles on an account. Naming one as guest is an easy way to provide and direct them from your viewing list. May be even able to secure your personal profile.
However,tile floorings likewise have itss weaknesses, like tendency ffor discoloration when the wrong mixture is utilized, orr chipping
in the event the force used to clean them is just too extreme.
Do-it-yourself carpet cleaning will need plenty of your time andd efforts andd effort.
It tells them that you do not value them enough to buy cleanliness.
One of the biggest items my travelers love is luggage stands!
They help keep the room uncluttered 🙂
Hi I am a nurse,
a lot of the first aid kits carry stuff you don’t need.
You only need
1. Bandaids
2. Crepe bandage (heavy thick) for compression bandaging sprained ankle/wrist
3. Sling for injured arm
4. running clean water to irrigate wounds (don’t use lotions or potions)
5. couple of non stick dressing for wounds
6. tape (to tape on dressing)
7. Ice in the freezer to apply to injured limbs (wrap them in a plastic bag)
7. Paracetamol ( keep out of reach of children)
Thank you for sharing your expert recommendations Vivienne!
We had one trash bag for a weeks stay. We had one roll anx a half of toilet paper. Only 3 towel, not dish rags or towels were supplied. The handle on the microwave was broken as well as a chair.
Please provide coffee, tea and a small carton of milk, sugar packets and cooking oil. Another nice touch is a mirror in each bedroom for the ladies so they can do makeup and hair and not take up bathroom space. Also enough hooks or towel racks. Replacement trash bags. You can forgo the muffin tins. No onemakes muffins while travelimg. 🙄. Instead a good skillet with a fitting lid is much appreciated.
Great suggestions Jessica! Thank you for sharing.
We just returned from a great stay in a fairly new (5 months) airbnb – it was sparkling clean and had almost everything – I was careful as a super host when offering my suggestions. I wrote privately in my review that it was indeed a 5 star stay and if they would like a few suggestions/feedback let me know. I only give it when it is wanted – I’ve seen so many hosts get upset when others offer tips/hints. They were very receptive: The sparkling wonderful shower had a curtain – the floor of the shower sloped of course, BUT there was no grab bar/ bench or anything to assist when my feet got slippery with shampoo/soap. I didn’t want to grab the curtain and destroy the bathroom. Also, no luggage rack – however there was a lovely wooden cabinet and also room divider with those baskets that slide in that was fully stocked with over 25 different games (I counted)- books/mags – all stuff I didn’t touch – they just left NO place for clothes -there were 4 odd-plastic/wire/weird hangers that I used but mostlly had to keep my clothes on the floor – So the host was gracious and wanted my suggestions and I offered with ideas/ remedies for each of the 2 main points….mentioning where bedbugs travel and that first thing I do when entering is look for a luggage rack to place my suitcase – she was very receptive and said they were talking about the grab bar and she just ordered 2 luggage racks. Nice to experience a host that wants to get it right – I directed her to LearnAirbnb.com – too bad she didn’t find you guys like I did BEFORE I hit the publish button. (something I didn’t mention – we had to buy Toilet paper – not cool in my book) but there was tampons, etc, etc…..all stuff that’s great but TP is the cheapest and most essential I think – different strokes RIGHT?
Great looking out for fellow hosts Clara! You’re a dream guest! These are wonderful suggestions.
Hi there! Do the hosts need to provide shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc?
Many hosts do as a convenience for guests since these are commonly forgotten items. Depending on your segment (i.e. whether you’re targeting price-conscious travelers or those seeking higher level amenities), you’ll need to decide whether a dispenser option (more economical) or single use option (pricier but preferred by more guests) is the better option.
We provide shampoo, conditioner and body wash in large bottles like you would use at home. We purchase these at a local dollar store. We haven’t had any negative comments about this and these get used. Our house cleaners replace them when they reach 1/3 full with full bottles. We also provide individually wrapped hand soap for bathroom sinks and any used ones are tossed.
What a great thread! I picked up a few perfect suggestions in here and will apply these ideas in my AirBnB. I will say that one thing that has my guests gushing about their stay is the floor lights I have installed (sticky-back) to the stairwell (2 at different heights / 1 in bedroom / one in hallway / one in the bathroom). Guests that are unfamiliar with light switch placement love these little motion-detectors. They take 3 AAA batteries and can last quite some time.
We also provide individually wrapped sponge/scouring pad for the kitchen sink. If the sponge/scouring pad is used we replace it with a new wrapped one.