Have you ever walked into a really cool space and felt transported into a different world? That’s ambience.
Ambience is the culmination of all the guest touch points that create an experience. It is a unit’s character & atmosphere, look & feel, and mood & color.
Ambience makes things stick to the guest. Sometimes they cannot remember some of the memories from their vacation, but they remember the way that your rental unit made them feel. The ambience sticks because it is a re-liveable experience with so many details. The more unique and cohesive experience you create with decor and furniture, the stickier it will be for the guests. Money is made in the details.
Example
Which has better Coca-Cola ambiance, A or B?
At what point does ambiance become useless clutter and an inconvenience? I’ve been to B&B’s where I had to move Amish dolls and other decorative pillows before we slept, couldn’t find a clear surface because of all the collectables. In one guestroon, a vase of cut flowers were balanced on a precarious plant stand. A,late night foray to the restroom became a half an hour of mopping water off an antique surface, and blotting water from the carpet.
I am all for a warm cozy ambiance. I use grandma’s crocheted lap throws on slipcovered armchairs, framed art of local subjects, and framed trail maps.
Certainly not as detailed a setting, and not the comfortabl clutter of figurines, china whatnots or Taxidermied wildlife. Still, people have seemed to like it.
Sally,
You make a good point. Adding so much ‘decor’ that it becomes a hassle for guests to go about their stay is not suggested. Sometimes the person decorating is an enthusiast and doesn’t think guests will mind all the clutter. Hosts that have a lot of figurines/statues/display things should put those on shelves and out of the way.
What many hosts fail to do is actually ‘live the life’ of a guest. If it’s an extra room in the house, they probably don’t ever ‘live’ in there. They just buy stuff for that room, put it in there and walk out. They should walk through your rental rooms or entire units and go through the motions. For example: Hosts should take all those ridiculous pillows off the bed and see where in the world would a guests put those. When walking the rental unit, hosts should ask themselves, “Is this furniture causing a flow issue?”, “Can this thing on the floor be moved further out of the way?”. It gives you more insight as to what your guests are experiencing at your Airbnb unit.
All that said, hosts just need to be mindful. Every unit has its own needs and quirks. If lots of stuff is your units ‘main draw’, then keep it cluttered. If not, then give your unit a test run every now and then. See how it is. Ask guests for feedback before they leave if possible, so you can correct anything sooner than later.