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That’s just one of the wonderful things about Airbnb - all hosts are different.
You’re one of the lucky ones in that you know what devices your guests travel with. For a lot of us, we’ve no idea what’s in their luggage.
Providing chargers is merely one of those extras that many hosts like to offer. Some hosts provide them as part of their ‘in case you forgot anything’ systems. (And let’s face it, chargers are one of the things that many travellers have forgotten or misplaced).
Luckily for Airbnb hosts, there are no set standards regarding what we supply so every place is different. If guests know in advance that they’re definitely going to need a certain thing (it’s often hairdryers for our guests for some reason) then they often ask when they’re booking.
Guests love them. I used double stick tape to put them on the ends of both nightstands, and on the dresser, so they “stay put”. Between the 9 USB charging ports these provide, two on the alarm clock, two built in to the loveseat, and two in an outlet cover - guests are well covered for all their gadgets, and I don’t have to worry about them unplugging things.
Now that’s interesting because convenience is a very relative thing. Just because an outlet is accessible doesn’t mean it’s convenient. I have traveled a lot in the past 10 years and in my opinion, an outlet isn’t convenient for charging unless it’s within about 10 inches of a piece of furniture other than a chair, and the piece of furniture is less than 24 inches tall (e.g. a nightstand, end table, etc.). The reason is that a lot of factory phone cables are only 3ft long and people want to set their devices on a table-like surface and not on the floor or leaning against a wall or on a chair where someone can accidentally kick, step on, or sit on them. I ended up buying a charger with a long A/C cord for traveling to ensure that I could place my device in a safe/convenient location while it was charging.
Anyway, I have chargers in my listing (a total of 9 for the whole house) because of my own experiences traveling and because I have them in my own home. I’m also of the opinion that they are not essential, but guest feedback underscores the added convenience of having them.
BTW, I read an Airbnb review where a guest complained that he had to set his phone on the floor on the other side of the room to charge it. Admittedly, he was unhappy for other reasons, so it was just another nitpick to add to the list.
I have an alarm clock from Target that has 2 USB ports on the front. They can put the clock on the lower shelf of the nightstand if the light bothers them. In the island in the kitchen I have an outlet with a USB port. The kitchen island is the place that most people seem to sit at and use their iPad or laptop if they are researching things in the area.
I don’t know where you live or what housing code specifies in your area, but an outlet within 8 feet of a water source (tub, sink) where I live must have GFI. It doesn’t appear that this outlet does.
I suggest researching housing code specifications for your area.
Yes, that looks like an electrocution waiting to happen. Clueless people die in the bathtub by having their phone plugged in and left on the side of the tub while bathing.
I don’t understand. If you plug it into an outlet that’s next to the sink, then the outlet should already have a GFI. If it doesn’t already have a GFI, then, the shelf didn’t create a new problem (i.e. the electrocution was already waiting to happen).
That’s my thinking as well. Just like plugging in their hair straighteners or rechargeable razor. Currently guests seem to plug their charger into the wall outlet and lay the phone on the counter(about 3 feet from the sink). The shelf seems safer as it gets the phone up off the counter and away from the water.
Regardless, the building codes in my area are crazy lax. Almost comical.
Regardless, everyone needs to guest proof as much of the rental as you can. But I don’t see that the outlet shelf is going to make the area near the sink more dangerous. I looked at those once but I have a nightlight plugged into the quadraplex plug and it wouldn’t work with that shelf. And I like my existing nightlight (gifted to me by a guest) and don’t want a different style. LOL.
