television in the master bedroom

[Will2366]

I have stayed at Airbnb home rentals in three countries and seven states, none of which had a television  in the master bedroom. I didn't think anything of it because I don't have a television in the master bedroom of my home either. In the home I provide to guest , there is a large screen tv in the living room and another in the guest bedroom, NONE in the master bedroom. I make this known in the amenities of my listing. Today, a guest sent a message with a flag stating  there isn't a tv in the master bedroom and  the guest from  last weekend brought there own tv and tried to set it up in my master bedroom. Both guests scheduled for 2 night stays. What is this obsession with having a tv in the master bedroom?!?

[Kath9]

@Anonymous  absolutely not! It's just been my observation that Airbnb has gradually moved away from its original spirit to becoming the new 'hotel'. I've had a couple of guests complain about no TV in the bedroom and others who have suggested installing one. However, I don't want a TV in the guest room, not least because it shares a wall with my own room and the last thing I want is to be kept awake by people's late-night volume-50 commercial TV-watching habits! I find it's mostly older people who complain about no TV access - young people don't care about TV at all (yet another reason why I prefer younger guests).

[Michele1348]

@Kath9   I thought i was alone in thinking "Airbnb has gradually moved away from its original spirit to becoming the new 'hotel'."  I miss the original spirit and energy.  I met such great people who wanted to share in the exchange experience of visitors.  

[Huma0]

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@Kath9 wrote:

young people don't care about TV at all 

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This is also my experience. Most of my guests are young and they have no interest in the TV whatsoever. I have a TV in the living room, not in any of the bedrooms, and no one has ever complained about that as they all watch stuff on their devices anyway. 

When I changed my TV recently, I thought about putting the previous one in a guest bedroom, but after asking guests what they thought about that, they said it would spoil the aesthetic of the room and none were interested in having a TV in the bedroom anyway.

The only time I've ever been asked by a guest about a TV in the bedroom was when a couple wanted to stay and the lady was eight months pregnant, so I guess planning to spend a lot of time at home (my listing was totally unsuitable for a heavily pregnant woman anyway so this booking was a non starter).

[Dale711]

Hi @Will2366 ,

Having a TV in a master bedroom, the guest will be retained of home feel.

[Maxine33]

@Will2366 I know it sounds nuts, right?  I provide one TV, in the living room and have not had a complaint to date.  My cousin carries a 40 inch TV with him any time they go places with the kids so they can watch kids shows while adults watch the game or just have adult conversation in the living room. 

[Sarah977]

@Maxine33  I never understood parents who think TV is a great babysitter. To me it's lazy parenting. I raised 3 kids with no TV in the house. They had books, puzzles, games, building blocks, art supplies, etc. They never said they were bored and there was no problem getting uninterrupted adult time when wanted. 

Nor do my now grown daughters have TVs and all have kids.

[Rich-and-Yan0]

I have lived in several countries around the world, including the US, and have travelled and stayed in many more. Based on that experience, I would have to agree with Sarah above that having a TV in the bedroom seems to be more of an American tendency.

In our listing, there are two fairly large bedrooms. The main one with the en-suite bathroom opens out on to the terrace, and we did put a TV in there. The other one in on the sunrise side, faces some lovely gardens and has a desk with good Wi-Fi, ports for plugging in computers and devices, and so on. To date, we have not received any complaints about having a television in one bedroom only, and I honestly don't expect that we will. We have cable, Netflix, kids' channels, all of that--but so far, not a single guest has mentioned TV in either their correspondence or reviews. So, I guess that it just depends on where you are located and what people look for when they travel.

[Michelle1851]

@Will2366 I am a host and a guest. When we travel to other countries we don't ever look for a TV but within the US we tend to watch when we go to sleep at night.  It could also be a chance to watch something other than what the kids want to watch.  In the case of the last couple places we stayed, the bed seemed to have a better and more comfortable view of the TV than the living areas.  I wouldn't think its a deal breaker, as we could always use our computers, but they are nice.  Really TVs are pretty inexpensive these days and with internet access you don't even need cable, so why not provide.

[Angelica-Y-Jorge0]

We include TVs in our main room and all 3 bedrooms but we are one of the higher-priced rentals in the area. I think the price you are charging and the guest you want to attract determines if it's the right fit. If I'm staying somewhere and paying a premium price I expect to have all the amenities including a TV in the bedroom.

[Michelle1851]

I just returned from an Airbnb with my sister and niece. We discussed this topic quite a bit while we were away.   Our occasion, was visiting family in the area.  My sister is a busy entrepreneur and said at least on this occasion a tv in the bedroom was so appreciated as she could sleep in and watch whatever she wanted with out her spouse, as well as she doesn't have time to watch tv at home.  My niece also enjoyed having a tv in her room watching late in to the night when we returned in the evening, she does not have a tv in her room at home, so this was a treat.   All in all, it may just come down to the reason that people are traveling, as to whether or not they choose to watch tv.  In my listings, I don't show the tv's, but I do have them in all the rooms, they are not huge, but are there, signed in to all the accounts and available.