7 Airbnb Must Haves Items Every Host Should Offer

Remember the days when all you'd expect to have at a hotel was a clean room, a coffee maker, an iron, and a small bar of soap and bottle of shampoo? As the vacation rental market has developed in recent years, those simple items are no longer enough, especially if you're an Airbnb host. Guests expect to have many of the things they depend on in their day-to-day life in addition to things that they want to see at a vacation rental. Check out this list of non-negotiable items to make sure you have the following Airbnb essentials. If not, take advantage of the Black Friday to imrpove your vacation experience at a lower cost!

1. Safety Items

Many of the Airbnb must haves on this list are designed to enhance your guests' overall vacation experience, but these first items are necessary to ensure that your guests have a safe and secure stay at your vacation rental. If you don't already have these items, you're putting your business at a significant risk.

Smoke Detector
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Fire Extinguisher (at least one, but more than one for larger units)
First Aid Kit
Non-Slip Bathtub Mat in each bathroom
Fire Escape (if applicable)

2. Entertainment Essentials

HDTVs as well as access to Netflix or Amazon Prime streaming programs is now on the list of Airbnb essentials. Recent surveys show that there are 100,000 Netflix subscribers and more than 80,000 Amazon Prime members. Nearly everyone in the modern world owns one, and as a result, expect to have access to one while on vacation or on a trip. Even if your vacation rental is located where outdoor activities or sightseeing trips abound, be sure you have these Airbnb must haves in case of bad weather, trip delays, illness or other reasons when your guests may need to stay at your rental for longer than anticipated.

Amazon TV Stick
Roku Express Streaming Sticks
An HDTV
A Smart LED TV

3. Communication Essentials

In these days of super-connected individuals, an Airbnb host must offer the basic technology to allow guests to use their Smart phones easily and reliably. More and more content is video-based these days so having a high-speed internet is not necessarily enough. You'll want to make sure you have the right sized router for your property size. You may also want to provide extra phone chargers as a small, inexpensive, much often much appreciated perk. These items may be more frequently forgotten than toothbrushes today.

Offer a multi-charging USB cable for every bedroom.
AC1200 Dual Band Smart Wireless Router for 1-bedroom units.
Linksys AC1750 or AC1900 Dual Band for 2- or 3-bedroom units.
NetGear Nighthawk or Linksys Max Tream Tri Band for 4-bedroom or larger units.

4. Coffee Station

According to the National Coffee Association, about 83 percent of adults drink coffee in the United States alone. At an average of three cups of coffee per day, that would be 587 million cups of coffee consumed each year. It's not difficult to see that providing a good coffee station with solid tools and popular beans is essential in vacation units. It's a small enough addition to go unnoticed for non-coffee drinkers but for those coffee lovers, it will be a much appreciated offering.

Simple coffee maker
French coffee bean press
Coffee and spice grinder
Whole coffee beans like Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans
Airtight glass storage jar

5. Other Essential Items

It's likely that many guests on occasion will forget to bring something they consider essential. If you can provide a few more simple items, you can go a long way in standing out as a caring, thoughtful and prepared Airbnb host. Here are some cost-effective items to be sure you have in your rental.

A non-stick steam iron
Digital alarm clocks in each bedroom
Hair dryer
Hair straightener
Curling iron or wand

6. Family-Friendly Essential Items

If you happen to host many families with children, you may want to add a few more supplies to your essential items list. Many families who travel with infants or young children often feel like they have to pack the entire house to go anywhere. If you can provide some of these items, you can definitely use them to advertise to families in your listing.

Playpen
Crib
Baby swing
Baby bouncer
High chair
White noise machines
Bottle warmers

One of the original reasons that vacation rentals became popular was that people appreciate having many of the comforts of home when they are away from home. Whether you're starting your first vacation rental or taking some time to improve and upgrade an existing unit, you may want to think about what the majority of people expect when they go on vacation and add these things accordingly.

Technology is changing quickly, and you may want to reconsider what is essential every six months or so as more and more people add technology gadgets to their daily lives. For instance, smart technology is currently on the rise. Although most people may find automatic lights and thermostats interesting today, in a few years, something like that may become essential.

If we missed something, let us know in the comments below! And, If you want a complete list of what we recommend for every vacation rental, click here.