Hi everyone, I have a couple of listings on Airbnb but I’m new to this. I don’t watch TV but I’ve noticed a lot of other hosts do have TV and detailed instructions on how to use it. If I get TV service would that usually raise the prices I can charge, or do you find that most guests don’t care?
I think having a TV is great; however, make sure you put it on a chic stand or media console. Also, I think Netflix or Apple TV will go a long way in making your guests happy. Hope that helps!
I don’t have TV and have never had anyone complain about it. I do have a DVD player with movies. These days with netflix and the like, I don’t think many guests care all that much about standard TV. I had thought about adding it too but frankly, depending on where you are of course, I don’t think the monthly fees would pay you back in more bookings.
1 Like
I have tv’s in two of my rooms. They only show limited basic cable, which means, nothing but crap. Barely 3 of my 100+ guests have watched them. They are all on their smart phones, tablets, surfaces and laptops, on which they can watch their own movies.
1 Like
One of my first few guests rec I order cable for the apt (young professional in his 30s) as I had a flatscreen TV that I thought people would connect to their laptops. My fifth guest asked that I attach an antenna so they could get a few channels (older couple), which I did. I have since ordered cable for the TV but last week, a young family was disappointed that this didn’t include HBO as they wanted to watch that week’s episode of Game of Thrones.
I’ve been very surprised by how many people watch TV although my youngest guests were in their late 20s and the majority of my guests are 40+.
I don’t have a TV nor a license. My listing clearly states so. Never had a request for a TV
Eye roll on the HBO. Tell them next time to sign up for the free month trial of HBO to watch Game of Thrones. But then next you will get someone complaining because you don’t have Showtime or whatever. One reason why I don’t have TV for them, and people don’t really seem to even comment on that…In fact some have said they enjoyed other things like reading or watching DVDs…
You can’t please everyone, eh?
We didn’t have a TV, we saw a 2nd hand one cheap, bought it and now have a TV for the guests!. IMO it hasn’t made much difference but I sometimes have it on when I’m turning the room around 
We have mostly young professionals, all with laptops, iPads, smartphones and the like. No one has ever complained about TV, except some guests that didn’t stay here (our guests that loved it here brought them around to show off their room and the place. We do have. Big screen with Netflix in the sitting room which is for guests (we have our private one, Nd not a single person has even turned it on. They’re in their rooms chilling with their own devices, if not out and about or hanging with their partners.
Or better yet a Motel 6 that advertises Free HBO.
2 Likes
i feel tv, at the very least is a requirment because guests that come into town to take part in daily activities may want to enjoy the city by day and come home at night to just shower, relax and get some rest for the next day. I’ve seen valid points for not having tv but when it comes to enjoying the destination all day i would say you need one at end of day.
as a follow up to my post, b/c i didn’t realize i forgot to add that cable is NOT mandatory, a regular tv or a smart tv with internet capabilites is fine. everyone does not have this but when considering an upgrade go with the smart tv so guests can log into netflix, hulu and utube without needing your cable. just my $.02
I agree that if you offer a TV, just a screen with Apple TV or another device enabling Netflix, Hulu is plenty. I haven’t watched a TV in ten years in the US except at the doctors etc. It always irritates the hell out of me. I must be the strange one, I know, because everyone else seems mesmerized.
Sandy - we hate the forced television watching in this culture, too. My husband once had a palm or whatever early smart device and it had a universal remote in it. He could secretly and slowly turn the volume of the tv down … then he lost the device. Crazy thing is doctors should be about health and well being yet in the waiting room are ADHD inducing kid shows…
Anyway, thankful for the thread. After 20 or more groups in my home with not one mention of the lack of television 1 guest asked for a tv to watch a ballgame. I then wrote in my listing ‘no tv’ and then had two inquiries that specifically asked about the tv!!! Didn’t book either of them!!
We don’t watch it either, except to stream shows on our laptops…although I admit that when traveling and there’s a tv we sometimes enjoy watching it.
I’m shopping for a used small flatscreen and we can connect a digital antennae.
Lol DCMooney, we have one of those too! My husband gets so upset about public tv’s, I got him one for a gag Christmas present. To begin with he brought it everywhere and enjoyed turning off all the tv’s. The strangest thing, is everyone would be staring at the tv, then when it went off, they would continue staring, and then slowly lose attention and look away, as if they didn’t even noticed it’s happened. We thought it was going to create complaints, but never! People are in some kind of induced semi TV coma lol.
Yea, that’s the only time we have been asked about tv too - by couples wanting to watch a particular game. We direct them to a local bar that has usually has the sport show that is the big thing that day on, and then they are happy. The other thing is people that are usually into this can get it on their devices too. I’m always shocked that people would dream of coming to our beautiful area, and when they have just a couple of days to see all that’s here (we mainly get 2-3 day bookings), they would waste some of it inside watching tv. But I do understand loving a sport, so it happens I guess.
In the evenings people are pretty tired and either ready to hang out on their devices before they crash, which is what I think people do these days, or they are loving each other. I mean, they must be. We have had so many people stay by now, no tv’s in the room, and absolutely raving five star reviews. Most guests don’t get in until after ten or so, by the time they have had dinner/drinks, and some later than that.
Almost 100% of my guests travelled with iPads/ laptops. I have Netflix. And I can see that most of them watched movies. Only 1 person complained aout TV, but then he was never home. During 5 days that he stayed, I saw him may be for 10 minutes. Of course it’s nice to turn it on first thing in a morning and just have a sound, but it’s totally not a nessesity.
I was thinking of putting TV in rooms ony for the reason that I don’t want guests to hang out in my living room. But then very rarely someone does.
Also TV can be additional sourse of noise, especially at night. Some people would leave it on falling asleep for hours.
I travel for 5 years with Airbnb and 95% of the time there is no TV in my room.
Very helpful everyone, thanks. I’ll skip trying to run around finding a used one for a bargain and trying to get it hooked up to something.
The request for a tv coincided with two booking requests asking about the tv and a HUGE downturn in any requests OR bookings, so I wondered if it was all related.
DC… could be the time of year??I don’t think TV is enough of a selling point for me that I would pay for cable for the room. I do supply a DVD player and some movies. Most are just fine with that.
1 Like
I think it is seasonal, Kona - especially since I’m booked the next two months - and with people looking for places in November and December they have a lot of options available. I imagine during Spring Break season I’ll be longing for such days…
I have a tv, but not cable. So my guests can use the wii, playstation and see movies. That is it!
That is not a problem