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I’ve posted here today that in 2024, I’ve stayed in a total of seventeen rentals advertised on Airbnb.
Most of these have been wonderful but even the very best of them have been missing one or two of what I’d call ‘essentials’.
So I thought it would be a good idea for us to list amenities that we offer, or that we’ve missed.
My first beef, which I’ve posted about here before, is coathangers. I’ve stayed in two-bedroom apartments which have had only two hangers per bedroom.
Another is inadequate cutlery. These are often a mis-matched set and are completely inadequate for use.
In fact, a lack of decent kitchen equipment is a frequent thing. No corkscrew??? That’s a total travesty.
Lighting has also been another problem in several places. Either the sitting room lights are too dim or there is a light at only one side of the bed.
So now we travel with an ‘Airbnb kit’ which includes a corkscrew (of course), a decent cooking knife, a few collapsible hangers, a battery-operated reading light as well as other stuff.
Of course, this is a good reason why every host should spend a few days in their rental to discover potential shortfalls.
I’ve never traveled as a guest, but I see a lot of listing photos with no reading lamps by the bed, as you mention. Some don’t even have bedside tables. Or the bedside table is cluttered with plants and decorations. Those would be a deal-breaker for me.
Also places where there are no cleaning supplies or even a broom and dustpan- it’s all locked away in the owner’s or cleaner’s closet.
There are 10 hangars in my solo guest room, which I figure is overkill. I don’t think more than one or two ever get used, as I usually find them all pushed to the end as I leave them. My guests mostly wear tee shirts, tank tops, shorts and little summer frocks that don’t get wrinkled.
I should probably add a full length mirror, but I’m not sure that would be useful to most of my guests, as they don’t get dressed up.
OMG - we stayed at a four-star resort recently which had a kitchen, and I spilled some ground coffee. Not a broom or small brush or dustpan or hand vacuum to be found. Really annoyed me - I didn’t want to kick the mess around or call for housekeeping and wait hours for someone to show.
Yes, I mentioned the broom and dustpan because I was installing some curtain rods and curtains in an upholstery client’s resort rental. I wanted to clean up the cement dust that was on the floor after drilling for the curtain supports, but no broom or dustpan to be found. When I told the property manager, he said, “Oh, that stuff is locked in the maid’s closet in the building’s hallway” as if that was perfectly logical.
Imagine if you had broken a glass and there were shards all over the floor instead of just coffee.
Actually, I did break a glass there, too. I used some paper towels wadded up to brush it as much as possible to the corner, and then we work our shoes in the kitchen until the housekeeper came the next morning.
Redundant USB ports. Redundant because some people want them bedside, others (esp on holiday) want them away from bedside. Some people use the desk a lot, others never go near it. Some people would like to charge device at end table while they watch a movie. We’ve even go it set up to put a charging phone at a guest’s fingertip while playing the upright piano.
I have stayed in about 25 Airbnbs. They average above 4.85 average and usually much closer to 5 because I won’t stay in one rated lower. The number one issue is poor lighting. Another issue I have are pillows. I like a flatter pillow and I sometimes have to take the pillowcase off and stuff clothes in it to make a pillow for myself. If driving I take a pillow though. I hate microfiber sheets, especially in hot locations or the summer. I don’t travel with my own sheets though. This is bothersome enough that I need to start or ask the host before I book. I’d also take a small power strip with usb along on a trip.
My number one pet peeve is something they must think is an amenity but it’s not: scented air products. If I can find them I remove them and put them outside the rental.
That said, almost every Airbnb was far better than what I could get in the same location for the money hotelwise.
It never even occurred to me to put a broom & dust pan…I will do that now. Do we really need to supply USB ports though, (I can provide, if it necessary, just feel that most travel with their own. For me, if Airbnb hosts use scented plug in’s, scented air products ect. it would be a no go, that stuff is is a huge turn off for me, plus it gives me a headache. In addition, microfibre or 100% polyester sheets, while I don’t inquire if hosts use these, I really dislike them as well. I don’t give bad reviews for any of these dislikes either, but wouldn’t stay twice.
Over the years we’ve stayed in at least a hundred AirBnbs in at least eight countries. As over-50 inveterate readers and glasses wearers, our biggest beef is lack of bedside tables and lights – on BOTH sides. Don’t push the bed up against one wall!! Clambering over each other to get in and out of bed is a deal breaker and low review maker for us.
Second is lack of bathroom shelf space for toiletries. Many rentals don’t have space for one person’s toiletry bag!!
Third is inadequate room lighting in living and kitchen spaces. A single 40 watt bulb in the ceiling of a 20’ x 20’ space in totally ridiculous.
You don’t have to supply USB ports for us, but if the whole rental has only one available outlet to plug our six devices into, that’s a real bad review as well.
I agree with KKC about soft pillows. Stop decorating with a dozen rock-hard pillows in shams and equally hard pillows!! They’re all going on the floor!! I too strip off a pillowcase and stuff it with clothes when I need to.
We also have a AirBnb travel kit which includes decaf coffee and tea, corkscrew, international outlet converter, pocket-size LED flashlight, some good quality reuseable-but-disposable cutlery, and a couple packets/mini-bottles of sauces and seasonings.
We provide some various reading glasses - in a drawer in the bathroom, as well as in a drawer in each bedroom labeled “Just In Case”. You can buy assortments for less than $2.50 / ea. if you want to leave multiple strengths, or do as we do - leave 2 pair, weak, and strong.
Whenever I see that in listing photos I immediately think and often see they are trying to cram a too-big bed in the space.
Yes, its nice to provide a king size bed for two people, but not if you have to push it up against the wall so one person has to climb over the other and has no bedside table and lamp.
My guest room could fit a double bed, but it would create that situation. So I only host one guest at a time with a single bed.
The problem is generally lack of adequate plugs. Older homes in particular tend to not have enough and often the single receptacle on a wall is behind the bed or other furniture. Sometimes one of the outlets is a switched outlet, with the one puny floor lamp plugged into it.
These are two things that will stop me from even renting a place so they wouldn’t result in markdowns on a review. The things that can’t be seen in pictures are what I have a problem with after I get there.
That said, I’ve rented such places when the price and location is right.
The #1 item that is removed from our rentals is…hangers. I suppose it is because we are a wedding destination, and so it is probably easier and faster to pack up a car with clothing on a hanger and just laying it all in the back of the car. We also inherit replacements of store hangers and cleaners hangers, but those have to be discarded due to size tags and whimpy metal.
Hangars are probably one of those things hosts have to consider to be a “consumable” amenity, somewhat like coffee or toilet paper, and check regularly that there are enough left for the next guest.
Guests likely assume that hangars are so inexpensive (although nice ones aren’t), that walking off with one or two is no big deal, they wouldn’t consider it stealing.
A space to dry a few wet clothes, equipped with hooks, is very important to me, yet it’s missing in most places.
Not having a spot to dry towels in the summer can be quite inconvenient.
Clothes hangers in the wardrobe are also essential; a minimum of three per person is usually enough for me.
Bathroom hooks are often missing as well.
Whether or not there’s a kitchen, I can’t do without a kettle for making coffee, so I always carry a small one with me.
I really appreciate places that provide an iron, ironing board, and hair dryer.
As someone who can be happy in a tent, the most important things are safety and a location that perfectly suits my needs. But the things I mentioned above can make the difference for a five star rating.
All of my bedside USB ports are actually an extension cord run from an inconveniently located wall outlet. I set the wire so the plug-in end pokes up between the wall and the furniture, and then plug in an adapter that offers all three USB types so overseas guests don’t have to fuss with AC adapters – they just plug their cable in. Same with desk ports… nobody has to get on their hands and knees and find the wall outlet.
even though desk and bedside are just a few steps apart I dom them both because some guests think the “normal” place to recharge is beside the bed, others think “normal” is at the desk, or on the end-table by the couch. Wherever “normal” is for them, I try to stay a step ahead of their needs and maximize “Boy… you really think of everything” compliments.
