These Airbnb Essentials Create A Luxury Home Stay Experience

I really enjoy finding the perfect Airbnb or vacation rental home when we travel with extended family.

It allows more freedom to hang out with your travel companions and it provides a much more unique experience than a chain hotel.

However, there are some things that the owners of these rentals often overlook that would make their homes a much more luxurious and special place to stay.

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Of utmost importance is cleanliness.

I look at reviews for that. I used to assume all rentals were clean. Ha! Was I wrong about that!

We rented one, rather expensive place by the beach in LA one year. It was just dirty. The walls, floors, windows, ugh!

While the location was ideal, the grime in that place made me not want to touch anything! On top of that, the a/c wasn’t really functioning and LA was having a heat wave of 90 degree weather!

That brings me to my next requirement, A/C.

I’m from Texas and we don’t mess around when it comes to relying on the weather being perfect. We make sure there is a quality A/C unit available if need be, especially after I made that mistake of not verifying that once before!

If you own an Airbnb and don’t have central air, please consider a mini split air conditioner unit like this, below.

Pioneer mini split air conditioner keeps a room cool in summer and warm in winter.

I’m having this installed in my new office that is being built out in my garage. I’ve been assured that it will keep my new space cool and comfortable.

I will set the thermostat and it will be regulated by itself. It has heat too! The small horizontal unit will be mounted up high on the wall, and the condenser outside. It will all be controlled with the remotes. (A far cry from a window unit!)

After those two requirements, along with getting the dates, location, number of rooms, etc. needed, I look for these items too, when searching for a good Airbnb rental.

Airbnb Beds & Bedding

There is nothing more important for making your guests feel comfortable than making the bed top priority. A quality mattress with pristine sheets, pillows, cases, and extra blankets or duvets really make someone feel pampered and special.

One of the first images I look for in a listing are the bedrooms, to see what the beds look like.

If they have wildly patterned covers or bright colors, I tend to think they are hiding soil and stains. I prefer white or off-white so I will know if the bedding is clean.

I love plain, light colored bedding on a bed in an Airbnb.

Airbnb Bed

This new brand, Avocado Mattress, has organic, natural materials, is Green Guard Gold Certified (have you ever been in a room when a new foam mattress was off-gassing?), and is getting great reviews for comfort and a good night’s sleep!

Plus, they’re having a sale now through June 17th!

Did I mention it is shipped condensed, in a box, so it is super simple to order online?

Any of these items, below, would make up a beautiful bed for a guest.

I like the light, plain coloring. It doesn’t have to be bright white, but at least, with a light solid color, you can see if the bedding is properly cleaned. That helps me relax. :-)

We had these sheets from Target in one of the airbnb properties we stayed in and they were really comfortable.

Casaluna sheets from Target were nice on the beds of one of the airbnb properties we stayed in. carlaaston.com

Easy to use coffee machine

I recently stayed in a hotel with a fancy espresso coffee maker and I never got the hang of it, even though I swear I followed the directions with my squinty eyes first thing in the morning!

I even ended up breaking a cup accidentally, by setting the cup in the wrong place (although it was directly under the spout)!

I was so frustrated every morning and not that awake, since I didn’t get my morning cup right off the bat!

After that hotel stay, I really appreciated the fact that our Airbnb we stayed at had both a fancy espresso maker AND a regular old drip coffee maker.

We set up the drip for first thing in the am, and then got adventurous when we needed an afternoon hit of caffeine, later in the day when coffee wasn’t SUCH an emergency. :-)

A simple plunger pot or pour over is also nice to have for those that like strong coffee or want to brew their own at a different time of day. They’re easy to clean and inexpensive to have around.

Airbnb kitchen basics

Breakfast at our Airbnb in Sonoma

Okay, you might not need to prepare a full 5 course meal, but a nice breakfast or a cheese plate or two might be in order, like we made at our Airbnb stay in Sonoma. (Still dreaming about that place.)

And you’ll likely need some wine glasses, a corkscrew, cutting boards, a good set of knives and some decent cookware that isn’t from the sale bin at the local dollar store.

Cooking with cheap cookware that your food sticks to isn’t fun!

We never fail to make a charcuterie tray at some point, for game night or just snacking outside.

Breakfast at one airbnb we stayed in featured fresh berries and special coffees.

We did a Thanksgiving dinner at a Texas hill country airbnb, pics below, and were so grateful for all the cooking utensils, dinnerware, serveware and cookware that they had on hand.

While this kitchen seemingly had everything, (they even had a hand mixer which I was glad to have for mashed potatoes) they didn’t have a really large heavy frying pan. The biggest one was rather on the small side.

If people are cooking breakfast or whatever, they are usually cooking for everyone in the house. A large cast iron skillet is a good idea to have on hand.

Utensils at an airbnb we stayed in during Thanksgiving. Perfect for the big meal we prepared!

Good knives, a toaster oven, and plenty of dishes and glassware help guests make themselves comfortable in a vacation rental property or STR.

In almost every Airbnb we stay in, they have one of these Brita water dispensers in the fridge. It’s very handy and we always use it.

Here are some beautiful basics, similar to what we have enjoyed using at Airbnb rentals in the past. I love that the cookware is stackable and space saving. Perfect for a small kitchen!

Comfortable stain resistant seating for airbnb living rooms

I loved the woven leather wicker chairs in the dining room of the Sonoma Airbnb. They were comfortable and paired with the benches, the dining area could seat quite a few people. Having that flexibility is good.

These days, performance fabrics like Crypton, make it easy for upholstery to look fresh and clean all the time. Buying quality construction in your seating will pay off in the long run.

Airbnb Extras

A few nice extras that our host provided us in the home were an extra iPhone charger, luggage racks, and fresh flowers (try a subscription service for regular deliveries).

Hotel size toiletries are an extra touch that does not go unnoticed. carlaaston.com

Nice hotel-size toiletries are always appreciated too, especially when they smell good. :-)

Airbnb Outdoor

At our last airbnb we stayed at, there was a big fabulous hot tub. We’re going skiing this next winter too, and there will be one in that rental as well.

Fabulous outdoor space in a Texas hill country airbnb, with a hot tub, firepit, hammock and outdoor kitchen. carlaaston.com

In that case, and if there is pool, you will need big towels and plastic drinkware, so people can take their drinks outside without fear of breakage in the pool or tub.

We caught ourselves walking out to the hot tub with wine glasses and changed to the plastic wine glasses the owner had provided. You never know who will tip over a glass!

Check out more of my posts about luxury vacation rentals below.

Design features, tips and products to take your short term rental property to the next level! Luxury rentals are where it is at in the Airbnb, VRBO and vacation rental game.

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