I purchased a cabin in the smokies a few months ago and have gotten a handful of visitors and reviews. One of the consistent areas of improvement is the value rating. While i know some guests will nitpick, i expect most will provide an accurate value judgement. 

From my other listings, i've seen small amenity additions have a lasting impact on overall ratings and value ratings. I've added the same things to the cabin (his and hers toiletries, spare toothbrushes, snacks, wine, roku streaming, etc), but they haven't had the same effect. 

I already have a hot tub, rocking chairs, fireplace, and indoor jacuzzi at the listing.

For the cabin owners out there, what are the touches you've added that guests comment on or have seen a boost from?

The place looks great!

I see where some detectors are crossed off. Surely you do have smoke detectors?

Do you put the swan towels out everytime like in the picture? If not you might set a false expectation.

Do you have satellite or cable TV? I personally would not stay some place that did not have this.

Hi Ben!

Great place!  Nothing jumps out and @John Underwood has some good suggestions, but maybe a digital antenna might work if you can pick up the channels.  A few of your photos are fuzzy.  I also like to take photos of my amenities, inside kitchen cabinets, etc.... I recently purchased a little label maker as well and label the cabinets and locations of items. it can be frustrating to hunt for things when you're not familiar with the space.

Best,

Mike

I keep a scoped pellet gun, pellets and squirrel/starling bait (corn) on the enclosed back porch of one of my houses.  Also keep a running board like this:

SQUIRRELS  IIIII  III

STARLINGS  IIIII IIIII IIIII II

PIGEONS  IIIII IIIII IIII

SPARROWS IIIII IIIII II

Originally posted by @Michael Greenberg :

Hi Ben!

Great place!  Nothing jumps out and @John Underwood has some good suggestions, but maybe a digital antenna might work if you can pick up the channels.  A few of your photos are fuzzy.  I also like to take photos of my amenities, inside kitchen cabinets, etc.... I recently purchased a little label maker as well and label the cabinets and locations of items. it can be frustrating to hunt for things when you're not familiar with the space.

Best,

Mike

Hey Mike, Do you put the labels inside or outside the cabinets. I've been thinking about doing this.

outside kitchen or a gas bbq.

@John Underwood i'll have to double check on those. the towels are a good point, my cleaners fold them differently, so i could see how that might tie into the expectations. I don't have cable since i figure netflix is usually enough for most guests.

@Michael Greenberg good points, i like the digital antenna idea! i'll have to retake the fuzzy photos, i didn't notice those at first. 

@Paul Sandhu haha, great idea :D

@Ben Hooper I was disappointed with our first few reviews in The smokies this fall. Based on them, we replaced the (hard, uncomfortable) mattresses, installed sensor outdoor lighting, and addressed the cobwebs with the cleaner. As well, we keep up with communication via automated AirGMS messages. Now our reviews say we are attentive, easy to communicate with, and it’s a great location. That never changed, but our reviews have. We also bought new smart TVs and have directv, cable, and hotel-sized amenities-no wine, or coffee. We set expectations and keep our facts accurate. Also, it helps to ask yourself if you’d stay there and find it a good value.

I would like to know how to elicit better, more detailed reviews, but that’s another topic!