We’ve been going through our property making lists of things that we must have for our next Airbnb listing. It helps us keep track of things, and posting them on here hopefully will help you. After our Airbnb bathroom essentials post, we figured we’d move into the bedroom. Let’s dive into some must haves and some things to try when it comes to furnishing bedrooms in your Airbnb.
Note: As we like to do, we include a full list of everything we think should go into the bedroom of an Airbnb. If you don’t like all the explanations, feel free to skip down to the complete list!
Our Must Haves
These are items that you shouldn’t skip out on. There will of course be exceptions, but in our opinion this is what should always be included as well as recommendations for each.
Bed
This one could probably go without saying, except we want to share with you our experience. We have been using the ZINUS 12 Inch Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress we purchased on Amazon. As of late April 2024 there are over 150,000 ratings with an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars. We bought two, one for each room at our property. And we’ve gotten many reviews saying that guests loved the feel. Because of that, we’d highly recommend it.
What isn’t necessarily optional but kind of makes sense to be is a bedframe. Pick out something nice that matches the room!
Lighting
Guests have to have a way to see to get to the bed! There were fans installed in both of our rooms, so it made this aspect fairly easy. However, we also added bedside lamps for guests who wanted some less harsh lighting. The ones we got have multiple temperatures that switch with the pull cord. They also have USB charging ports, which brings us to the next item:
Easy Access To Charging
Ever have to charge your phone across the room? Pretty frustrating. Now some of you don’t sleep with your phone in the room, but for most of us it seems like a necessity to have a charger by the bed. Late night scrolling, not wanting to get up to plug your phone in. It may not be the best habit but it’s one we currently partake in and give the option to guests as well. We would recommend having at least outlets nearby, or a fancier option (see the last item).
Black Out Curtains
If you’ve got any windows in the bedroom pointing to the east, it’s likely a great idea to incorporate black out curtains into your design. Some guests like to sleep in, and it’s really hard to do that with the sun beaming into the bedroom. Another option is blinds, but make sure they can fully block sunlight!
Clothing Storage
After thinking about this one for quite a bit, we wanted to expand from “dressers” to just clothing storage in general. Because we’ve stayed in some very nice Airbnbs that don’t have dressers in the bedroom. And we don’t feel it’s necessary. But it is nice to offer some form of clothing storage. That could be a dresser, or it could be a closet system. Whatever you decide, make sure guests can put up their clothes if they choose to do so!
Full Body Mirror
We really felt that a mirror was a must have. It is very important in our own bedroom for getting ready and we felt that it would help guests out just the same. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but we do recommend one that allows guests to view their full body. And it doesn’t have to break the budget either; ours was roughly $40 and looks great! A smaller mirror for say fixing makeup is okay, but guests can also just do that in the bathroom. Having a full body mirror allows them to see how their outfits look for example. It’s a small item for big potential satisfaction.
Things To Try
We hope that so far you’re thinking a bit differently about Airbnb bedroom essentials. Yes, the bed is obvious, but you really can play around with the design and what you include in the bedroom. We’ve been doing our research on top earning properties as well as making note of things from our own experiences and have made a list of things we want to incorporate into future projects. Here they are!
Seating
If you’ve got the room, we recommend putting a chair or two in the bedroom. This is a great accent piece that allows guests to take a second to chill in their own space without having to lay on the bed. Bonus points if you can add a small table and lamp for a cozy reading experience.
Plants
Plants really liven a place up. They are great accent pieces and also help get some fresh air inside your property. If you do opt for plants, make sure you find someone who will water them on a regular basis. The bedroom can also be dark at times (especially if you took our advice of black out curtains), so be sure to get plants that need little sunlight to thrive. A good example of this is the snake plant.
TV
We had some issues with this one. We personally don’t have a TV in our bedroom, so we didn’t think that we needed one in the bedrooms of our Airbnb. We received a few comments about not having one in there. I think it’s one of those things where it’s better to have it so guests CAN use it rather than not have it and be upset about it.
Side note: we actually had a guest ask if they could bring their own TV to the property (and they did end up bringing one!). That was when we realized that it was pretty important to some guests. So definitely put this up on the list of things to consider.
General Decorations
Don’t leave the bedrooms bland! Fill the walls with pictures or other art pieces, add an accent rug, or even additional furniture. If the space is big enough consider creating separate sections of the bedroom for things such as a reading area or maybe even a work desk. Give the room some life! The items above are just the essentials, so don’t stop there!
The Full List
As we try to do with all of our posts with shopping lists, we’ve included the full list down below without all the explanations. If you have questions for why we included something feel free to hop back up and check out the corresponding description!
Must Haves
- Bed – includes the mattress and frame. Our suggestion for the mattress: the ZINUS 12 Inch Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress (link to Amazon)
- Lighting – lamps, ceiling fans, etc. Let your guests see!
- Easy charging – have an outlet or cable nearby for guests to be able to charge their phones bedside
- Black out curtains (or heavy blinds)
- Clothing storage – closet, dressers, or combination of both
- Full body mirror
Things To Try
- Seating – give guests a place to sit besides on the bed
- Plants – can be faux but real plants are great for refreshing the air
- TV – some guests like to watch in bed, so don’t forget about trying this one!
- General decorations – in addition to the items above, give your bedrooms some life!
Make It A Place Worth Sleeping
No matter what you decide to do design-wise, it’s always a good idea to make the bedrooms a peaceful place to sleep. Sure you can have some wacky, fun, or unique designs that help stand out, but make sure you include those essentials that guests will greatly appreciate as well. After all, a guest getting great sleep can lead to some great reviews!