The Airbnb marketplace is increasingly competitive, with over 6.6 million active listings vying for guests’ attention. As a host, providing an exceptional and distinctive experience in your property is crucial to stand out from the competition. The key to doing so is constantly updating and maintaining your Airbnb essential checklist to ensure your guests have the best possible experience in your pad.
Exceptional guest experience is critical to securing the glowing positive reviews that help your property listing rank higher on the Airbnb platform. This entails going beyond providing only the bare essential household amenities and items to include facilities to impress your guests.
The goal is to get your guests to choose your property over the properties in your area, including hotel rooms. To help you be fully prepared for hosting, I’ve compiled this comprehensive room-by-room inventory checklist that covers all the essentials.
The Ultimate Airbnb Essential Checklist
5-Star Airbnb Host Essentials
Today, the lines separating the hotels and short-term rentals are loosely blurred. For this reason, creating a 5-star guest experience is becoming the norm for vacation rental property owners and managers. The stiff competition in the hospitality industry requires hosts to go beyond providing basic amenities to attract and retain guests.
The 5-star host essentials are “the must-have” things to start your hosting business journey. As a host and guest to other Airbnb owners, I always envision the items I would love to have in a property for it to earn glowing reviews. Visualizing myself as the target visitor helps me provide 5-star worthy items for my guests to ensure they’ve a memorable stay at my pads. Here are some of the must-have general items:
- Furniture (relevant for all rooms)
- Appliances (appropriate for each room)
- Electronics (TV, DVD player, etc.)
- Kitchenware (plates, utensils, cookware)
- Bedding (sheets, pillowcases, blankets)
- Towels (bath, hand, face)
- Linens (tablecloths, placemats)
- Curtains or blinds (for all windows)
- Decorative items (as necessary)
Airbnb Bedroom Essential Checklist
The centrepiece of any luxurious hotel room is always the bed. Its luxurious beddings – clean and fluffy pillows, soft and high-quality linen, and luscious comforters and mattresses – are all laid out neatly to create a warm, welcoming tone for an ultimate restful night.
The bedroom is the ultimate destination for guests who desire a fantastic and well-deserving night’s sleep. Investing in high-quality beds and bed linens goes a long way to assure your visitors of a memorable experience.
Besides the standard bedroom provisions, including a bed, bedding, and a place to store away clothes and bags, you must pay close attention to the bedroom atmosphere. Creating a warm and welcoming bedroom environment helps further the guest experience.
Here is our recommended Airbnb bedroom essential checklist:
- High-quality mattresses, mattress covers, and topper
- Bed linens (sheets) and pillows
- Duvet and duvet covers
- Bedroom décor – wall artwork, painting
- Dresser, closet, clothing racks or shelves
- Clothe hangers (for shirts, pants, and skirts)
- Bedside furniture (table, nightstand, drawers)
- Shades/curtains for privacy and blocking daylight
- Air conditioner, heater, fan (depending on location or season)
Airbnb Bedroom upgrades for Pro-hosts
- High-quality and luxurious bedding
- Smart TV set (with streaming services such as Netflix or Apple TV)
- Electrical outlets for charging portable devices -phones, laptops, and tablets
- Extra linen, pillows, and blankets (as necessary)
- Bedside reading lamp
- Bedroom convenient chair
- Artwork/ wall décor
- Full-length mirror
- Tissues
- Candles
Airbnb Kitchen Essential Checklist
For most vacationers, particularly foodies or culinary travellers, one of the driving reasons for choosing short-term vacation premises over standard hotel facilities is the option to exploit their own culinary adventure, cook their own meals, and try new recipes. The reason for this could range from cutting on food expenses, dietary restrictions, or for fun.
A well-equipped kitchen is an attraction in itself. Stocking your kitchen with essential items is just a start, but you can provide various facilities to meet diverse guests’ interests.
Here is the Airbnb kitchen essential checklist
- Electric water kettle
- Coffee and tea essentials
- Sharp/quality knives
- Cooking utensils/cookware
- Cutlery – cups, dishes, mugs, glasses
- Mixing bowls and strainers
- Quality food pots and pans (preferably different sizes)
- Oven mitts, trivets, and kitchen towels
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Utensils drying rank,
- Cooking oils
- Essential cleaning supplies (all-purpose cleaners, washing soap and sponges, broom)
- Trash cans and garbage bags
- Measuring cups and spoons
Airbnb Kitchen essential upgrades for Pro-hosts
- Wine glasses and wine opener
- Microwave
- Food spices – salt, pepper, and relevant spices
- Paper towels and napkins
- Tupperware for food storage
- Dishwasher
- Coffee maker
- Eating area and chairs
- Toaster
- Cookware and bakeware
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Airbnb Bathroom Essential Checklist
The bathroom is integral to your guests’ overall impression of your short-term vacation rental. The state of your bathroom sets the tone for guests’ experience in your pad. Most visitors expect to find some basic and familiar amenities in the bathroom. Here is our checklist for Airbnb bathroom essentials.
- Hand soap and body wash
- Hairdryer
- Wastebasket
- Nonslip bath mat (absorbent and machine-washable)
- Toiletries (Toilet paper, toothbrushes, hand soap and body wash, shampoo, conditioner)
- Disposable toothbrush
- Disposal razors
- Air refresher
- Bath towels
- Makeup removal towels
- Hair dryer
- Instructional signs
Airbnb Bathroom Essential Upgrades for Pro-hosts
- High-quality luxury bathrobes
- Magnified makeup mirror
- Slippers
- Spa quality toiletries
- Feminine products
- Clothing iron
- Washing machine
- Dryer/ drying rack
- Towel warmer
Airbnb Livingroom Essential Checklist
For most vacationers, the common areas are where life happens. People spend much time in these areas watching movies, relaxing, chatting about their experiences, and even playing indoor games. As an Airbnb host, your ideal guest persona will help determine how to furnish and stock your common areas.
Depending on the type of visitors you are seeking to attract to your pad, the common areas, both indoor and outdoor, will help define their choices. This is why it is critical to understand the guests you tend to host on your property, regarding their age, preferences, and family status. Here are our Airbnb living room essential checklist recommendations:
- Furniture (chairs or couch, end table or coffee table
- Area rug
- Coffee table
- Entertainment center or TV stand
- Flat-screen (Smart TV) with streaming services Netflix, Hulu, or Apple TV
- Wi-fi
- Lamps
- Air conditioner/ fan/heater, where appropriate
- Decorative items (wall art, indoor plants, paintings)
Airbnb Living Room Essential Upgrades for Pro-hosts
- Arcade-types games (pool, foosball, or air hockey)
- Cards
- StayFi (offers reliable Wi-Fi and collects your guests’ email addresses)
- Home theatre
- Blankets, throw pillows
- Desk/workstation (with pens and papers)
- Books/current magazines
- Recliner
- Children’s toys (for family hosts)
- Fun seating options (bean bags, swings, or rockers)
Airbnb Outdoor Essential Checklist
The outdoor amenities depend on whether your property has a yard, porch, deck, or patio. For pads in the countryside, away from the urban bustling environment, you can improve the outdoor space to provide an additional extra-ordinary experience for your guests.
Again, like the indoor common areas, the features of your outdoor space will depend on the type of guests you seek to attract to your property. Here are our recommended items to improve your visitors’ outdoor experience.
- Welcome mat
- Patio furniture (Outdoor chairs and tables)
- String lights
- Outdoor grill (if applicable)
- Landscaping or outdoor décor
- Lawn games (corn holes, bocce ball set)
- Swimming pool
- Lounge chairs
- Sunscreen
- Pool toys and rafts
- Pool/beach towels
Airbnb Safety and Security Checklist
Your property’s safety and security is paramount to your guests. As an Airbnb host, you must prioritize the safety of your visitors and let them know you always have their back. You can do this by ensuring you have safety measures on your property. Here is our recommended Airbnb safety and security checklist.
- Smoke detectors
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Keyless entry system
- Smart lock or Lockbox for guest self-check-in and out
- Fire extinguisher
- Noise monitoring software
- First aid kit (mostly overlooked essential item)
- Emergency contacts (provided in an accessible location)
- Wi-Fi thermostat
- Security camera (if applicable)
- Signs for your guests
Airbnb Cleaning Supplies Checklist
Cleaning supplies are handy items to include in your property checklist. However, you won’t need to stock these items if you use professional cleaning teams to do your regular Airbnb turnovers. Here are our recommended essential Airbnb cleaning items to include in your pad
- Vacuum cleaner
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop and bucket
- Air fresheners
- Gloves
- Paper towels
- Cleaning products (cleaning spray, detergent)
- Trash bags
- Trash cans
For hosts that allow pets, you may need additional pet-specific cleaning supplies to ensure your guests and their pets have a fantastic experience on your property.
Conclusion
Airbnb hosting is about providing guests with the best and most memorable experience, earning their trust and positive reviews. Creating a lasting first impression is the key to securing repeat hosting business and referrals. When guests have a remarkable time in your pad, they are more likely to return or refer some of their friends to your property.
Using these Airbnb essential checklists will ensure you provide all the amenities that would guarantee a comfortable stay for your visitors in your space. As an Airbnb host, using the checklist will help you ensure all items in your property are accounted for and in good condition before and after each guest stay. This will help you maintain the quality of your property and provide a consistent experience for guests. Feel free to customize this checklist based on the specifics of your property.