How Do You Deck Out Your Short Term Rental?

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How Do You Deck Out Your Short Term Rental?

Mindy JensenPro Member
BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes

I'm staying at an AirBnB in San Diego. I chose it for the location, just a few blocks from the beach.

It's newly renovated and looks nice. Fresh paint, very clean, comfy beds and couch.

But there are no decorations. There are zero pictures on the walls, one fake potted plant in the living room, and 6 placemats on the table. It feels bare.

How do you decorate your AirBnB? Have you had any feedback about your decorations specifically? We stay in them frequently, and they always seem to be decorated for the area, ie Mountain homes are log furniture, old skis on the wall, pictures of bears. Beach houses have pictures of waves, sand and seashells everywhere.

This sounds like a complaint and I really don't mind that there isn't any decorations. We're not spending a lot of time in the home, we're here for the beach. I'm doing research for my own AirBnB rentals.

While we're here, let's talk about entertainment. Do you provide cable/Netflix/Disney or are they on their own?

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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y

All my living rooms have a theme like Hunting, Bodybuilding, Guy Action Movies, Labrador Retrievers, Sports Memorabilia.  Things that would appeal to men.  All my bedrooms are decorated like Hugh Hefner himself did it.

I rent my STRs to contractors.  The guys you see working on the large erections of steel at a petrochemical refinery.  They drive jacked up 4x4s, have neck tats, and chew tobacco for breakfast.

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  • Avery CarlBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · USA · Member since 2016 · 909 posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    Skipping the decoration question because all of mine have come furnished and decorated. We have Netflix and Hulu, but we also have regular Comcast cable. In my market, I worry that the older generation might complain if they can’t figure out the streaming services. In a metro market you’d probably be ok with just streaming and no cable though.

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    6y

    For our Vrbo Lake house we have Nautical decorations on the walls. The master bedroom has  boat oars above the headboards that are painted to match the comforters. We have pictures of friends and family being drug on a tube behind our boat in black and white upstairs by the pool table, but nothing more personal than that.

    We do provide Satellite TV. We have a middle aged crowd with families. I would not have them try and figure out a streaming service. I like to keep it simple. One remote can control almost all the electronics.

    1Reply
  • Paul Sandhu
    Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y

    All my living rooms have a theme like Hunting, Bodybuilding, Guy Action Movies, Labrador Retrievers, Sports Memorabilia.  Things that would appeal to men.  All my bedrooms are decorated like Hugh Hefner himself did it.

    I rent my STRs to contractors.  The guys you see working on the large erections of steel at a petrochemical refinery.  They drive jacked up 4x4s, have neck tats, and chew tobacco for breakfast.

    8Reply
  • Paul Sandhu
    Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y

    Here is the living room from my big 3 story house with 4 baths.  There are about a dozen jerseys in the room.  6 prints of Arnold, Mel Gibson as The Road Warrior, Sylvester as Rocky, Soldiers, Guns, Astronauts, and more pictures of pro atheletes in action.  There are also movie poster prints from Saving Private Ryan, Fury, Pirates of the Carribbean, The Matrix, Django.  Some of those movie prints are in Russian or German.

    3Reply
  • Lien VuongBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Boston, MA · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    I decorate mine in respect to the theme and location of the property. For example: my Florida one is beach themed with some golf motifs as well. I think it's an important part of creating an ambiance into the property and will make the guests feel more welcomed also. People stay in Airbnb because they want a warmer experience in the community rather than the transactional stays at local hotel chains so I do think it makes a difference. Amenities such as coffee, Keurigs, BBQs, beach towels, are also a nice touch and shows the guests that you have thought about their experience also. 

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  • Nancy Bachety
    Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes
    6y

    You nailed it when you said “it feels bare”. That’s probably the most important factor more so than any theme; you don’t guests too feel that way. While a theme is lovely, you want to avoid it feeling bare and lonely as those are negative emotions. 

    Our style is beachy on Long Island, mountainy in Smokey Mtn, and nautical classic in St. Augustine. But none are bare and all bring guests to the area for a particular reason, like San Diego brought you (beach, mountains etc), and not the house, per se.

    Like @Avery Carl, we provide cable and smart tv’s with access to their own app accounts, if any.

    How do you like hosting, @Mindy Jensen? Are you glad you took the plunge?

    3Reply
  • Patricia Taveras
    New Bern, NC · Member since 2017 · 246 posts · 173 votes
    6y

    @Mindy Jensen We have at least two pieces of art in each room (except the bathrooms.) We have smart tv's in living room and each bedroom so they can stream with their own accounts if they like. We also have cable. Pool tables in the garages and a supply of board games. And of course the typical amenities like coffee, shampoo, spices, etc. And we get to go play pool ourselves when we have a vacancy!

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  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    Hey @Mindy Jensen! Our house has lots of art, pictures etc all over the place, including the bathrooms. It has a northwest cabin like theme overall, but not exclusively. For example, we put up a bunch of photos taken by members of my companies photography club. Some beachy things due to being on the lake.

    All our TV's are TCL's with the Roku interface. It is easiest to use by far of any streaming interface. Pretty much anyone can use it. We don't have satellite. So many families have Netfilx and Amazon Prime, they just log in and watch their own stuff. I have never had a complaint about the TV's or lack of DirectTV or Dish.

    Here are a couple of pics to give you an idea:

    Living Room

    2nd Floor Bath

    Dining Room

    Queen Bedroom

    2Reply
  • Eric Drum
    Rental Property Investor · Harrisburg PA · Member since 2019 · 62 posts · 42 votes
    6y

    There are great YouTube videos on adding niceties.  I also ran across lots of websites that drive great ratings

    0Reply
  • Steven Ko
    Sunnyvale, CA · Member since 2018 · 191 posts · 178 votes
    6y

    I haven’t started my AirBnb yet but currently setting up my rooms. I will be renting our private rooms in our primary residence.

    I went all out. While it seems like most people try to spend as little as possible, I did the exact opposite. I got good furniture, a purple 3 mattress, mounted smart tv with Netflix, Hulu (might add hbo/Disney +), 1 gb speed for internet, a crazy powerful router. I probably got every kitchen appliance you need. Oh and of course a smart lock for keyless entry.

    It terms of home decor, I like to go to flea markets and look for local artists. I’m trying to develop my own “flea market” home decor style.

    Honestly, I’m proud of how everything turned out.

    Just like with ltr, my goal is to get the highest class of tenant without going into the I want everything perfect A+ class tenant.

    Some things I plan to do to attract the tenant (business person) I’m looking for: adding a home office, charging extra $5

    for the 2nd person, and adding some

    magazine subscriptions to financial news.

    Some of the more recent podcasts reflect how I feel. I dare anyone to try and compare their room to mine. I’m ready to take on future competition, which I imagine more bigger players are starting to enter.

    3Reply
  • Julie Groth
    Residential Real Estate Investor and Broker · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    6y

    I think that the main thing is to go for the Instagram photo...like WOW, really nice! Lots of wall decor and items on mantels/dressers/table. Gives it more wow factors and photos can look plain. The photos will sell it. After photos, I go in and remove some of the small items on the dressers, etc so that it's easier to unpack and set your stuff out and actually use the place. Upscale lighting fixtures are a key element to making the place pop.

    Also, I like to think functionally...robe hooks on the back of every door for wet towels with lots of people. Large dining room tables (in my photo, there are 2 more chairs) for big groups to sit/dine. Drives me crazy when someone advertises a fair amount of guests but only seats 4-6 at dining. 

    Phone charger plug-ins on every night stand. Black wash cloths for makeup removal (I always feel uncomfortable if I'm going to get make up on white towel).

    6Reply
  • Julie Groth
    Residential Real Estate Investor and Broker · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    6y
    3Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    6y

    @Mindy Jensen That is a very, very location and property specific question.  Also very relevant to the price point and type of renters you are looking for.  We get a premium for well designed, well outfitted spaces given our location, property type, and renter profile.  Definitely not the right approach across the board though.  If you'd like to take a look at some of our design styles, etc.

    https://www.airbnb.com/users/1166310/listings

    0Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    6y

    @Michael Baum Pro photography will go a long way!  Nice looking place, but dark/odd photography.  Bet better photos would pay for themselves in a flash!

    0Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    Hey @John D., I am not going to disagree, but if you spend some time reading reviews of places you will find the same thing I found. I spent literally weeks reading reviews of properties all over the USA and one thing stood out.

    Places with fantastic photos never lived up to them. Well, almost never. Review after review across the board showed similar results.

    "Looked great in photos but once we got there, it wasn't as nice". That was a regular type of comment. It always was accompanied with a 3 star review.

    I get comments opposite that. "Looked good in photos but was amazing in person." That kind of comment has been made a couple of times.

    One of the biggest issues with pro photography is the manipulation of the final product. Color modifications, adding light sources that don't naturally exist etc, can really make a space look great, but in person, those things don't exist. That is a problem and I feel is a bit fraudulent.

    Now if you have a light drenched place that is perfectly designed, I think the required manipulations to the pics is minimized so the risk is much smaller. We don't have that kind of place. 

    So, in short, I am going to stick with what I got. So far I am booked pretty solid for our season with all 5 stars. Our place is getting about 500 views a month right now. It is slow booking for next summer during the holiday season, but after New Years, it should book fast. We already have 23 days booked for next summer. 

    0Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    6y

    Check out our listings?  We have not had complaints on our properties being over-represented in photos.  I think you are far under-representing the professionalism of your organization given the quality of the photos.  The photos not only represent the property, but also the management and overall experience, and I suspect you are under-marketing the superior product you are putting out.

    https://www.airbnb.com/users/1166310/listings

    Per your comment "Looked good in photos but was amazing in person." I would not have booked your place or read down to the reviews, given the photos relay, to me, an unprofessional operation, and therefore would not have seen that review.

    I agree photos should not significantly over-represent a place.  It also should not significantly under-represent one.



    0Reply
  • Reagen Natho
    Real Estate Agent · Texas Tennessee · Member since 2019 · 93 posts · 83 votes
    6y

    @John D. Your listings are GORGEOUS! I want to spend a month hanging out in that pool at the Date Palm Estate! Or just have a couple listings of my own that would be considered "estates". lol 

    @Mindy Jensen My cabin was already decorated when I purchased it, but it was really over decorated. There were little tacky things everywhere, collecting dust and not really my taste. I streamlined quite a bit of the decor to things that are easily passed over with a duster. Homegoods and TJ Maxx were my best friend while looking for some new things to add. I also provide cable along with Netflix. Cable is a small fee in addition to the internet anyway. I only provide a cable box in the living room and master and then streaming TVs in the other bedrooms. 

    A quick note on photography. I'm on the lower budget end of the spectrum and just can't justify paying for professional photos. But it's amazing what you can do with a little tweaking in Adobe Lightroom with your iPhone pics. I'm pretty proud of most of my photos taken with my iPhone X and edited in Lightroom. Might be an option for those that want better pics, but don't have it in the budget for professional pics. https://www.airbnb.com/h/smokymountaincabin

    0Reply
  • Bret GillespiePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Wilmington, NC · Member since 2018 · 26 posts · 13 votes
    6y

    We operate on the east coast beaches of the Carolina's. Mixing Modern Beach Chic and Rustic Farmhouse touches have been SUPER popular lately. I think any STR needs to look clean, which is why we lean towards white and light shades of gray with only black or navy blue accents. Mix in some gold with a few decorations and your property looks nautical but classy. Looking forward to an upcoming deal about an hour from our HQ that we're going to deck out with our same touches and make sure we beat the AirDNA median numbers again.

    0Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    Hey @John D., those places look great! I will revisit the idea of pro photography. I haven't had any issues filling up for the season, but everything helps.

    0Reply
  • Paul Sandhu
    Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y

    Word of mouth advertising by other tenants has gotten many more new tenants than any sort of online picture.

    0Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    6y

    @Michael Baum If you are filling with that photography, your rates are too low.

    0Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    Hehe, remember @John D. our place is a single season rental with some bumper. No one really wants to be on a North Idaho lake in the winter.

    We are too far from any kind of skiing or winter sports. All you can really do is watch the ice floe move back and forth between the 2 rivers that feed the lake.

    Your market is very different than mine. I feel my price is right on the money for our house and the area. I have taken a lot of time figuring out pricing and I could maybe get a bit more, but I am happy so far. I might look at raising rates for 2021.

    Thanks for the comments on my terrible photography. 

    0Reply
  • Romey Sifontes
    Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Julie Groth Love your style, Julie! Beautiful home. I’m in the process of designing my first AirBnb in New Orleans as we speak :)

    0Reply
  • Laurel Loomer
    Member since 2019 · 1 post · 0 votes
    6y

    I have two spaces and I’ve spent a lot of time (but not a lot of money) decking out my rooms.  Everything is from garage sales or thrift stores. Some Ikea.  I have a sort  of luxury country in one and exotic in the other. In both cases, I have an inspiration piece I built the room around. The exotic room was designed around an elephant lamp I fell in love with at a thrift store. I decided to do the room in a sort of Indiana Jones movie look once I found that. It’s still a work in progress but I love it so far.

    I wanted to ditch cable but so many people asked for it I kept it online. 

    0Reply
  • Ryan HooverBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 125 posts · 82 votes
    6y

    For me, I think less is more with decorations.  Enough to feel homie, but not cramped.  At the same time it shouldn't look like a half done staging either.

    In my market there are a lot of retirees, so cable and Netflix are a must.  But it does become a headache at times with passwords and technical issues.

    [email protected]602-820-3674
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