Is it worth it to have a TV in my listing?

[Cheryl741]

I bought an Airbnb property that came with a TV. I turn it on between guests to make sure it works.  However I know nothing about the settings, etc. Occasionally guests do strange things with the TV and then ask me questions about how to use the TV and I can't help them. Since I wouldn't bother having a TV if it didn't already come with the property, is it even worth it to have a TV?

[Linda108]

My personal preference is to have a TV when I am traveling and I do have a TV in the private room listing.  I wonder if you could engage the help of some savvy person to compose a set of how to's with respect to the TV that you could laminate and leave in the room.   I don't know if you would lose business if you got rid of the TV, though, so you could just pull the plug.  Many people travel with their lap top or notebook and might prefer to stream programs.  All they need is the wifi code.

[Lisa723]

@Cheryl741 @Linda108 a few years ago I polled all of our guests about TV preferences, for a year. The upshot was that renters of our small cabin (mostly couples) didn't care about it and renters of our larger house (families, friend groups) did. So we took the TV out of the cabin. We actually get positive comments about the absence of a TV, and no complaints.

[Sarah977]

@Cheryl741  I'm a home-share host and have no TV in the guest room nor in my house at all. My guests don't come here to sit around watching TV. 

Some remote places don't even have Wifi, or a cell signal. Just make sure to advertise it as having no TV.

If you start to get complaints about there being no TV, you can always revisit that option.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Cheryl741 

you have a TV under amenities so either you ask someone to set it and explain you the basic functions and print a simple user manual (so guests don't temper with programs and other settings) or remove the TV from the cottage, your amenities, and from the photo gallery.

Sooner or later you will get some football fan or someone addicted to TV shows who will complain about your TV malfunction and ask for a refund. 

[Cheryl741]

Yeah I would just remove it from the listed amenities and take photos that show it out of the listing.

[Emiel1]

@Cheryl741 

I have TV (cable) in my listings. Most of my guests are (international) students, they prefer using streaming facilities (which are also offered for free by same cable company). So actually nobody is using the TV. They also see it as a something out-dated.... which i do not agree, i like to watch traditional cable TV (maybe i am out-dated too....).

[Gregory87]

@Cheryl741 

While you don't appear to be a fan of TV, you need to decide whether your guests will be offered this amenity or not and if you'd like to be tasked with its upkeep, as others have mentioned.

In our listing, we have TVs, but make it clear that guests can a) watch broadcast (local antenna) programming, b) use Roku for streaming apps, or c) connect their personal device to view their own programs.  We also have created guides to assist them.   Some guests utilize a combination of options; others never even turn on the TV.  We've received no complaints since we explain what is offered a few times before check-in.

We have a similar situation with the coffee maker.  Neither my co-host or I drink coffee, but provide it as an amenity.  We provide a few packets of coffee, tips on how to prepare it, and the owners manual.  Guests are on their own in producing a product they enjoy.  Again, no complaints from guests.

Decide what you want to offer your guests and act accordingly.  You're in charge!

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Cheryl741 We have a TV in our listing, and it gets a lot of use, but we're in a city. @Linda108 offered a great suggestion, keep a manual nearby and let folks figure it out. You could also include a note that you don't know anything about TV's so won't be of any assistance if they run into problems. I'm sure you can come up with a clever way of saying that. 

@Gregory87' s point is well taken - if you want to offer it, list it. If you don't offer it, then list is as such. Easy peasy. 

As a side note, our place has one bedroom and is less than 1000 square feet. We have one TV in the main living area. In 4 years, we had one person say that they wished we had a TV in the bedroom, too. That was an easy 'thank you for the suggestion'.