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We are new airbnb hosts. We opened our doors in Nov 18 and have had 7 guests so far.
Some context… We offer a private room and bathroom. The bedroom is accessible via the garage. Other than our first guest, we do not offer access to the main house. Our daughter was recently diagnosed with a wheat allergy and we are very reluctant to allow access to the kitchen for cooking, etc.
The question… As we continue to grow our airbnb “business,” we are pondering whether to offer a fridge? And if so, a mini fridge in the bedroom, bathroom, or in garage?
I feel that if we add another appliance to the bedroom it will feel a lot less cozy. There is a spot where we could possibly squeeze a fridge in the bathroom.
The other option is to put it right by the bedroom door, but in the garage.
Thoughts? So far, our guests have stayed primarily for 1-2 nights, but we do have a guest coming for 30 days in January (he is aware of the no kitchen access, etc, etc.)
Now this might sound a bit daft but we live in a very tiny apartment. We downsized to here from as much bigger place. In the previous house we had a small beverage fridge in our large pantry. Of course, we don’t even have a pantry now. But we put the beverage fridge in our (very small) bedroom. It’s where you’d expect a nightstand to be.
It doesn’t look fabulous but it doesn’t look bad either. And being able to reach for a cool drink in the middle of the night without getting up is wonderful
The one we have is something like this one. We’ve had it for a good ten years and it’s still going strong. Although it’s shown here with cans in it, it’s a reasonable size for snacks too.
We don’t hear it all all. And we’ve slept with it right next to our bed for many years. Because it’s getting old now, it has rumbled a few times (not very often) but that’s due to its age, I think.
I think the ‘can fridge’ like @jaquo shows would be more than enough for your average 1-3 night guest. Something that small should be able to go in the bedroom, perhaps on the shelf under a bedside table.
As mentioned, be wary of 30 day or longer rentals. In many states, a guest who stays 30 days or more has “tenant rights” and may not be able to be evicted if necessary without a lengthy, expensive legal process. Safest to keep rentals to 29 days or less.
The priority is to keep wheat away from your daughter. You might find a way to fit that into the rules so they aren’t wandering around with toast. And they do.
We have six fridges and five microwaves. Acquired them at auctions, the Sally Ann, etc. One fridge hums. Some guests snore. Oh well!
I started with a bedroom in my home and then renovated to give them a private entrance and bathroom and blocked access to my part of the house. The room is only 10x11 ft and It took me a few months to add a small fridge and microwave. I was uncertain about where to locate it and I’ve moved it a couple of times but I 100% recommend having one. I’ve only had a couple of people comment on the noise and no one has unplugged it. At this point we are probably talking abut 400+ guests who have been fine with the noise and the tiny room. I also get mostly 1 and 2 night guests and they greatly prefer having their privacy to having more space and access to the rest of the house.
Like previous commenter, we would probably sacrifice one (or both?) of the bedside cabinets to make it work. (Though if we went all-in on longer term guests, we’d probably then shift from a traditional full sized bed to a twin loft. … if we could find one that was short enough the sleeper wouldn’t be at risk of bumping their head on the ceiling fan. We put the “ee!” in cozy.)
Don’t let the warnings about LTR/squatters discourage you.
My area is past the saturation point with STR so I’ve carved out a niche for people relocating or selling one home to buy another with a gap between of 30-90 days.
They book through Airbnb, as recommended by Airbnb in their Help section about stays greater than 28 days, I have the guest sign a LTR lease agreement. I got mine from a real estate broker friend who has rental property. There are several free ones on the internet but remember you may get what you pay for.
Point to ponder: As a guest LTR or STR having either kitchen access or a refrigerator, coffee pot, & small microwave would be a decision point for me. For example, if I were working contract, I need breakfast (ok coffee & a protein bar or freezer breakfast sandwich will work) and I want to warm last night’s restaurant meal leftovers for dinner (working out of town is exhausting, the option to warm leftovers & go to bed is wonderful)
In other words, adding the refrigerator & a coffee pot will enhance the guest’s experience. A small microwave will be the icing on the cake.
Thank you!! This is extremely helpful. Since the stay is 30 days, I was thinking I should do a LTR lease agreement upon check-in. We did negotiate with limited kitchen access for this guest, as the stay is longer (access to microwave, coffee/tea maker and dining upstairs during certain hours, but no oven/stove – with cooking it’d be too much of an allergy risk for our little one)
I think it would be fine in the bathroom if it will fit. However you might need another circuit added. If someone turns on a blow dryer and it’s the same circuit as the fridge and other things it could be too much.
