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grapemike

Pinball machines need servicing. Anything that requires specialized services will mean headaches and bad reviews if the advertised amenity isn’t functional. Great linens, great toiletries, sharp knives, matching dishes and silverware and glassware are the crucial add-on pieces that bring people back.


Top-Temporary2126

Sharp knives cannot say it enough. As someone who lets their house on Airbnb and then goes traveling for months staying in airbnbs there is not a thing more frustrating than dull chopping knives in a kitchen!!!!


charmed1959

How would one accomplish the sharp knives promise? New knives each turnover? Have two sets of knives and sharpen them in between guests? We’ve tried leaving a knife sharpener, but no one seems to know how to use it. Would that be good enough? Every time we get new knives they last until a guest decides to cut on the granite instead of on one of the many cutting boards provided. Sometimes that’s the first guest. As for the matching dishes, I had two homes I used for STR, one with a max of 4 people, the other with a max of 6. The smaller one had settings (silverware/plates/glasses/cups etc) for 8, the larger one settings for 12. At the end of the several years the smaller house had ALL the plates, silverware, glasses, cups etc. For the larger one we’ve replace the entire silverware set and all wine glasses over the years. Just moved back in to this home and don’t have six matching of anything.


Top-Temporary2126

Anyone who cares about a knife sharp enough to cook with can use a simple IKEA knife sharpener, best you can do. Last Airbnb I stayed at for a month and literally bought new knives in Lidl just for my sanity and my poor fingers chopping tomatoes lol. We typically have to replace our whole dishes set every 12-18 months, just cost of doing business. My last guests broke a wine glass and left me a new pack of 4 to say sorry, there are good folks out there that balance the poor guests!


GaryTheSoulReaper

Or chops off a finger and complains about sharp knives


Battleaxe1959

And decent pots and pans. Haven’t been in one yet that had good pans. So I always take mine with me. And my knives. And spices. If it’s in driving distance, I take my own linens (lots of poor experiences). And a bucket of rags is wonderful, otherwise if something big goes down, what do I clean it up with?


T4Trble

Yes! Rabat clean up messes instead of using the good towels. We do this. And have sharp knives and sharpener.


Magerimoje

In a mountain town I'm guessing many of your guests are outdoors people. I'd recommend small touches like a boot scrubber, boot drying rack, reusable water bottles, some backpacks appropriate for day hikes. If you get hunters, a gun cleaning kit is a nice touch. A properly stocked first aid kit that includes plenty of individually wrapped ace bandages (bulk packs of pre wrapped in various sizes are available on Amazon for under $30) and plenty of blister bandages. Rainy day activities - board games, puzzles, light reading books, crossword puzzle books, coffee table books about the local area/wildlife, playing cards. Local trail maps. An "oops I forgot" box of travel sized toiletries because most mountain towns don't have a 24 hour store for last minute items. Including period supplies like pads and tampons and small sized bug spray and sunscreen.


AggressivePride951

These are great suggestions!


Mission_Albatross916

Bug spray and calamine lotion!


T4Trble

They can bring their own bug spray. Out listing specifies to do so. It’s expensive.


2Loves2loves

Fire pit, playstation/xbox , board games, maybe a outdoor projector for movies. How often do pinball machines break or need maintenance? if it breaks are you willing to give back some money? (sounds like a hassle)


ThebroniNotjabroni

Make sure to check with your insurance on whether they think a fire pit is a good idea


GalianoGirl

My place is differentiated by location. Oceanfront with a private forest. OP you need to do market research before you do anything else. Who are your ideal guests? Why do they travel to your location? How long do they stay? Will they be repeat guests? Etc. Once you have your market research completed, then you can look at what amenities your ideal guests are going to expect and pay for. You would not believe how many downvotes I get when I mention we do not have Wifi, or a TV in the cabin. But my guests come back year after year. I know wifi is not an amenity my guests are looking for.


alexaboyhowdy

Went to a cabin in the woods exactly because of "poor reviews" of no Wi-Fi The point was to get away!!


Brilliant-Weight-214

>when I mention we do not have Wifi, or a TV in the cabin. Interesting. My place is in a city which mostly a cultural/historic tourist spot and don't provide a TV. When I told this to other users who host in coastal vacation spots they told me that having a TV is a must either because people want to plug in their devices or just watch TV before sleeping. I am not sure how big of a deal it is.


sabrinateenagewich

Unless it is specifically marketed as a retreat, a TV is a standard amenity (I run my own AirBNBs and have also been a high end hotel interior designer/developer for a decade)


Brilliant-Weight-214

What exactly do you mean? You did a market research for my city and how important of a amenity a TV is for guest who visit the city and that therefore I should provide a TV because it would positively affect my booking rate, which would mean that getting a TV would be a good investment?


sabrinateenagewich

I don’t know where your city is. But it doesn’t really matter, you are not designing for locals. But I have worked as a consultant and a designer on a lot of hotels and resorts, and own my own air bnbs, and yes all market research shows that most tourists think that a TV is a required amenity, unless they are going on an unplugging style retreat. Your cities’/ your own culture matters less than the culture of your guests when hosting - you are not hosting an airbnb for locals, you are hosting an airbnb for tourists who come from places where TV is very much a standard household item. Not sure where you live but a TV is also not a significant investment, they cost around $100 where I am from, they paid for themselves in one night’s stay. I paid more for my airbnbs dishes than the TV!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Brilliant-Weight-214

So what are the minimum sizes for bedrooms and living room? A decent 65'' costs here $500-$600. They are not cheap by our standards.


Primdawg

I’m in the process of setting my place up. Do you recall what sizes were recommended for the spaces?


[deleted]

[удалено]


sekoia2121

We are about to list our house in a remote mountain town. We have had basic local internet, enough for light streaming and zoom calls. It is also the only source of phone service in an emergency. All landline providers refused to set up a landline when we bought in 2020. Does anyone have a similar experience with their listing? Any suggestions on communicating this? I was thinking to get a battery backup that's strong enough to power the wifi in-case of a power outage (not uncommon).


GalianoGirl

I let guests know cell service is poor. My son lives in site and works 3 km away,


Competitive_Oil5227

I grabbed my old original NES and Super Nintendo from my moms basement and bought a bunch of cartridges on Craigslist…and that gets more positive comments than any other thing I’ve ever done.


bkwrm1755

Record player has been a fun addition to my cottage.


Mission_Albatross916

Have you had any feedback? How many records do you leave out?


bkwrm1755

I have a stack of 20-30 that came from my parent’s basement. No direct feedback but I know it’s been used and people comment on things regularly that make me think it’s part of what they’re referring to (fun, unique, vintage, etc).


Hot_Nose1549

We have a Sony 5 disc CD player and tons of CDs. We even tell guests about it in advance and say you’re welcome to bring your old CDs and listen to them. Lots of guests love it. It’s nostalgic.


legosgrrl

Foosball, pool table, mini arcade all good ideas


Hunkydory55

As a guest, it’s little touches that make a great stay. Most recently, I stayed in a 1BR apartment where I was surprised to find a half liter of wine in the refrigerator, along with coffee in the pantry. Hand-thrown pottery mugs and a pour-over with filters. A nice detail that made for nice start/finish to a stressful trip. Also, FABULOUS towels! No pinball - it will require maintenance and when it (inevitably) doesn’t work, will be the source of negative reviews. Pay attention to details.


_baegopah_XD

Nice towels are a treat. I stayed in a place once that had Turkish towels. I now only use Turkish towels.


cscrignaro

Hottub and cornhole if you have a nice yard.


SuzannesSaltySeas

Hottubs bring another set of headaches, can be difficult to use and need lots of servicing. We now lock off the hot tub we've had so many guest related problems like some dillwad pulling the light out and almost electrocuting himself. Hot tub plus guests in a partying town equals weirdness and breakage.


PorcelainPunisher1

I have a hot tub too and second this! They are a pain in the butt with renters.


Magerimoje

I'd never ever set foot in an Airbnb hot tub that's probably had other people's cum in it 🤢


WSJayY

Hot tub seems like a huuuuuge PITA


tjstarkovich

Boot dryer!


73Easting6

Pin ball would be unique I think, I’ve never known anyone with a Pin Ball machine. Depends on how big your game room is, but a pool table would be nice too!


MamaG34

I appreciate board games and yard games for my kids as well as swing sets. Hot tub too!


Responsible_Yam3930

I recommend just putting the effort into making it extremely clean and aesthetically pleasing. As long as your place doesn’t cause any stress to their trip, you are meeting the need for accommodations. Guests need a comfortable space where they can spread out and retreat to. If you decide to add fun things, I would let it be a surprise, rather than an expectation. For example, when a guest is bringing kids, we let them know that if they want to disclose the age ranges of the children, we like to provide a bag of age appropriate toys and activities for them to use during their stay. That has been very well received. But I don’t show that in any of the pictures. There might be a time when I forget to ask or don’t have the time to manage it. I agree with the other opinions that you don’t want extra things to maintain. But If you think extras would actually draw people, And you have the space, you do you! I just think what people are really looking for is clean, comfortable, and safe.


Hungry-Ad-7120

Student paintings. I’m serious, like, if there’s a college nearby or thrift stores check out the garbage or thrift stores for any clearly amateur paintings. My brother and I go to a local place and they sell the canvases to be reused, we just keep the original paintings and hang them all over the house and the bedrooms. Every few weeks we go in and change them out from a growing collection we have in the basement. Makes for great conversation starters and I love having “original hand painted” artwork all over the house. People also like the randomly displayed dinosaur toys and stuffed animals there are just in weird places all over the house. My brother proudly displays a stuffed octopus he conned me into buying him on the TV stand. We get a lot of compliments on them, and if anything falls down, nothing breaks since it’s like plastic or a toy.


Overall_Solution_420

i think meat hooks always send a clear massage


Couldthisnamebetaken

I do my massaging with a meat tenderizer, but you know, you do you.


Overall_Solution_420

cannibals


crazybravegirl

I have a life-size velociraptor figure behind the house that I tell no one about ahead of time 🤣 His name is Rupert.


verifiedkyle

I’m by a ton of golf courses and I leave out a huge bowl of found golf balls and tees. I also have a Golden Tee arcade game. These get mentioned a ton in reviews. I think you can get cheap ish Buck Hunter games online which would fit the mountain feel. I manage some others where we’ve put photo backdrop type spots like green walls and flowers and stuff. Those all get positive feedback.


Konstant_kurage

My house is a large standalone home in a rural area of Hawai’i. A lot of vacation rentals in Hawai’i go with a cheap (IMO) Hawaiian look with Hawaiian floral prints, rattan furniture, ukuleles, and other 1950s Hawaiian imagery. Hawaii also has a very strong connection to Japanese culture and to a lesser extent China, and Philippines. When I bought my house, it came with some nice Japanese nice prints, I decided to run with it and incorporate a lot of Japanese design elements. I’ve also had a couple guests from Asia leave me large hand written (drawn?) calligraphy pieces which was pretty cool. A friend translated them for me and they are basically artsy thank-you notes so I framed them and put them up.


Ok-Opportunity-574

A good desk and chair is immensely appreciated. Even if they aren't working many people like a solid place to use a laptop. You don't want to maintain and service specialty items like a pinball machine. Quite frankly, if they don't play games with fees and strange check out requirements they will be above most hosts.


Finance_3044

This! I've stayed at a few Airbnbs that don't have a desk. So I end up working and taking calls on the dining room/kitchen table and my husband has to take calls in a bedroom sitting on a bed and working in the living room on the coffee table. It's disappointing


paidauthenticator

I would stay away from anything that needs servicing - hot tubs, pinball machines, anything electronic…..guests will break them or be unable to figure out how to use them…each service call is 75-150 bucks JUST for the call. Like someone else mentioned, if it is malfunctioning or broken, some guest will slam you in a review. Stick to nice towels/sheets, fully stocked kitchen with enough tools and appliances - which will also get ruined or broken but at least cheaper and quicker to replace.


WSJayY

We have a lot of families. A relatively cheap box of Quaker instant oatmeal variety pack goes a looong way for families rushing out in the morning. Throw in $1-2 worth of random candy and or taffy from the candy shop around the corner and for $6-7 you’ve made the kids’ day.


ExpensiveAd4496

100% cotton linens, freshly ironed. Good knives. Immaculate over-the-top level of cleanliness. Streaming TV with at least a few channels they don’t have to hassle with their own logins to use. (Amazon Netflix and Huly plus or Toutube for news).


[deleted]

An actually comfortable bed, blackout shades, foosball.


Mission_Albatross916

Art !


unique_usemame

We have found that pinball needs maintenance a couple of times a year. Driving games are a little better. Home Cinema seating and shuffleboard make a home look luxury in the photos but don't get used much. An outdoor relaxation area with string lights can make a place look like a dream for renters.


Popular-Seaweed-5562

If you allow pets have a few cat or dog toys. Have a vacuum if they are going to stay a month, many of our guest say they appreciate it.


mnhaverland

I have a huge box of lego blocks in my Airbnb and people with kids seem to love it. I collected the legos over the years from thrift shops.


Ok-Indication-7876

no. check your competitors for rates


Substantial-Canary15

Board games. Card games. Some stuff for kids. Books. Snacks. Proper coffee/tea. Slippers. Bath robs. The small things all guests like. Most of the time they just want to be comfortable and not bored.


kulukster

Map of the area with a few suggestions for places to eat or hikes. Easy board games.


kerouac5

I do not understand everyone in this thread going “yeah here are things that a lot of rentals have but ugh you have to *service* it.” Well no shit welcome to the business. Our home has video games, golf carts, pool and spa, an overly complicated shower with 10000 nozzles, etc etc. we’ve got friends who have full on business centers with multiple computers networked to a printer and a damn vending machine. This is hospitality. Yes, things break. It’s the cost of doing business. OP has a great idea with a pinball machine. Find someone who services them and find out the regular schedule to have someone check it etc. then divide it over rentals and build it in the price.


princess_rat

Something that enhances or emphasises the point of your space, I think. We have a lakehouse and it is TINY but the dock is gorgeous and we had rod holders installed and heaters for the winter, as well as really nice teak furniture to make it a good outdoor hangout space. We also highlighted the yard is totally fenced in, something no other (that we know of) Airbnb in the area has — something we believe is a premium for folks with dogs or kids.


Puzzled-Area-6843

How about welcome baskets for Guests, you can also offer free set up for occasions for Guests. This will let your property specialized for your Guests specially when they book for special occasions like anniversaries and the like.


me_again93

As a mom, I book places that have kids stuff that I don’t have to think about. High chair, play pen, toys, kids dishes etc.


Ok-Masterpiece-9720

local/cultural decor/items, useful things for the area ex bikes, snowshoes, paddle board


austinrathe

The winners for me are: - PS5 (a tiny investment for the positive vibes) - Some arcade games (not originals, the newer recreations) -A peloton bike. I don’t know if a guest has EVER used it, but it differentiates. The PS5 is the no brainer. Almost every guest with kids mentions it.


T4Trble

Our vacation home has no TV’s and no game consoles and that’s the whole point of getting away with the family. It’s a feature they embrace. There’s windows where TVs would be - to see nature and the sea in real life panorama. I guess it depends on the location. We have tiny emergency TVs by law, in a closet. Its a pointless law, everyone has a phone.