Your most asked-for amenity?

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

Your most asked-for amenity?

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What is the one thing your guests ask about the most in terms of the amenities you offer?

 

Is there an amenity your guests ask for that you DON'T have but have gotten so many requests you have considered getting it?

 

For us, its definitely fire fire and more fire. Fireplace. Firepit. Those two amenities by far dominate the questions we get asked.  A distant second is the kitchen-- do we have certain speciality appliances, what kind of cookware do we have etc. And guests really want a hot tub, though we don't have plans to put one in. 

12 Replies 12
Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

Heated pool. That's the biggie, mostly in the winter. 

 

We actually can do that. But the cost of keeping the pool at 27°c in February is more than they'll pay for their entire stay. When we mention any additional cost, the Inquirer usually just goes silent. 

@Elaine701lol, same thing with the hot tub at our place. Sure we could put one in, but how many guests would be interested in paying double our current nightly fees for it? 

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

Fast WiFi, but only in the last year. Can't do it.

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

Fire, fire, fire here too, @Laura2592 . Woodstove and firepit.

It says on the listing, "We provide the firewood." The number one question we get is, "Do you provide firewood?"

 

@Lawrene0 we did used to do that as well but we had a guest come in a truck and steal the entire pile. We left bundles after that and guests complained it wasn't enough.  So now we don't provide any. How do you manage what you provide? Do you let guests burn whatever they want or give a set amount?

@Laura2592 , I leave enough, plus a bit, for their stay and tell them if they find they need more, just to ask. If they ask, I leave a bagful for them beside their car, which they then have to fetch and carry a kilometre back to the treehouse. If they use that up, they have to ask again. By that point they are using too much in anyone's books, and cannot complain. 

In the old days, when I stacked extra at the treehouse to save myself work at turnovers, some would burn through shocking amounts. When they have to lug in the extra themselves, they are more frugal. 

Also, it all works out in the end. Some guests burn everything just for the sake of it, and others don't bother or have no fire-lighting skills, as shown in the sad crumpled and charred newspaper they leave behind. 

So no, there is no set amount, but I've put a damper on burning whatever they want by making them work for it. 

 

 

 

@Lawrene0  Love your attitude. You want rustic? Rustic is what you get, no, you can't drive right to the door.

 

I have a friend in Canada who has been in a wheelchair since she was 5, a victim of polio. She and her boyfriend at the time lived way out in the bush. He had to pack her in and out the kilometer from where they could park, regardless of the weather. In the winter it was a sled, in the summer he carried her.

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Laura2592,

These requests usually are from locals.  I have no intention of offering either of these amenities or services.

 

"Do you provide breakfast?"  No, our guest suites have nicely stocked kitchens so you may cook your own meals.

 

"Do you have a pool?"  No. Have you looked at the pictures on Google or our website?

 

Angelica-Y-Jorge0
Level 10
Mazatlán, Mexico

Our #1 requested amenity is a pool! Being in Mazatlan everyone wants one so we decided to add one and it's under construction now. To make it worth the cost we decided to add 7 more apartments to the property over time. It will be a big expense but we hope it pays off.

Jorge
Alexandra199
Level 10
Gretton, United Kingdom

Espresso coffee machine. I've got one but they are a pain in the neck. People don't know how to use them and they don't last so I keep having to replace them. However, so many guests ask me I guess I need to have one.

@Alexandra199 as a die hard espresso drinker I bought a Nespresso machine for guests to use early on. I have found that very few people actually use it. LOL when I am a guest and I have access to one my hosts must think I am really nuts as I use it daily sometimes a few times per day. The Nespresso is a pod machine and most people seem to understand how to operate it because we don't get a lot of questions. Or maybe that is why its never used much!

The only think that put me off those Nespresso machines was the pods. They are really expensive and I feel that if I provide that type of machine, then i shouild really provide the pods too. Therefore, instead I provide an espresso machine and ground coffee for it. Now, here is my little trick....the ground coffee is also suitable for use in a cafetiere (aka french press?) so i make **bleep** sure I put one of those in the cottage in full view! My theory is that, once they have used the espresso machine once, they will give up and resort to the easy and perfectly nice cafetiere option thereby reducing the risk of my espresso machine getting wrecked. Sometimes us hosts have to be a little bit clever.

 

PS. I enjoyed the not above about the logs! I totally agree. If you give guests 'carte blanche' access to the log store boy oh boy will they burn through them. I give my guests one basket of logs and instructions on where to buy their own nearby. I find that tends to focus the mind on whether to fill that log burner up and have it roaring!