Short-Term Rental Amenity Checklist
Did you just purchase your first short-term rental property and aren’t quite sure how to furnish, stock, and decorate? This can be an overwhelming task but we’re here to help. We are preparing to launch our 4th STR and thought it would be fun to create a comprehensive list as we go. See below for our Short-term Rental Amenity Checklist. Enjoy!
Keep in mind – the products linked here are all Amazon products. When furnishing/staging/supplying an STR, it’s important to keep costs low so we will often shop second hand (FB Marketplace, Goodwill, local consignment shops, etc) for big furniture pieces. We like to use BJs for supplies like TP, laundry detergent, and dish soap. However, the Amazon selections below are priced and reviewed well and are excellent options for when we can’t find what we need second hand or those items that we want to purchase brand new or will need to send to our cleaning team fairly frequently. The majority of the furniture and linen items have many different color and size options so they are great no matter your STR’s aesthetic. We’re excited to have this list handy for our newest STR acquisition, and hope you will find it useful as well!
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Safety | STR Amenity Checklist
Providing a safe environment for guests to enjoy their vacation is a promise that hosts implicitly make. Don’t take this responsibility lightly. There can be large ramifications if your property is not well equipped for an emergency or equipment is beyond its expiry or useful life.
Smoke detector/carbon monoxide detector
If the property has stairs and allows children add a baby gate and consider outlet covers
Kitchen | STR Amenity Checklist
The kitchen is arguably one of the most important rooms in your STR. Make sure your kitchen has all the necessities your guests are expecting when they book your place. We like to buy new but inexpensive items that are easy to replace when they age out. See below for our Amazon kitchen favorites.
Coffee Makers
Living Room | STR Amenity Checklist
When we think of a living room, we think of the space that our guests will relax and spend time together. We want our guests to be comfortable and remember their time in our STR fondly. We want them to feel at home and dream of coming back every chance they get. The living room a very important piece of this. These Amazon finds have us really excited to get to work on setting up STR #4!
Artwork
Games
Bedrooms | STR Amenity Checklist
We believe that bedrooms should be cozy and comfortable and clean. They need space to hold our guests belongings and help our guests get ready for and rest from their vacation or business travels. The bed must be clean and the mattress and pillows must be protected. We have purchased everything on this list for our current STRs and will continue with these items for all future STRs.
Mattress – this one has great reviews, many size and firmness options, and is very reasonably priced!
Fans for white noise and airflow
Bathrooms | STR Amenity Checklist
There’s nothing worse than being in a strange bathroom and not having the necessities. It’s very important for the bathrooms to be well stocked and clean. We like to almost over-stock our bathrooms and our guests appreciate that.
Complimentary toiletries
Home Office | STR Amenity Checklist
The last few years have made working from home much more common than it used to be. We feel like its important to reflect this in our STRs and provide space for those who need to get some work done while out of town. It doesn’t take a lot of money or space to create a little working nook in your STR.
Outdoor Space | STR Amenity Checklist
The outside area can change dramatically from STR to STR so it’s difficult to really narrow it down for this list. Our 4th STR is a mountain property though and the outside space is very important to us. The views are beautiful and we know our guests will crave outside time. The following items are bare minimum in our opinion.
Bonus Items | STR Amenity Checklist
Make sure to thank your guests with a welcome gift. Just a basket of thoughtful items that you think they will enjoy while they are staying in your space. Our favorite welcome gift is this s’mores kit for our mountain properties but the sky is the limit. Keep the cost down by buying items in bulk and preparing your baskets yourself. Also, if you allow animals in your STR, make sure you provide a few items for them as well. \
Dog supplies
- Paw wiping towels – we just use old towels here – no need to buy new ones.
That’s all we have for now! Was this helpful to you? What is on your list that’s not on ours?
If you have a property in the Carolinas, are feeling overwhelmed with the set up or not getting the reviews you’d like and need some help, please check out our services here and let us know how we can help!
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