An Air Mattress Discussion

[Inna22]

After all, this is AirBnB. Can you please share how you utilize them, what type, how you deal with bedding, etc.

When I started, I bought the cheapest kind on line and they need to be inflated. At that time I did not even know if hosting will take off and went the cheapest route. Now that I know that my Airbnb is a keeper and those mattresses are old and deflate fast, I am trying to decide the next steps. There is no place to keep them on the main floor at all so they have to be dragged up the stairs when they are not needed to be stored away (I do have real beds, these only come out for bigger groups or if all guests are singles).

A nice alternative would be a very light foldable kind. Saw some today at Costco for $40. Another plus of the foldable type is no need to inflate anything. But are they uncomfortable? Also, they would be twin size vs queen I have now and therefore require more bedding to wash and also more of them to buy. 

[Robin4 · Accepted solution]

@Inna22 

I have regarded the guests sleeping comfort to be the most important thing we as hosts offer. They seem to forgive other little issues if they have a great nights sleep.

I do have a couple of air mattresses here but I would rather not accept a booking for that extra person than complicate my sleeping arangements by bringing in a make-shift bed.

The problem is Inna, come review time, they don't remember how accommodating the host was! They just remember how 'squeezy' it was and how it was not a good fit for their needs!

If you can't do it properly, don't do it at all, I reckon!

Cheers......Rob

[Gordon0]

While some may regard these horrid things as a neccessary evil, like @Robin4, I can't imagine being 'forgiven' for a bad night's sleep. I'm at the age now where sleeping on anything but a decent gets a big fat 'no'. 

I put my mum on a Z-Bed (I'm not sure if this is what they're called in your part of the world, @Inna22) for a couple of nights when my house was being renovated ten years ago. She still mentions it (with a grimace on her face) today, and in the same breath as talking about inheritance...

[Cathie19]

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/153

😱😱😱😱😱😱🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙃😊

[Inna22]

@Gordon0 @Robin4 

I have never had a complaint about them. No one was shocked to see them, no complaints about quality of sleep or mattress itself. And I am pretty sure I have heard every complaint there is to hear over the years. The groups that are large enough to need them are usually just greatful to be together in one space and understand there is no other way to accomplish it.

[Gordon0]

Gotcha. Now if you can just come and explain that to my mum 🙂

[Allison2]

I have an air mattress for guests in a pinch.

It's a twin that inflates to a decent height, which is preferable to the ones close to the ground. It, along with the sheets, pillow, and blankets, are stored in a cubby in the guest suite. I charge $30 (total, not per night) for the 5th person who uses it. 

My experience differs from @Robin4 & @Gordon0's. Guests really do seem happy to have the option.

Perhaps that's down to location. Any kind of last minute lodging is exceedingly hard to find in my little vacation destination town. It's often wedding guests who ask about adding a fifth person. Typically it's a person who couldn't schedule PTO until the last minute, or their lodging fell through. Were it not for the air bed, they wouldn't be able to attend the wedding at all.

Since it isn't an ideal bedding situation, the 5-person listing isn't publicly searchable. When there's an ask, I do a "change reservation" to move them from my regular 4-person listing to this "hidden" one that describes the twin air mattress and allows a guest count of 5.

How often do you use your mattresses? Does the foldable type you're talking about require a mattress? The storage and schlepping would figure heavily into what I'd choose next. If you could find reviews of the style you saw at Costco, that might tell you how comfortable they are compared to inflatibles.

[Inna22]

@Allison2 Great idea to look for reviews on line. They are not selling this particular one on the web site but I am sure I can find some reviews somewhere. 

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  Do you have space to just pile up some foam mattresses? A 4" thick high quality foam mattress is quite comfortable, not heavy to move around, wouldn't need inflating or deflating and can't spring a leak.

Or how about purchasing just one of the Costco air mattresses, and sleeping on it yourself to see if it makes the grade? I've seen them and they look nice, but haven't ever slept on one.

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 

I use a queen size foam one at one of the other houses. It is super comfy but heavy. I can use it there because there is room to store it on the same floor. I find mattress is such a personal thing in terms of comfort. Some like hard surface, some like to sink into it…

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  A single 4" thick slab of foam isn't heavy- I use these all the time in my upholstery work. Look for a store that specializes in foam sales, not necessarily a mattress store, and check out what's available. You might be surprised. But if you don't have any space to stack them up, it's a moot point.

I agree that mattress firmness is a very personal thing. By the same token, an air mattress might not be everyone's cup of tea. Can't please all of the people all of the time 🙂

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 I have plenty of storage space one floor up so if they are light, it is perfect. Good idea, I will check it out

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  You could even go with 3" firm foamies with some 1" softer ones to throw on top for those who prefer softer, then they could suit themselves and they'd be lighter to move. Just make sure the foam is a high density, or they'll lose their shape pretty quickly, getting squashed down in the middle.

[Marie21]

@Inna22I have Queen size AeroBed, it is quite easy to store, easy to set and the quality is good to sleep on I slept myself on it.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Inna22 With sneak-ins, don't give them anything but still charge them. With arranged guests the best solution would be futon's. By far the most comfortable and they're quite easy to roll and move.