What amenities would you like to have

It probably depends on location and why guests book. No guest has ever asked to use the iron (that and the ironing board are in my little sewing shop building) and I often see that the hangars haven’t been used, because I live in a beach town. Guests live in shorts, tee-shirts, and summer frocks.

But if guests are coming to a place to attend a wedding, or attend business meetings, they would likely have clothes that need hanging and maybe ironing.

I make essential oils available to guests that want to use them. The guests can decide if they want to use them or not.

Personally, I can’t stand those plug in scent things, like Glade plug-ins, or Air Wick or Febreeze…they give me a headache. I would never subject any guest to them.

I can use cool mist diffusers with a drop or two of a real essential oil like lavender, spearmint, peppermint, or lemongrass in them. That’s the sort of thing I will make available to guests to use if they want to use them. But the room will be scent free when the guest arrives and it will be left up to them if they want to use a mist diffuser (with or without) essential oils.

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Hangers are a pet peeve of mine too, and something I forgot to mention. There are probably 30 velvet hangers in the closet, and some are equipped with skirt clips. Would that do for you, or would you prefer something else ideally?

This will be a new listing, so I can’t be sure of my customer base yet. But I am hoping to get mostly business travelers, or folks visiting for family reasons. This is the bedroom part of the suite.

Obviously I’m hoping to appeal to women or couples, not men traveling solo.

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This is the other room that opens off the bedroom.

One end has the dry kitchenette and the other has the working area.


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It could use a tub for them to put the dirty dishes in so you can wash them. I don’t see how anyone can wash dishes in a vessel sink.

I see Charmed beat me to it. I have a kitchenette but had room to plumb and add an extra sink with room for a drainer.

I would cut back on the cooking options if I had no separate sink. No air fryer or oil. Then all you need do is swish out the coffer maker and empty the toaster oven crumb tray.

Consider providing compostable dishes, cups with lids, & utensils. As a guest, I would rather discard bamboo plates & utensils than have to figure out what to to do with dirty real plates and utensils. Nobody likes washing up dishes in a bathroom sink. You’re picking out beard hairs, toothpaste spit, or whatever to clean your coffee mugs and plates, ugh. Then how/where do you dry them?

I think a really attractive nicely organized minimalist snack/continental breakfast/coffee station as in your photo will actually make a better impression on guests than an awkward sort-of-cooking arrangement lacking the sink. Your target demographic of business travelers will be fine with a hotel-like experience, just the essentials and otherwise eating out or getting delivery.

As a workaround, you could let them put dirty dishes on a trolley cart out in the hallway so they don’t have to look at them. (think room service in a hotel)

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Since you have a rule about the shoes, I would add washable slippers to your amenities. I have some that I bought on Amazon and they come out squeaky clean after every wash and my Guests love them along with the cotton robes :heart_eyes:

I also offer a continental breakfast daily for stays of one weeks or less. I fill the mini fridge with yogurts, cheese, local bakery bread or homemade muffins, fresh fruit, butter, creamer, and drinks (carbonated drinks & water). I also have granola bars, energy bars, snacks, and oatmeal packs on my breakfast cart. Disposable coffee cups with lids are also a hit for those that need to leave really early to the beach or a business meeting. My Guests always let me know how much they appreciate all the little extras. These things cost very little as some guests help themselves to everything, and others only take a few or none at all. It all works out.

The plan is to have a plastic washtub for them to put the dirty dishes in. I will collect them, run them through the dishwasher, and return them. The plastic tub for the dishes will live in the green cabinet, in the compartment under the microwave. I will have the guests leave the plastic tub with dishes outside the room for me to collect.

I already have a long term guest booked for 2 months this summer…and I’ve not even listed the place yet. She’s a law student, in town to do an internship at a law office owned by a guy I’ve known since junior high. I’m sure she will need hangers, and probably an iron and ironing board. She’s booked direct.

My entire house AirBnB guests have been fairly evenly divided between those (1) here for work (2) here for family reasons, and (3) here for fun. So I assume at least some of my guests will need that iron and ironing board.

Ugh, no! I would never expect guests to do dishes in the bathroom. I hope the plastic washtub/me doing them in the dishwasher works out. If not, I may try disposable dishes, but since I personally dislike them I will try real dishes and plastic washtub scenario first.

Thanks for the reminder about cups with lids they can take with them. I have them but need to take them upstairs and put them in the kitchenette.

I bought these on Amazon, but would like to have another option that wasn’t disposable. Could you share your source for your washable slippers with me?

Unless I find I am consistently booked, I will probably only offer things with a longer shelf life…butter, creamers, coffee, tea, drinks, breakfast bars, oatmeal packs…things like that. No yogurt, cheese, bread, or fresh fruit or anything that might spoil quickly. I’ve found, from past experience, that there are a lot of people with various food intolerances or specific diets and the food sometimes doesn’t get used before it spoils or gets stale. Also, guests are often squeamish about consuming anything that was previously opened by another guest (like a loaf of bread or carton of milk) and complain about it being there.

Mostly the idea is to have something available so, if they check in late in the evening and need some food they will have some choices for a late night snack or for their breakfast in the morning.

Too much work for the guests - they are now bus people who have to carry tub of dirty dishes outside?

A garbage can is also more sanitary in addition to being easier. Nothing more ugly and smelly than a tub full of dirty dishes and glasses. You will need to wash the tub when u bring it back, too… are you ready to pick up at 3am after their late night snack and barge in the next morning while they are in their PJs to put the cleaned stuff back?

I get it, there are folks who somehow think that eating off pottery is better than disposable, but if you only get older guests who do not understand how the world has changed re: casualness and concern for their environment, you have no choice. But I am pretty sure throwing away a dish is easier for a guest than stashing them in a tub and the bringing them out to you.

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The plan is to have them set the tub on a stand right outside their bedroom door…as you might if you had room service in your hotel…and I will return the clean dishes to the same spot…without having to go in the room or disturb them in any way.

With disposable dishes, the procedure would be the same…except they would be setting the trash can outside the room, instead of the washtub with the dishes.

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A friend of mine who has an Airbnb studio in her home (with separate entrance) had a very similar setup to the OP’s. Real dishes that the guests put in a plastic tote and left outside the door. The clean dishes were returned in the cleaned tote and left outside the door. There was never any issue whatsover with this in the 10 years she hosted.

Why would you assume the OP would “barge in” on her guests? I’m sure she will do just as my friend did- leave the clean dishes outside the door.

" I will collect them, run them through the dishwasher, and return them."

To outside the door where the guests leave them.

So not only do they buss their tables, stack the dishes and carry them outside but then they have to carry them inside and restock the shelves. Seems like a lot of work when all they needed to do was grab a paper plate and then throw it away when they’re done, don’t you think? And wouldn’t extra paper cups and plates be more useful when they want to use dishes at midnight? Or do they wait until morning when the fresh dishes are delivered?

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Rolf, I’m not sure what your issue is here. Personally I dislike using disposable utensils and dishware. I assume many people are the same. Ecologically speaking, using regular dishware and washing it is better than using disposable. Perhaps younger people are not aware of that?

The room is set up for one single person or a couple. There are at least 4 of everything, but more often 8 re: dishes, glassware, and cutlery. So they won’t run out of dishes and cutlery after just one meal, or probably even 2 meals.