Should you have a stove in your listing?

[Jenny]

Hi everyone!

Some of us love cooking while away travelling, making delicious foods with local produce, and some of us prefer to try local restaurants or bars.  It’s a highly individual choice!

Regardless of cooking ability, it can be important for some to have access to a stove when travelling, for hot drinks and for basic meals like breakfast eggs and bacon. On the other hand, depending on your property and the type of guests you usually receive, it might not be something you’ve considered including.  

I was curious to know what you all thought about having a stove in your listing. Do you believe it’s a key amenity? Or, from a guest perspective, do you prefer to stay at places which have a stove?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Jenny

[Gwen386]

Hi @Jenny  Before I first started hosting in March, I knew that I wanted a kitchen with full-sized appliances in my finished basement. And I’m glad I did. I’ve found that guests who stay 3+ days want to cook. I didn’t install an oven however because my microwave can fill that position. I did think of a fire hazard while cooking using the cooktop so I also have a fire extinguisher under the counter. Now when I travel, I don’t care about a stove or kitchen for that matter because my goal is to always eat out. So it really depends on the wants of the type of guests you host. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Cooktop yes, oven no way! We don't have time and we don't want to scrub the oven just because our guests decided to bake a chicken during their 2-night stay. And then to risk a low cleanness rating because it doesn't look as new 😛

I have 2,5 m kitchen at my apartment just because it came with the property when I bought it, otherwise, I would buy half of that size

When I travel I just need something to boil the water and milk for my instant coffee. No chance I would cook while I travel, I barely cook at home.

[Sybe]

@Gwen386 @Branka-and-Silvia0 these are interesting points! Guests who travel for culinary purposes may want to enjoy this in very different ways, for example trying local restaurants or instead using locally sourced products themselves. After all, there may be a variety of meats and vegetables you don't have access to at home. 

If you cater more towards the experience of eating out, would you consider or do you have a list of recommended local restaurants? Or if you do have a kitchen/stove/oven, would you or do you recommend for example local farmers or retailers?

[Huma0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

I think if you are mostly hosting short stays, e.g. two nights, in a city where there are plenty of cafes and restaurants nearby, it's really not a necessity and a microwave is enough. I also don't think a stove is necessary for making hot drinks. An electric kettle is a much cheaper investment, requires less cleaning and space. I really don't understand why they are not common in a lot of places, e.g. the USA. In the UK, pretty much everyone has one, but my American guests often comment on it and think it's a novelty. If I didn't need a full kitchen and had a kitchenette set up instead, I think a kettle, toaster, microwave and some sort of coffee maker would be sufficient.

RE the oven, I hardly ever need to clean it. I put a large baking tray on the bottom shelf that catches any oil and spills and there are plenty of trays and silicone baking sheets as well as tin foil for guests to use on the racks, so they don't need constant cleaning either. However, I live here, so that's really different. Some guests forget to put the tray back after they have washed it.

@Jenny 

For me, the stove is a must. I have a fully equipped kitchen anyway because it's my home and I'm lucky enough to have a fairly big kitchen. However, even if I didn't live here, a stove is really essential for long term guests, most of whom cook daily. I've only had one long term guest who didn't use the stove. Not all guests use the oven, but most do.

Even when I hosted short term guests, a lot of them did cook and I imagine my kitchen and the fact that they could use it was definitely a key factor in them booking my listings rather than ones where they have no kitchen access. Supermarkets in the UK are pretty well priced compared to some places (and we have a Lidl only a two-minute walk away) but restaurants and cafes in London are expensive! Guests save a lot of money by not eating out all the time.

I also found that some nationalities do not trust the restaurants here, e.g. I've had many guests come to the UK for the first time and literally thought all we ate was fish and chips, when you can find literally ANY type of cuisine in London. I've hosted many Chinese and other Asian guests who do not want to eat foreign food and think that the Asian restaurants in London must be bad. Of course there are some bad ones, but there are also some great ones. I'm originally from Pakistan, but I think our local Indian takeaway is amazing 🙂

[Normen0]

In my high end listings I have the full chef's kitchen.  Those types of guests use the oven 25% of the time and the stove top 50% of the time.  In a lower end apartment - still high quality, I took the oven out to make space for pots etc, and installed a counter top convection/toaster oven and a double burner and I have not had any complaints in the 11 months I've been running it.  The burners are used often.  The convection oven, maybe 25% of the time.  We are close to many take out options which is what most people do instead of cooking.   

[Sybe]

@Normen0 Do you notice people specifically choosing your full chef's kitchen listing because it has an oven or is it often considered more of a "welcome extra" ?

[Normen0]

@Sybe Think maybe 10% made mention of the full kitchen being a must and most did not read the listing well and were surprised at how fully supplied the kitchen is.  We have been told more than once that they have taken notes on the design and organization, which is nice to hear.  

Sadly, as other posts have pointed out, though AIRBNB has boasted Chef's Kitchen as a category for listings now, there is no way to actually make that happen except to hope somehow AIRBNB's AI recognizes it.  Views and bookings for our place are now dead since the Summer 2022 changes.  The top of the search function lists Lakeview and Cabin but not Riverview and Cottage.  And our Riverview Cottage can rival any Lakeview Cabin for scenery and privacy but alas we cannot compete and business is in steep decline.  

[Pat271]

I didn’t even consider *not* having a full kitchen in my 2-bedroom condos. Stove, oven, fridge, microwave, garbage disposal, dishwasher were all a given.

Having said that, I’ve noticed that it not only depends on the type of guest, but also the type of destination.

In Maui, a lot of money can be saved by eating at least some meals at home, especially now with inflated prices and long lines on the islands. 

At my “heart of downtown” destination, though, there are over 200 restaurants within easy walking distance. Guests come there specifically for evening eating and drinking. And, sure enough, my pots, pans and silverware look brand new, because they are barely being used!

Not complaining, though. We spend time ourselves at both locations, so we definitely appreciate and use the full kitchens.

[Anonymous]

@Pat271  I was talking recently to someone who works in a higher-end hotel in Lahaina, which doesn't yet offer kitchenettes but will probably install them soon. It sounds like most of the nearby restaurants are booked out weeks ahead and cost a fortune on top of the sky-high accommodation and rental car rates. So what the customers are doing is going to the Costco near the airport as soon as they land, and stockpiling booze and food - much of which gets left behind when they depart. 

I can imagine the circumstances are similar in a lot of other popular island destinations. Considering that the full kitchen is the biggest advantage holiday homes have over hotels, I can't really imagine why an Entire Home host wouldn't offer one.

[Pat271]

@Anonymous

Yes, the whole loading up at Costco thing is exactly what many of my guests do, and what we do as well when we block out time and come to Maui ourselves.

[Debra300]

@Jenny,

When we travel a stove/kitchen is mandatory, because we always cook with local produce or sometimes bring our own.  Generally, we try to eat whole foods and want to know what's in it and how the food is prepared.  When we eat at restaurants it's usually for authentic local cuisine, and not the type of food that we could easily get at a restaurant back home.  

When we opened the guesthouse, we had a shared full kitchen for the guests staying in the suites, and the self-contained apartment had its own fully equipped kitchen.  Due to COVID regulations imposed by the St. Lucian government in 2020, we closed the shared kitchen, and renovated our suites to each have kitchenettes.  In each suite there is an induction cooktop, microwave, a slice toaster or toaster oven, blender, Keurig and Nespresso coffee makers, milk frother, kettles and mini-fridge/freezer.  We also provide portable LP gas bbq grills.  The level of cooking varies amongst the guests, and the length of stay really isn't a factor in the level of kitchen usage.  I find that people cook for a variety of reasons, e.g., dietary preferences, eat breakfast before heading out for the day, of financial constraints.  We've had guests stay for over a month, and never made more than coffee and toast.  Then we've had stays for short getaways, and guests cook full meals everyday.  

Our Atlanta apartment is rented for long-term stays only, and it has a nice little kitchen with all of the amenities mentioned for the suites, but has a full stove/oven instead of just a cooktop.  Again, its usage is varied with the guests.  Some people just don't cook, and we can see a lot of food deliveries or fast food packaging in the trash.  Others went to the market regularly and brought back several bags of groceries.

So far, we've not had really burnt in food in the ovens, and have been able to clean them quickly with regular cleaner.

[Sybe]

@Debra300 I think I remember you mentioning the Keurig and Nespresso coffee machines before because of the differences in what guests from around the world are used to if I'm not mistaken! 

Since you made this (somewhat forced) switch from shared kitchen to separate kitchenettes, do you notice a difference in usage of the kitchen from before and after the renovation?

[Debra300]

@Sybe,

Yes, you're correct about the coffee machines.  Europeans aren't familiar with Keurig, and folks from the Americas have limited brand awareness with Nespresso although Nestle has been paying some big money for large-scale television ad campaigns that feature George Clooney along with a variety of other celebrities (mostly other white middle-aged males).

It has been my observation that guests like the idea of having a kitchenette in their room, but only the ones who have dietary preferences/restrictions regularly cook in them.  We are located about a 10 to 15 minute walk from two food truck courts where the cost of local fast food is comparable to fast food prices in our guests' home countries.  The self-contained apartment has a very well equipped kitchen, and everyone who rents it always cooks their meals.

Our Atlanta apartment is long-term rental only, and it amazes me how many people just don't cook (real food).  There are regular food deliveries, or the guest runs out for fast food.  When I've gone into the apartment to restock some supplies, I'd see a lot of bags of snack items, canned beverages, and the stove top looked practically untouched.  Some guests have left food in the fridge and freezer upon checkout, and it was stuff like frozen waffles, chicken nuggets, Jello/Jelly, pudding/custard, condiments, and beverages.

[Anonymous]

@Debra300  When I've stayed in studios with kitchenettes, I've appreciated the convenience of being able to make coffee and toast in the morning before I've put my pants on, and keeping some cold beers on hand in the fridge. But I avoid cooking full meals in them because I'd rather not sleep in the room that smells like dinner.