Airbnb Amenities Guests Actually Use (And a Few They Don't)

If you're converting a vacation home into a short-term rental, the amenity question will consume you faster than almost anything else. Airbnb's own amenity checklist runs to hundreds of items, host forums will tell you a hot tub is non-negotiable, and somewhere along the way you might even find yourself seriously considering a custom neon sign.

Don't.

After thirteen years hosting, here's what I've learned: the amenities that generate five-star reviews and repeat guests are almost never the expensive ones. They're the ones that make a guest feel like someone actually thought about them. And the amenities that matter are also the ones that support the narrative of your space— They need to make sense for your ideal guest. You don’t need to appeal to everyone— just to people who will love your listing.

The Guidebook

I'm leading with this because it's free, it's high-impact, and most hosts either skip it or phone it in with a list of chain restaurants copied from Google Maps.

A thorough, opinionated, funny guidebook is one of the most-mentioned amenities in my reviews — and it costs nothing but time. Guests want to know where you actually eat, which hike is worth getting up early for, and which tourist attraction isn't worth the drive. Give them your opinions, not a hedge. I have an entire post dedicated to building a guidebook that guests read cover to cover; if you haven't written yours yet, start there.

The Outdoor Hang

A quality hammock is one of the best investments a host with attractive outdoor space can make, and a Pawleys Island Hammock — the hand-woven rope kind that's been made in South Carolina since 1889 — runs about $200 to $350. Our guests photograph our pair them constantly. They show up in reviews. They're the thing people picture when they imagine themselves at your property before they book. A hammock is isceral, there is a low barrier to use (just walk to it and lie down) and it conjures up that vacation feeling.

More broadly, think about where your guests will spend time outside. A seating area positioned to catch the sunset, a morning coffee spot that faces east, a shaded place to read in the afternoon — these matter more than a fire pit table with a propane hookup that nobody can figure out how to light. The way you style your outdoor space maps how your guests will use the outdoor space— maximize its potential.

The Coffee Setup

This is a place to spend a little money and show some regional pride. Stock locally roasted coffee. Offer more than one brewing method — a drip machine covers the early risers who want a full pot, a French press rewards the guests who like to linger, and a pour-over setup signals that you take this seriously.

Whether a Keurig belongs in your listing depends on your property and your guests. It's not right for mine, but I'd rather a host offer a Keurig than leave only instant crystals in a cabinet. The point is to offer something good and make it easy to use— the coffee ritual is a memorable part of the texture of staying somewhere new— and Pod-People, listen up: I strongly recommend offering more than one option, and including a non-plastic option, like a French Press or pour-over if you want 5 stars in that review. Coffee people get riled up when they can’t make a quality cup.

On the gentler side, an assortment of teas is cheap and makes a disproportionate impression. Same principle with sweeteners: it's no harder to stock honey, sugar, and a sugar alternative than it is to stock one, and the guest who needed the third one will remember it.

The Toiletry Basket

An iteration of my toiletry basket. I have a container of lavender bath salts, a candle, and homemade goat milk soap in a little handmade dish, too.

A thoughtful basket of toiletries costs almost nothing and lands like a gift. Mine includes bamboo toothbrushes, tiny toothpaste tubes, sheet face masks, emery boards, feminine supplies, and bandaids in fun prints. None of these items is expensive. All of them communicate the same thing: I thought about what you might need.

Skip the miniature shampoo bottles from a hotel supply warehouse. Attractive refillable bottles save you money and save the planet.

A canister with bath salts costs pennies and guests will adore them.

A few well-chosen, nicely presented items does more for your reviews than a shelf full of generic personal care products. Pamper, don’t overwhelm.

Quality Bed Linens

If we were having a face-to-face meeting, this is where I'd implore you to spend money. Guests spend a third of their stay in bed. They notice when sheets are thin and don’t breathe, when pillows are flat, when the duvet is inadequate for the season. Good linens don't have to mean luxury linens — they mean appropriate material, thread count, proper sizing, and enough sets to turn the property quickly without running anything ragged.

Make the bed look like somewhere a person would want to sleep, not like the guest room that got the hand-me-downs. Bedding is NOT the place for the Cheapest Possible Option.

Spaces to Actually Live In

The amenity that gets the least attention in host forums is the one that matters most: a variety of comfortable places to be, together or alone.

There should be enough comfy seating for the number of folks the home sleeps.

Think about how a guest will inhabit your space over three or four days. Is there a good reading chair? A table the right size for the number of guests your listing accommodates — not too small, not so large it feels like a conference room? Somewhere comfortable to watch a movie that isn't a couch aimed at a television mounted too high on the wall?

A shelf of local nature and history guides, books by local authors, and some children’s books if you host families adds texture for the adults and ease for the children. Provide a few things to do in the space beyond scrolling on a phone. Five good board games and a few quality puzzles will get used. A neon sign and a pre-fab shiplap accent wall will not appear in any guest's review as the reason they're coming back.

On Hot Tubs

Hot tubs will make you money and will make you crazy.

Hot tubs show up in search filters and they can meaningfully increase your nightly rate. They can also meaningfully increase your headaches. I like them best for small properties — two to four guests — where you can set clear expectations about use. At a larger property, a hot tub brings a different kind of guest energy, and not always the kind you want.

More practically: if you don't live near your property, a hot tub is a significant management burden. Chemistry, maintenance, the occasional guest who treats it as a bathtub. Know what you're taking on before you install one.

Use the Airbnb Amenity List as a Prompt, Not a Checklist

Use Airbnb's list of available amenities as a brainstorming tool — it'll remind you that you could add a blender, a rice cooker, a beach umbrella, or a first aid kit. More amenities checked means more search visibility, and broader appeal. Go through the list and add whatever you have or can easily acquire.

But don't let the list set your priorities. The hosts who get the best reviews aren't the ones who ticked the most boxes — they're the ones whose guests felt, at every turn, that someone had actually thought about them. That's not a box. It's a disposition. And fortunately for the rest of us, it's rarer than a hot tub.

Elise Lauterbach is a 13-year Airbnb Superhost, Superhost Ambassador, and the founder of Host With Elise, a consulting and design practice for short-term rental hosts. She hosts The Cottage at Spindle Hill Farm and manages 8 other unique properties in Nelson County, Virginia.