Under the counter fridge

[Ellisa14]

I own a small city apartment used for short-term rentals, with stays ranging from 1 to 10 nights, averaging about 3 nights. It performs well, so I recently purchased a second apartment.

The new unit has one bedroom and a living room with a pull-out sofa for two. The main issue is the layout: a full-size refrigerator is located in the hallway outside the kitchen, and there is no defined entryway. I am considering replacing it with an under-counter refrigerator in the kitchen.

The kitchen is small but well-equipped, with an oven, stovetop, and sufficient counter space. There is no dishwasher, though one could be added if the full-size fridge remains in the hallway. An under-counter fridge would allow the hallway to be converted into a functional entry area with storage and seating.

While the under-counter option looks more elegant, I am concerned about guest satisfaction due to the reduced fridge size. For short-term rentals, is it better to prioritize a cleaner layout and usable entryway, or to keep the less elegant full-size refrigerator?

[Teixeira18]

A residência conta com um frizer a disposição 

--

The residence has a freezer available. 

Translation added by Community Manager

[Teixeira18]

The residence has a freezer available. 

[Joelle43 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Ellisa14 

Interesting topic!  I have a 2 bed city apartment with a max capacity of 4 with a small fridge only!  When we remodelled the apartment, we hummed and hawed whether to include a large fridge in our new layout.  Decided in the end to go for the aesthetic solution and put the fridge under the high bar table in the open lounge/kitchen area.

In our experience as Airbnb guests travelling with our kids, we rarely ate in and used the fridges just to store water, juices etc and breakfast things when on holiday.  So we had big fridges/freezers but with barely nothing in them!

As an Airbnb host, I attract professionals mostly who always eat out and even when we have families staying during the summer months, I haven't had anyone complain about the size.  The only time it did pose a problem was for a very long term guest but this wasn't through Airbnb. If i have a long term request via Airbnb I point out the size of the fridge in my message and reduce the max capacity in this case.

I make it clear in the photos and in my description that the fridge is small to avoid any possible misunderstanding or disappointment.  The hob and oven very rarely get used either as people are on holiday and eating out is part of the experience I think.  I have a smaller capacity dishwasher (45cm) which does get used.  Again, I remember always felt bad about using a full size dishwasher with just our breakfast things in it so decided to go with a slightly reduced size for the apartment favouring again the aesthetics of the kitchen layout.  

You would have to put yourself in the shoes of your short term guests I think and consider how easy it would be to go from the hallway to the kitchen with things you need from the fridge.

Hope this helps!
Joëlle

[Lorna170]

@Ellisa14  YES to the under-counter refrigerator.  I have full-sized refrigerators as I have the space, BUT my guests rarely use more than a shelf for their milk and eggs as they go out for most meals. Unless you attract guests who stay for more than a week, the undercounter refrigerator is perfect.  

[Shelley159]

Hi @Ellisa14 

I would buy the under-counter fridge as the others have also suggested. Perhaps try to get one with a relatively decent size freezer space (even though guests likely won't need a freezer much). This will make the fridge area even smaller, but then you can add a small, great-looking on-the-counter wine or drinks cooler. You will then have a small but decent-sized freezer which should be more than sufficient, and between the two appliances, likely enough fridge space too. Guests can decide what they'd like to place in which fridge as needed.