Short-Term Rental Furniture: Furnishing Your Rental Property

short-term rental furniture
By The Hospitable Team

Looking to rent out your home or apartment on Airbnb and thinking about how to create a listing that stands out but have no idea about how to start?

To catch the attention of potential guests and maximize bookings, it’s essential to create a perfect home that will look clean, modern, and inviting. So you need to design and furnish your STR property for the best guest experience.

And that means you need to pick the best short-term rental furniture that will add personality and make your home warm and welcoming. Interior decor makes a significant impact, and not only on first impressions, but it also helps attract return guests and get great reviews.

Keep reading to learn some tips on how to furnish a vacation home taking into account financial considerations and popular demands from prospective guests.

You may also want to check out our Airbnb rental cleaning checklist that you can use during each changeover to make sure your property is ready for guests.

Things to Consider When Choosing Furniture for Rental Properties

Before you embark on furnishing your rental property, there are a few essential things to consider. Implementing these tips will help to keep you, as a host, organized and guide you in the right direction.

Create a checklist

Put pen to paper or bring up a notepad on your phone or tablet and make a checklist before you make any purchases.

First, you should write down all the furnishings that you already have—just make sure all your furniture is up to regular use. Then think about the basic items you definitely need to purchase to ensure that your property is fully functional.

After that, you should create a list of extras. These are nice-to-have items, such as decorative pieces, that you would like to buy as an added bonus as soon as the basics are covered, and more funds are available.

If you don’t have the budget to invest in a full-home redesign, just update smaller accent pieces, for example, rugs, night tables, and bedding, to breathe more life into your space.

Pick a style for your rental property

Keep your target guests in mind when making home décor decisions. Your furniture and style choices will differ depending on whether you’re catering to families with kids, budget backpackers, or solo business travelers.

You should pick a style that most travelers will find appealing rather than choose an unusual design theme that appeals to you personally. It’s generally better to go a little more conservative. That means you should stick to neutral colors for the main items and add accent colors by purchasing colorful accessories and statement pieces.

Choose furniture built to last

The furniture you use within your place adds personality and style and can enhance your guests’ experience during their stay. But in general, furniture in a vacation rental will wear more quickly than in a regular home due to the stream of incoming visitors.

And although most Airbnb guests will treat your home with the utmost care, the reality is that accidents still happen. Some pieces of furniture, for example, dining tables and sofas, are more at risk of accidental damage.

Sofas, cushions, and seating are especially subject to spills and stains. Stain removal for soft furnishings can often require expert cleaning and costly trips to the dry cleaner. They’re also subject to high levels of wear and tear that may require regular replacements over time.

So it’s best to replace soft furnishings with hard-wearing PVC/leather alternatives and remove cushions where possible. This way, you’ll reduce cleaning time and costs.

Download our free guide on balancing durability and style when preparing your place for short-term rentals.

Remember that short-term rental furniture will eventually need to be replaced, so you should always consider the durability and lifespan of the item before purchasing. Invest in practical, durable furniture. It will save you money in the long run.

You don’t have to break the bank when it comes to furnishing your rental with quality pieces. You can style your property on a budget by mixing store-bought items and secondhand pieces. But you should stay away from the least expensive items. They break more often and give the entire place a cheap look.

If you want to attract the modern vacation rental traveler and start maximizing your rental revenue, investing in high-quality furniture is crucial. It’s also important to stack your Airbnb property with essentials to make your guests’ stay more comfortable. Our Airbnb host checklist is a great place to start to guarantee your guests a positive travel experience.

Optimize Your STR Business

Airbnb is a perfect platform for beginners to earn extra money. But if you want to build a profitable short-term rental business, you should list your property on other popular travel websites to increase your daily revenue and level of occupancy.

The top choice platforms are Booking.com and Vrbo. We have a comprehensive guide on how to get started on Booking.com. And be sure to check out our article to learn about Vrbo fees that vacation property owners are being charged for using the platform.

You should also consider offering direct booking options to your guests on your own website. Luckily, you don’t have to be tech-savvy to create a professional website for your vacation rental business where you can grow your brand and generate new leads. With Hospitable, you can get a beautiful, fully functional direct booking website within minutes and make it your main marketing tool.

When listing your property on multiple platforms, you’ll be able to get it in front of lots of travelers and, as a result, get more bookings and earn more income. But that also means that you’ll need to spend more time managing your listings and communicating with your guests.

Software like Hospitable will help you ensure the perfect guest experience and save your precious time on routine operations like messaging or writing reviews. With Hospitable, you’ll be able to automate all routine operations and manage your STR business in one window.

Your entire STR business in one convenient platform

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How to Furnish a Vacation Rental Home: Room by Room

Keep in mind that travelers make their booking choices based almost entirely on what they see in the photos. That means the way you furnish and present your home or apartment matters a great deal to your short-term rental business’s success.

It’s important to choose the best furniture for rental properties to ensure a top-notch guest experience and repeat reservations. You should also be careful not to over-decorate, and always remember to keep your personal items out of sight.

So how should you go about furnishing your rental property? Here are some simple tips on how to show personality through small touches and create a memorable space.

Living area

A living room can be described as the heart of the home, and it’s the first space most guests will see and spend a large portion of their time in. So it’s essential that their experience in this space is flawless.

First, you should ensure you have enough comfortable seating in your living area for the number of people your property can host. It’s important for your guests’ comfort. When selecting a couch, we recommend you consider purchasing a pullout sofa bed to increase the number of guests you can accommodate.

As to the décor, throw pillows, rugs, wall art, small decorative items, and window treatments are easy, inexpensive ways to breathe new life into your living space and add a pop of color.

Bedrooms

Vacations are supposed to be restful, so you should think about how to create a peaceful space your guests will be pleased to retreat to and enjoy some time alone. Comfortable beds with quality linens are crucial—so don’t skimp on the mattress and bedding.

Storage for personal belongings is also a bedroom must-have. You should provide plenty of hangers in the closets and at least one small dresser for items like underwear and socks that can’t be easily hung up.

We also highly recommend including a bedside table with a lamp for convenience. And if there’s space, consider adding a small table with a chair as well.

Kitchen & bathroom

Access to a kitchen is one of the main reasons why many people prefer short-term rentals to hotels. A clean, organized, and well-stocked kitchen is the easiest way to earn a positive review.

Any standard kitchen and bathroom should already include the essentials (basic appliances, tableware, coffee-maker, built-ins, etc.). If your budget allows this, you may also add extras, for example, an island, and stool, or a chaise.

Consider providing complimentary toiletries in the bathroom in addition to the essential hairdryer and towels. If you have a large bathtub, provide a basket of sea sponges, bath salts, and bath brushes to pamper your guests.

Final Word

Choosing short-term rental furniture and furnishing your property can be fun. Just remember that it’s ultimately not about you. It’s about your guests and what they’ll need to have a great stay.

You should prioritize their comfort rather than your personal preferences because even the most price-conscious traveler will still want their getaway to feel special. So use your creativity to find pieces that will add value to your guests’ stay, and your guests will appreciate your home.

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