Amenities: What are guests looking for?

Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

Amenities: What are guests looking for?

How important is offering breakfast and having access to the kitchen, laundry, living room, etc? I am looking to rent just a master bedroom + master bathroom that is blocked off from the rest of my house. They'd have their own private entryway along the side of the house. I supposed I'd stick an office refrigerator in there and a coffee machine, but that's about it. No access to the rest of the house. Do you folks think I'll be scaring off a significant portion of guests by not offering the extra ammenities? The flip side is that they'd have increased privacy. What are guests looking for? My area (Pacific Palisades) is not a high demand area (like the touristy areas of Hollywood for example) so if this puts me at a significant disadvantage then I don't even want to bother putting this room up on Air BnB.

6 Replies 6
Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Pete69It's hard to know until you try, but I don't know why a guest wouldn't be interested in that kind of arrangement. It would work fine for me if I were looking for a place to stay for a night or two. I have a kitchen in my primary listing, but I find that people seldom use it if they're only there for a couple of days: most people just use the coffee maker, microwave, and toaster. Not much else ever gets used. You will likely get shorter stays with that kind of arrangement, but that's not nescessarily a bad thing. If you add the small fridge and coffee making facilities, I think that's good. That's all people get with most hotel rooms, after all. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Pete69  I do offer use of my kitchen, but about half the guests do not use it. I do not offer breakfast. Nor do I offer laundry facilities, although if I am doing a load, I'll ask guests if they have a few small items they would like to add to it. 

Your plan sounds fine and I should think it would work for many guests. As @Alexandra316 said, you'll just have to see if you get enough bookings to make it worth your while.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

@Pete69As others have implied, start with basic comforts and then let the type of guests you actually get help you expand further from there. In this way you have little to loose and much to gain.

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Pete69  I agree with the other hosts. In your situation, how much contact do you have with the guests?  I find guests are very willing to give you detailed feedback so you can learn from them.  Ultimately, why are the guests coming to your area and staying at your place.  Understanding your market will help you decide what amenities are necessary and what are value add.  For example, I provide a white terry cloth robe and many guests find the robe an unexpected and appreciated amenity.  I also provide a pass to a gym, but almost no one has used it.  Guests come to my area to attend large events or small family events or just to enjoy our wonderful weather.  So I am not dealing with long term guests or even guest that stay a couple of weeks. 

Michelle-And-Michael0
Level 10
Wollongong, Australia

@Pete69 I agree with all the others.... my only suggestion is that you might also consider a kettle (for those that don't drink coffee) and providing a TV in the bedroom! I'm not familiar with your area, but when we started out last August (also, not living in a particularly touristy area), we really didn't expect the amount of bookings that we have had....  We only offer a small kitchenette.... fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle and coffee machine. No stove or oven! But that hasn't deterred any of our guests.... most seem to prefer to eat out anyway!

Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Pete69 You already have a good sense of what guests want.

Privacy is number one.

A private bathroom is the most sought after amenity.

So you are ahead of the game there.

I (and I think many others) do not come to Pacific Palisades to cook.

I'd come to go to the beach, walk around and try out your many great restaurants.

Sure a coffee pot is nice, a small refer, maybe a TV is nice, but a kitchen is not.

Even common space space is not necessary.

Good luck