In a recent blog post, we covered the top ten amenities that are searched for on airbnb. By way of review, the top most desirable amenities in a short term rental property are as follows (we threw in a couple of extras):
- Coffee maker
- Full kitchen (kitchenettes are much less desirable)
- Air conditioning (speaks for itself in a market like Dallas/Fort Worth)
- Free parking
- Pool (also a huge plus in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area)
- A set of wine glasses (the wine experience is so much better when it is sipped from an actual wine glass)
- Pet friendly property
- WiFi (a strong signal and enough bandwidth to support multiple devices is paramount in this day and age)
- Washing machine (having a dryer is a huge plus as well but not as important as the washing machine)
- Hot tub/Jacuzzi
- Television (the more the better)
- Heating system (Having space heaters accessible can be an easy and affordable remedy to not having a central heating system)
In this blog post, we are going to explore some additional amenities that guests want to find in a vacation rental. Remember, the more of a customer’s boxes that you can check, the more stays your short term rental will book.
Entertainment related amenities
While most travelers use your rental mainly as a home base while touring the local area and visiting attractions, some guests prefer to rent a property and primarily stay and play at your place. Even the busiest travelers with full itineraries often schedule a rest day in between activities for recuperation purposes. It is important for you to have entertainment based amenities at your property for your guests to enjoy. Some of the most popular ones that we have not already covered are as follows:
- Streaming services or cable/satellite television services (They may not find the time to watch TV, but guests will definitely want the option to do so.)
- Surround Sound audio system (Movie nights are often a big hit on vacations, and the experience is far superior with high quality audio. They may just want to listen to music as well. Speakers that connect to their devices via bluetooth or WiFi are a big plus.)
- Books and DVDs (Not all travelers have fully embraced streaming services or eBook technology. It is an excellent idea to have family friendly movies and books available. Don’t forget to include some children’s titles as well.)
- Board games, deck of cards (Many travelers enjoy sitting around and playing games while they are on vacation. Be certain that the games you have are family friendly and have all of the pieces and instructions in the box.)
- Video game consoles (Access to one or more video game consoles and a few games is a big hit with travelers. Note that travelers can access their own accounts on more modern gaming systems, so you may not need a huge selection of game titles to keep them entertained. Having more than one type of console adds to the experience.)
- Indoor and outdoor games (Some favorites include a pool table, foosball table, air hockey table, volleyball net, badminton set, bocce ball, horseshoes.)
- Swimming pool/Jacuzzi (A swimming pool and/or jacuzzi can attract a ton of potential guests. Be sure to have extra towels available and sufficient lighting since many people won’t be there to use these amenities during the daytime. Accessible speakers for them to use to play music while using the pool or hot tub are also a huge bonus. An indoor sauna is another option you could look into.)
Having some or all of these entertainment based amenities will help your Dallas vacation rental book more days. Anything you can provide to help your guests enjoy their stay will keep them coming back time and time again. They will probably tell their friends about your great amenities as well, which will generate a lot of referrals for you.