What are you looking for in an AirBnB?

[VinoEsmeralda]

In the process of building a 1 bedroom house with small garden and off road parking.

We often use AirBnB and there are a few things I really rate such as off road parking, welcome pint of milk, good instructions and of course a nice bed.

What do you think we could do to make it stand out?

Two Airbnbs I've been to recently were great but could have been massively improved with a £100 IKEA spend:

1. More mugs, glasses and plates (and preferably cutlery) than there are sleeping spaces. I want to be able to e.g. Stack the French toast I've been making for people to eat and still have enough plates to eat off
2. Sharp knives, including bread knife
3. Cafetiere/something to make non instant coffee
4. Ideally I want a teapot but I do accept that might be asking too much.
5. Scissors in kitchen
6. Frying pan with a thick base so it doesn't burn everything in it. Available, dishwasher safe, for £15 from IKEA. I've been using mine for 4 years so far.
7. Grater
8. Oil and salt and pepper

Please also make the sitting room actually comfy not just pretty looking: if you want people to book again and especially in winter then I want to be able to curl up in the living room with the TV on.

Decent lighting, especially by the bed for those of us who read in bed. Some of your guests may be older (like me!) & the one thing that DH & I find really annoying is low level lighting with no bright lights available if we want/nedd them.

We have stayed in a fair few Airbnbs. If it states dog friendly I would like the garden to be completely secure...also someone(not me!)needs to check previous guests dog poo has been picked up.
Comfy seating.
Enough tea towels
Clean
Instructions for oven etc

A key box so you don’t have to co-ordinate arrival times, I like the flexibility that offers, so if I decide to stop somewhere on the way, I’m not keeping anyone waiting.

@runnerduck
Is this normal for an Airbnb ? I'm probably missing the point!

Yes! Airbnb was set up for people to rent out their spare rooms or houses when they go away. It grew because people added their entire holidays lets and hotel rooms, as well as campsites and other spaces. But assume the majority of houses on there are full time homes that are being let while unoccupied. I assume it was cheaper than a holiday let would have been?
Tbh that's my main gripe with Airbnb guests. When they lay significantly less than a hotel but seem to expect hotel quality. I had a family of 5 stay for £60 a night (2 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, living room all for them) then complained that the breakfast didn't have enough choice

hot tub 100%. thats a standard filter i put on my searches

We are staying in one this weekend and we booked it mainly because it has a pool table.

Decide if you want to accept dogs are not ( as it's one bedroom this is a good way to get more bookings). If you do take dogs, don't do what the last cottage we stayed at did - have a poster up about how dog friendly they are, then a huge list of things and places dogs aren't allowed and no bowls or doggie treats. If you don't want dogs up the stairs provide a stair gate.

On a similar vein decide if baby friendly and if so invest in cot and other paraphernalia which can be bought cheaply at Ikea.

Not getting a sofa bed is a good idea - means you won't be overcrowded and sofa will be comfortable.

We need a cafetiere and wifi. Hairdryer is useful.

I agree with some PP but not all.
Feather bedding , nope .

Black out blinds , only if there is a lot of light outside ( street lights/ advertising boards )

Good shower / bath , a must

Comfy bed , king size if poss.

Kitchen Appliances only need to be basic ( easy to use )

Enough plates cups knives forks etc .

If you have the space outside a BBQ with the option to buy coal / wood etc from you.

Full size oven and a washer.
I wouldn't get a dryer just for the risk factors but I would get a heated clothes airer electric plug in ones if you got the floor space for it.

Flexible check in and check out times.

And while I agree with the vast majority of people saying a pint of milk would be nice it might be an idea to give the option as to when they want dairy free or lactose free milk .

A small selection of basic condiments would go down well.
Where practical get squirty bottles rather than jars so you don't have the problem with people getting crumbs in the mayo or cross contaminating stuff.

I'd be wary about offering bread and biscuits and such like some people want wheat or nut-free it's a minefield it will end up creating more work for you.

I like the idea of an honesty box but I think people would abuse it I think perhaps an option instead to cover milk bread and such like will be to offer a hamper available to buy buy directly from you with a couple of different choices of things in them. But I would make sure this all his place at the same time as the booking is made otherwise people have you dashing around 10 minutes before they turn up.

The last airbnb I stayed in had gone absolutely mad with their freshness plug-in types infuser reeds and and aerosol sprays
I couldn't stay indoors I had to open all the windows and sit in the garden fortunately it was a nice day had the weather been terrible I don't know what I would have done. By all means leaving for people to use if they want them but don't presume that they do want them.
It also made me wonder what smells they were trying to mask

Oh yes I hate artificial smells. No horrible plug ins - keep it fresh by airing.

Woodburner if you're after Autumn/Winter bookings and definitely a floor plan. It's a nightmare with mobility issues otherwise

Really good reliable WiFi that works everywhere in the apartment.

Charging point for electric car is a great idea, if it doesn't cost much to put in.
Bedside lights are often absent in places I stay - I take my own because of that.

So basically people expect AirBnB to be a standard high quality holiday cottage or apartment.

No wonder it is no longer a budget option.

A king size or super king size bed that is good quality. That’s high on our criteria.

A hot tub would draw me in. Those that don’t like them don’t have to use it!

A walk in power shower - one of those big ones, not a tiny little plastic cubicle.

Great utensils and extras like people have already said.

Netflix and fast WiFi.

Definitely off street parking and outside space.

In the details explain where it is in relation to the town etc. The vagueness of something listings really puts me off. Eg an easy 5 min stroll to the local pub.

We don’t ask for much

somewhere we stayed recently and was wonderful, it was a self contained unit attached to the owners house and she had so many thoughtful touches we absolutely loved it. We stayed for 2 nights and they provided all breakfast food including hot fresh pastries dropped off at the door each morning. The decor was beautiful and it was walking distance to the centre of Richmond, decent parking, good TVs with DVDs and netflix etc. Here's a link, you can see she's had consistently amazing reviews...

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/14317314?source_impression_id=p3_1571818758_J6%2F38bvdxyrLAeOO

Stayed in plenty of AirBnB's UK and overseas, and one thing keeps happening, pillows, please, please provide decent pillows, with pillow protectors I went out and bought my own in one place.

Clean, clean, clean

Good quality towels enough for the stay/bedding and provide tea towels

Not so bothered about toiletries but some tea/coffee/salt/pepper

Instructions of how to use some appliances (almost gassed ourselves with a cooker once, so difficult to use)

Some cleaning products, cloths, dishwasher tabs one a day/kitchen roll, I always clean before I leave.

Dont be mean if you have say a log burner and charge for fuel.

Be honest with your description, had one place where the stairs were so steep we had to come down backwards and not able to use the bathroom during the night for fear of falling!

Decide on the type of visitor your wanting to stay, dont fill the place like a student let and expect ££, furnish with better quality fixtures and fittings.

Leave info about whats going on in the area, and make sure its up to date, same with local take away options etc.

Decent shower, preferably with a bath.

Things Im not looking for and would not book

Dogs accepted, fine if you have dogs but I would not stay in a place that takes them.

Hot tubs, just no

Off street parking, I dont want the bother of having to look for somewhere to park and maybe a long trek with 'stuff'

Loads of throws/cushions etc on the bed, hate that!

Currently in an Air B&B flat in Edinburgh.

Things we like:
No ornaments, but feels nice due to nice mirrors and prints on walls
Plenty towels
Plenty toilet rolls
Washer-dryer
Plenty bin bags, tea towels & an oven glove
Very very clean
Good showers
Plenty crockery, utensials & glasses
New hand soap provided
Furniture is not someone’s old dead relatives
Comfy beds, duvets and sofa
Cling film and foil, salt & pepper and teabags provided

Things we’d change:
Bigger clothes airer
Better brush to sweep up
More mugs (only 5 for 4 people)
Full set of pots (only 2 that match kids but 5 lids)
Couple more oven trays, only one provided

King size bed, powerful shower, good info about what is/isn't included and where nearest pubs and shops are. 'Good food nearby' is pointless - I want to know what I can walk to.

Don’t stint on pillow quality either. Easy on the tchotchkes. Instead of generic ikea art work - try your own ‘interesting’ things in the area blown up photos. Enough Comfy seats for bottoms staying. Dishwasher - generous crockery provision - half a dozen tablets to get you started. Basic condiments. House manual with contact numbers and wifi code writ large on the front cover. Coded key box on site - traffic happens. More than one key, not everybody goes everywhere together. Washer and sep. dryer ( there are stacking kits ) If you insist on choosing a rainfall shower head please provide an extra hair washing hand wand when installing shower. Buy long mirrors so that people of differing heights can use them effectively. Do a dry run yourself including an arrival to check ease of use. Yes to blackout blinds with ordinary curtains. A plug in nightlight or two - I travel a lot and sometimes it takes a moment to get your bearings, you don’t want Blackpool illuminations to use the bathroom in the night.
The last one I stayed in had a community basket - you could add or take - it had some lovely hotel sized fancy toiletries. A couple of books. Emery boards. Sticky tape and scissors. Some individually wrapped make up remover wipes. It was in a place where there are a lot of walkers - someone had added foot soak and blister plasters and spare boot laces. There was an unopened airline amenity kit in there too. All things were whole and sealed.
A decent heavy duty hook on the back of the bathroom door. A place for suitcase storage. A goodly amount of decent hangers - not the dregs of your closet clearance and dry cleaning refugees. Please change cushion covers and throws between guests or make sure they are washed too. Gosh yes to toaster if whole space let I don’t want to limbo to supervise your under work top oven grill.
The owner of the last place said if you give people the means to keep the space clean they will normally have a tidy up which makes end of stay clean up easier for the host. There was a stick vacuum with built in dustbuster, dustpan brush and a housekeepers carry all under the sink with all purpose spray, microfibre cloths etc. Also heavy duty non stick sheet protector in the base of oven was a timesaver she said.

I wouldn't look at air b&b in the first place.
unethical business model. and too many dodgy landlords about.

if you want to do short term lets go with other reputable agencies.

but for a self contained rental I would expect bedding covers & spares. enough towels. fully equipped kitchen, ideally with dishwasher. washing machine. allergy friendly, washable bedding (no feathers or wool) NO PETS AT ALL.

I'm not sure if.its been mentioned but power sockets by the bed. No electric air fresheners, they can aggravate breathing issues.

Hi OP,

My partner and I stay in Air BnBs around 6 times a year, for us we always look for these things (obviously not what everyone would look for but might help)

• Pet's allowed - understand reservations around this, we have always been happy with the no animals on the furniture rule and actually would never dream of allowing our dog on someone else's furniture. We recently stayed in an air bnb where they had a rule that you had to bring a dog bed, or pay £20 to borrow one from them which I felt was fair. We brought our own.
• King size bed - partner is both very tall and very broad so this is something key for us.
• Some provisions on arrival, such as breakfast items (pastries, tea/coffee/sugar/milk, bread, butter) and basic cooking appliances such as pots and pans, tin opener etc.
• Comfy seats or sofa to relax on
• Decent shower (not running out of hot water quickly)
• Off road parking

All the best!

Definitely no air fresheners, scented candles, reed diffusers etc. Some are not too bad but many are headache-inducing.

Bed
Wifi
Coffee (pref cafetiere with ground coffee available) & milk
Decent shower
Towels

I'm fairly low maintenance

Personally I wouldn't use a washing machine unless I was staying somewhere for a while - so I guess it depends on the location and how long you expect people to stay.

If it's the kind of place where people will eat in rather than go out- then decent utensils/pans etc are a must plus plenty of glasses (and a beer/wine in the fridge on arrival)