This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
Hey there-
I was wondering if folks with stand-alone AirBnBs only make the number of beds that correspond to number of guests?
We have a 3 bed AirBnB that often will have a family stay (parents and use of crib in another bedroom). There is a clear master bedroom but we have been making the “extra beds” each stay. Sometimes they also seem to have been lightly used- perhaps napped in? I dunno, but it creates a lot of extra laundry +time. We charge the same amount no matter guest count and don’t intend to lock doors.
Curious what other folks do in terms of making extra beds or do you just put the duvet/pillows on for appearances?
I don’t run into this with my set up. However, I just booked a place that has two different beds and the host just asked me if I would like both beds made up. That said, when we rent a hotel with two full or queen beds, my husband and I usually sleep in one and spread our stuff all over the second bed. That could be making your lightly used look.
3 bedroom here, too, with for queen beds. We do charge for extra people, but we still make up all the beds.
Frankly, I’d be a little annoyed if my DH and I rented a multi-bedroom home and paid the same price as a full group, but not all the beds were made up. I’d wonder where else the host was cutting corners.
I too have a whole house rental with three bedrooms and I always make all three beds even if it’s just a couple staying. I feel that if I did not, the guests might ding me on accuracy since the rooms don’t look like the pictures if the beds are not made.
Some couples only use one bedroom but others have used two out of three bedrooms which is okay because they paid for a whole house rental. They’re paying the same regardless if it’s 2 or 6 guests so I just remind myself of that fact when I get annoyed.
I’d expect all beds to be made in rooms I have access to but I also don’t see any issue with locking a room off. Quite a few hosts have multiple listings at different price points to cover this and it works for them. I saw one listing with 6 bedrooms and 5 listings, it was a little too much perhaps. LOL.
Thing is, you want to make the beds because if you don’t they might use it anyway with or without sheets and now you’ve increased the chances of something happening to your mattress or mattress pad. A bare mattress in a furnished room isn’t going to make a nice aesthetic presentation either.
If you charge the same price regardless if how many rooms they use or the number of guests, I think the beds should be made up. Sometimes a couple might need a night apart or find one bed or room more comfortable than another.
I’ve got a entire house listing with four bedrooms and 2 king beds, one queen bed and 3 twin beds. I don’t charge extra until the guest count exceeds 6. For AirBnB, I make up all the rooms/guests.
When I have direct bookings, I charge according to the number of rooms they will occupy and I lock the others. I’m considering doing multiple listings of the same house on AirBnB to do the same. It’s a very large house and not everyone needs 3 or 4 bedrooms—I think most would rather save the money. I think I would get more bookings that way.
I have had (and greatly dislike) Goldilocks guests who have to try out every bedroom and every amenity for whatever reason. I’ve had single guests who made a point of sleeping in every bed, for Pete’s Sake—which is just resource wasting behavior, at best. The Levitators are subsidizing the Goldilocks guests and that’s hardly fair.
I don’t assume 2 guests will use only one bed. They get to sleep in both indoor and outdoor beds together or separately. If they are a couple they can carry the duvet and pillows from the inside bed outside. My current guest are not a couple and I quickly provided more linens and pillows as soon as they let me know.
Haha, yup- this just happened again- which spurred my question but hear y’all loud and clear! We’ll continue to make up all the beds or figure out different price point/listings and locking rooms.
I can think of several reasons that guests might bed hop that aren’t necessarily of the disrepectful, wasteful category. If there are different mattresses in different bedrooms, they might find one more comfortable than another. They might find the early morning light streams in, waking them up, in one bedroom, but not in one with the windows oriented differently. Or that they hear traffic or neighbor noise in one more than the other.
Seems like having a few listings with number of bedrooms needed and paid for is a good solution for the bed hopping issue.
I’ve had guests tell me that nothing was wrong with the first bedroom they chose—they just thought they were so pretty they wanted to test them all out!
I’ve booked places that had more bedrooms than I needed. I’ve never felt the need to check out the other beds. Several times recently I’ve rented 2 bedroom places when it was just me. One host locked the extra room and rebated me $10 cash for only using one bedroom—he asked before I came and told me if I only used one bedroom and he could lock the other, he would give me a rebate. The other host charged an extra $20 if you used the extra bedroom.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat (no disrespect to )
Timely question. I have a 8 bed rental that recently capped to 6 guests per HOA rules, yet I still find 8 beds used and suspect it’s from guests inviting others in given the extra beds. Additionally my cleaner has back issues and has issues making top bunk beds. So I’m going to start washing sheets for top bunks and putting them out, but communicating to guests in advance that top bunks will not not be made given the 6 person limit. I’m sure there will be some that complain, but those may be the same that are bringing in extra guests anyway so I’ll take the hit and mark them down on following guest rules.
The issue for us is that we’re fully booked as is- so I don’t want to have cheaper rates available for less people and we feel comfortable with where we sit compared to competitors. I also don’t want to bother with worrying about folks sneaking in guests to get around the extra charges. Right now there’s no reason for that, so guests haven’t tried it
Our experience in terms of wear+tear and cleaning has been more dependent on the type of guests rather than the number. It’s just annoying when every single bed linen appears used seemingly without a good reason (all the mattresses are the same size, age and make and there’s no noise diff here in the country between rooms plus they all have the same darkening curtains).
Each room does look unique in terms of styling and views- so that could it. But we try to be environmentally friendly when we can be and it’s very wasteful. Ofcourse it’s their right to do as they wish since it’s a flat rate
Cameras don’t stop anything. They are just a tool. Hosts should control who is inside their property. But I have a property with one entrance door and no window that a person could climb through so easy for me to say.
Your post makes it sound like your strategy is suspicion and punishment without evidence. As others have mentioned in this thread, people might use spare beds to put their stuff on, kids might play on a bed that wasn’t slept in and so on. Maybe your suspicions are well founded but if I booked for 6 and brought 6 and my host reviewed me as having brought 8 I wouldn’t be pleased.
Agree with @kkc here. We have had a few times over the past year that guests have used all 3 beds when it’s only a couple plus a child in a crib. We know for a fact there weren’t extra guests. Maybe someone wanted to take a nap, try out a different room, unpack all their things on another bed… who knows (still annoying during turnover though)
Especially with kids in bunks, they might be playing around and want to switch bottom for top bunk or build a fort (I’m not the only one who did this right? Lol)
)