@konacoconutz I think you should get a guest book. It encourages “note leaving.” And I think it helps promote good reviews.
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I have one! This is from the guest book. It’s loose leaf! 
I have a ginormous pile of them…
I leave them in the room so other guests can read how much their predecessors LOVED me!
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Based on your irritation that your one baking dish, made of pyrex, was damaged, I would have assumed that you were much less well-equipped. However, you do need to have something to bake savory items in. May I suggest a gratin dish [an Emile Henry at Marshalls/TJMaxx runs about $8] or a stoneware casserole, a small dutch oven [Lodge is great, but probably something easier to clean is better for a rental unit,] an 8x8x2 baking dish in case someone wants to make brownies or pull apart rolls, and an aluminum tart part if you get people from Europe. Total investment should be around $30, especially if you shop at some place like Marshalls where you can get seconds at a huge discount.
I don’t think a mixer is expected, though I would be thrilled to find one, and I always carry my smaller scale with me when traveling. No one has one of those! These last two items make no sense if you are getting guests who only stay for 3-4 days.
Well it was one of a set. I still have the smaller one. My irritation was based more on the idea that the guest broke it and didn’t tell me. So when I went to clean for a new guest it was too late to replace it. I did just go to Ross and I found another one for $5.49. So it’s not the cost, it is just the principle of the matter… know what I mean? As someone else here mentioned to break something and not fess is no different than stealing. Also the local Habitat Restore had decent cookware so I was able to replace it easily enough but I am irritated at the guest for simply not telling me. If she had I wouldn’t have charged her anything. But the pan just disappeared from my house with no explanation. Not cool.
Most of my guests prefer to BBQ. I really need to focus on getting a new Q, this one I have is about shot.
I think only one guest in hundreds and hundreds have made brownies or cakes.
I’ll look for the gratin dish next time I am out… although… it is another breakable item and wouldn’t fit Mearns’ definition of “industrial strength.”
As you say, you know your target guests better than I do. However, if I knew that a kitchen was well-equipped, I would be more likely to rent it for my vacation. If I knew there was a baking dish, I might buy some flour etc while I was at the supermarket. It sounds like you are some distance to the market, so perhaps people would have bought a brownie mix if they had known that this was an option.
Not important of course… but I do think it is a selling point to a self-catered studio.
You have a point! …
Most important things but not in rank order, they can be switched around depending on the combo.
- close to what or who I want to see. I don’t want to spend an hour of my day getting to and from my destination.
- private bathroom
- clean bed and bathroom. I’f I’m not going to be putting naked body parts on it I’m not picky. So dust on the ceiling fan or even a dirty-ish kitchen wouldn’t matter if the price was low.
- If it’s a holiday rental things like uniqueness, luxury, outdoor space or view would be important.
- If it’s in a hot place I must be cool at night to sleep so A/C or fans or windows that open. If I am stopping for the night on a trip proximity to the travel route is #1
- I’d like to feel safe.
- Quiet
An airbnb is much less likely to be targeted than a hotel in a terror attack.
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Even though I host a private room/private bath with shared living room and kitchen, I would never rent that type of place, I like my space and privacy way too much 
I’m also not the type to venture into any kind of metropolitan area via airbnb, I actually avoid metro areas at all costs, but sometimes such travel is necessary for my other businesses, in which case, it’s just easier to find a Marriott, I just feel safer that way.
For my personal vacations, It would be, not necessarily in this order:
-Location–which for me means I want privacy and quiet.
-Wifi is an absolute must, (if I want an off the grid vacation I can just go pitch a tent around the corner!)
–Queen size or larger.
-Cleanliness-- listing photos are rather indicative as are reviews
-Bathroom must be modern and clean. I don’t think I would ever rent a place that did not show a photo of the bathroom.
–I would probably want access to a full size frig, stovetop, toaster.
–Host communication would probably sell me on one place over another. I know many hosts here have prepared messages to send in response, but I can usually spot a copy/paste and that would annoy me.
[Clearly I have too much time on my hands tonight. No guest!]
I understand your reluctance to “advertise” the kitchen, but there is something to be said for having a concise paragraph to add to your “respond to inquiry” message which outlines this offering, or if that feels like too much selling, as part of your “thank you for booking” message. People can be funny [as you might have been aware of during your umpteen years of hosting] and THINK that they will make poke, or grill tuna, or or or… and like to fantasize that this is what their vacation will be.
I, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t even inquire unless there was a sentence that stated “well equipped kitchen.”
Me too 
So far, I’m delighted to see that our rental is ticking all the boxes
Agree… I know it is a selling point… YET… even amongst ourselves today… we’ve had some discussion about what constitutes a fully equipped kitchen. My son thinks he has one in his dorm apartment, and I can tell you after a visit there on Sunday, my studio kitchen seems like Gordon Ramsey’s in comparison. 
I guess I am reluctant to push it as (truth told) I really don’t want people cooking… I actually really don’t? If any of the appliances ever broke, I would make it into a kitchenette with microwave and toaster oven, and I would probably get the same number of bookings.
If someone does have trouble deciding, I do tell them about the kitchen in a note, just in case it is a selling point that will push them over the edge.
Totally get this…
Though I have kitchen as one of my amenities, I have no pictures posted and mention in the listing that if they want to do more than use the microwave and toaster oven, we would need to negotiate HOW we could share the kitchen between 5-8 when I am preparing and cleaning up our dinner. I have at least 35 restaurants with a wide range of cuisines and price points within a 10 minute walk of the house, so no one has thought cooking was needed.
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I certainly would think twice if that was a case, travelling with several people. That is why I mention it in my listing, two bedrooms are connected with a door. Personally I would not like it!
Otherwise:
Price: Always on a budget…
Location: City break or a rural holiday, easy access whatsoever.
Cleanish is ok. Dust on the lamps, do not mind, clean bathroom, sheets and kitchen is a must.
Nice host!
Again depending on what type of break you are after, but a kettle, coffee and tea available is great.
Then again, the places to remember usually have more to it than that. Been to a few. The ones with a fire place, a nice back yard, the one with fresh herbs in the window sill, the one with coat of arms on the wall, the great view… something special. Could easily throw in some extra payment for some ambiance.
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Yes, good point. I have provided things like that in the kitchen, how spesific should one be in the description? In not too many words?
I think, as I suggested above to Kona, a simple one-line item with a general description of the kitchen works. And then, if someone likes me asks for more detail, you respond specifically to them. Obviously, this could be a saved message so you don’t have to type the specifics more than once, and then amend based on what that person indicates interests them.
So, if I asked about grilling items, you could only talk about tongs, platters, spatulas and mention that you keep Worcestershire and Soy sauce in the pantry, but no rubs, etc.
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To all of you who prefer a separate bathroom; I’m curious as to why. In my view a bathroom that is shared with the hosts will be cleaner and more well stocked. Every time we use it we check for areas that need to be cleaned and if the toilet paper is below 1/4 we put out a new roll.
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You’d have to try pretty hard to break an Emile Henry gratin dish. Pyrex on the other hand can be dangerous. I’m more cavalier about guests getting hurt than most posters here and I wouldn’t allow a guest to use Pyrex unsupervised. I have no faith that they understand thermal shock as many of them don’t even understand how to close a door without slamming it. Also, if Pyrex gets scratched it weakens and is more vulnerable to thermal shock. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell my husband to remove baked goods from the Pyrex pan prior to cutting them.
I like privacy, and so non-shared is always better in my book. That’s just a personal preference though. I also wouldn’t want to have to wait if the restroom was occupied, or make the host wait on me.
Same here.
I always travel alone. All I need is a comfy bed in a private room with it’s own entrance. I don’t want to rub elbows with the people in the house. I do that at home
My biggest need is QUIET, which isn’t always there in some places I’ve been, but it’s nice when it is.
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