The great bed size debate

[Laura2592]

I recently started an Instagram for our cottage and have been following a few other hosts who also have one for their Airbnb. Yesterday there was a post where a host decried the lack of "king-size beds in rooms that would fit them" and a exhortation to ALL HOSTS to put in king-size beds (and then a description of the bedding they use themselves.)

So this got me to thinking. We recently replaced a bed but kept it a queen. Both our bedrooms have queen sized beds. We have queen beds in our own home. Arguably we could have king in our cottage upstairs but made a conscious decision to buy the same size beds everywhere in order to make it easier to change out linens.  I figure that anyone who insists on a king will pass our place by and perhaps look for a hotel where they can pick exactly the bed size they want. We tried to get the most comfortable mattresses we could find first and bed size was a distant second in consideration after that.  People seem to really think the beds are comfy and no one has said boo about the size. 

So what say you, fellow hosts? Does size matter? Do you think there should be more king-sized beds in listings? Or is far down on the list of considerations?

[Daria328]

In Ireland, a King (5' wide) is equivalent to a Queen in America. There is no Queen size in Ireland. Super King (6' wide) is equivalent to American King and is quite rare. There is also a small double (4' wide), a double (4'6" wide) and a single (3').

I'm trying to figure out the best configuration for a house with 4 bedrooms two of which are small, two of which are largish. I am thinking of King (Am. Queen) in the master bedroom, double in the second bedroom, and singles in the remaining two. That would accommodate two couples and two children. Since we want to use the house ourselves in between, the King would serve as our master. 

[Emilie]

Hi @Daria328, 

It's an exciting project, when are you aiming to have the house ready to start welcoming guests?

As this is a discussion from 2021, I would suggest to perhaps start a new conversation asking for suggestions, so other hosts will be more likely to see your posts and can tell you what kind of configuration they think could work best for you. 🙂

👉 start a new conversation

I hope this helps, and good luck finishing this house setup! 

Emilie

[Bridget329]

If the place is advertised with a Queen bed then the renter will NOT complain as she got what you said. That is why people do not complain about the size....I rent 6-8 times a year...if all is equal I will pick the KING all day long!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Laura2592 Queen size beds are fine for us brits. They are similar to a king in UK sizes anyway. We have (in US sizes) 5 Queens and 1 King in our apartments. The king is an absolute pain to launder and iron.

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

Yes, as @Mike-And-Jane0 says, what you call a Queen is what we call a King sized bed in the UK. I therefore think that what you call a King must be a Superking bed here. While two of my guest rooms are large enough to accommodate one, none of them have one. One room has a 'Queen' (UK King) and people seem to think it's pretty luxurious. The biggest room only has a double. I have often wondered if I should have put a bigger bed in there, but I found an antique bed that I really loved and went for that.

I've only once had a guest complain about the size of the bed, but he was simply told that it was clearly stated in the listing. He was a bit of a complainer anyway, so think was just looking to nit pick. He still left me 5* (but I'm guessing the champagne and help with theatre tickets probably did the trick).

Most guests love my beds. They are pretty but also, I am told, super comfy. That's down to extra thick (4 inch/10cm) mattress protectors which I bought inexpensively while they were on offer. I'd highly recommend them.

Maybe it's different in the US though, where size seems to matter more.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  "Yesterday there was a post where a host decried the lack of "king-size beds in rooms that would fit them" and a exhortation to ALL HOSTS to put in king-size beds "

Hosts who say things like this really irk me. Like the ones who insist that you must  use white linens and towels because otherwise guests don't think they're clean. Or that all hosts should have TVs in the bedroom, or whatever.  

The rising popularity of king size beds in the US (and probably Canada) may be directly proportional to the rising percentage of obese people and North American's obsession with 'personal space' 🙂

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977  I didn't comment yesterday but the post did rub me wrong a bit as it was sorta virtue signal-y. There are a million ways to make your space comfy and special and we don't all have to be in lock step.  But then I thought  "hey, maybe this is true." So im asking. 

[Debra300]

@Laura2592 

A couple of years ago, we changed from US-queen size beds to US-king size beds in most of the spaces at our guesthouse (one bedroom has twin beds which can be put together to make a king size bed), and many of our returning guests have mentioned how they appreciate the additional bed space.  I do think that it is a feature, and mention the bed size in the listing titles.  

Keep Cool and I also sleep on a king size bed, and I really like it.  I have always disliked anyone breathing on my while I am sleeping.  We usually sleep with the ceiling fan on, not the air conditioner, and I like a cooler temperature than him.  So, I will scoot and sleep closer to the foot of the bed where it's directly under the fan.

We both tend to toss and turn, and flay our limbs.  The larger bed has saved us from knocking, poking, and kicking each other while we're in bed.

[M199]

One of our first reservations, when we opened last Fall, was a gentleman and his fiancee.  He loved the place!  What he didn't notice was all the beds were singles.  Of course, his fiancee caught this.  My suggestion was "surprise your fiancee, take the 2 singles and drop them in front of the cozy gas fireplace". They and their 2 dogs were probably our best guests.

[John5097]

I put a lot of thought into this when designing the space. The largest bed that could fit was queen. I think the California king was only 6 inches wider but that would have been too big as it meets the minimum space required.  I mounted the lamps on the wall and used a sliding barn door. It was a bit like designing a tiny home. As small as it is it has a 10 foot high ceiling that makes it feel open. Not a single complaint. The mattress alone cost $600 which seemed like lot. I also have had to return king size comforter that was way too big for a high capacity washer. Some thinner weight ones will work. I wash all the bedding between guest so the queen has been perfect. If I had the space I would likely opt for a Cali king and buy lighter weight blankets and comforters, although the queen size hasn't been an issue and guest comment on how comfortable it is, and how horrible other mattresses have been in other BNB.   

[Helen350]

Looks lovely @John5097 ! So what width is that Queen?;  it looks quite narrow!

[Sarah977]

@John5097  I think there must be some pretty crummy mattresses in some Airbnbs, especially budget-priced ones, because my well-traveled guests almost always comment on how comfortable the bed is. 

And it's not some high-end expensive mattress, it's a 4" slab of high quality firm foam, with a slab of 2" softer foam on top and a nice mattress pad.

Re high ceilings: my guest room is quite small in terms of square footage, but the ceilings are high and there are lots of windows, so it feels way more spacious than it actually is.

[Helen350]

Yup! My most comfortable bed is the one with the old mattress topped  with a 4" slab of cheap memory foam costing £40.

[John5097]

@Helen350  thanks its standard queen 60'' x 80'' ...

A California king is actually 72 x 84 

@Sarah977 It is essentially a firm kind of foam topped with a softer kind of foam.. it isn't memory foam. I also found a two inch memory foam topper on the pull out sofa and seemed comfortable to me.

I've never actually slept in the bed. I meant to test it out. I built the entire place and put so much consideration into every detail, but didn't want to clean it again. 

I did get two cotton acrylic cashmere blankets that were made Portugal but guest but guest are too hard on bed spreads so will likely try to go with the duvets. I agree you don't need white either. The main advantage was supposed to be able to bleach them but I"m not seeing how you even need bleach.   

[Helen350]

@John5097 So your standard Queen is what we in the UK call a King!

(We have a size called Super=King, which is like 2x extra long Twins together, so I guess our Super-King is your King!  - Work well as split version, which can be used together or separately. Too big for my place!)