Setting up our vacation rental bedrooms

Bedroom setup

So the house is cleared of all personal items we don’t want there with guests. Now, we need to set this home up for a cozy, relaxing vacation spot anyone would love to stay in. Vacation rental bedroom setup is up first! It is a bit of a mental shift from the homeowner’s view of setting up a home to a guest’s perspective. A homeowner typically likes every inch of the house decorated, all the cupboards filled and knick-knacks from here and there. We are finding as a vacation rental owner, we are essentially decorating for the pictures. As weird as that sounds, the “staging” of the home for marketing pictures is what draws a prospective guest in. I think of what my mind looks at when I visit the Airbnb website to scout a home; I am looking at the setup. I look at the bed and what amenities there are available for us. The entire house doesn’t have to decorate fully like a Better Homes and Gardens advertisement. Still, it needs to look comfortable, and two look precisely like the pictures seen on the vacation home websites. We were told the main focuses need to be decorated, and the rest blend in. For the beginning steps on how to begin a vacation rental click here.

Things to purchase

Our home is a two-bedroom, with a basement room with a walkout, making it a three-bedroom home sleeping 6-9 people. We already have two king-size beds and a full. There is a list of things we decided we need to purchase right upfront.

• pillow protectors
• mattress covers
• mattress gel pads
• sheets
• towels
• dishes
• glasses, wine, and drink-ware
• silverware
• pots and pans
• mixing bowls
• cooking utensils
• a bed for in the basement, a sofa couch, or a trundle bed
• an accent table and 2 chairs for the entryway
• art, prints
• lights for the deck
• Adirondack chairs for the beach
• signs for the beach – no lifeguard on duty
• conversation furniture for the patio below the deck
• mirrors for small bathroom
• full length mirrors for main bedroom, guest bedroom
• and more

Where to begin

That sounds like a lot! The towels, sheets, and bedding all have to be brand new. These are the most essential purchases because people remember above everything the sleep they had. If the bed is uncomfortable, they will not sleep well, and that ruins the whole experience. Even if the home is perfectly decorated and has a beautiful view, they are more unlikely to NOT stay if the sleep was horrible. I still remember a hotel my husband and I stayed at years ago with the most comfortable bed I have ever laid in. I can’t tell you what hotel, what the rest of the hotel looked like. Still, I can vividly remember getting into bed, saying this is amazingly comfortable, and having one of the best nights of sleep of my life. I wish I would have peeked or asked what mattresses they purchase and where they buy their bedding!

When I shop online I research, and look at reviews, I bargain shop, and I just want to warn you; you can get stuck in finding the best option phase. There are silk sheets, bamboo, cotton, flannel, polyester, and a million different options in between. We decided to not go cheap, but not extravagant either. This is one of the many areas we will have to learn and improve from our guests. If we get a lot of reviews mentioning the sheets and beds, either positive or negative, we will know if what we chose was a good choice.

Sleeping on a cloud or princess and the pea

Mattress protection

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the thought of sleeping in the same bed as a stranger did the night before kinda freaks me out. What helps me relax is the knowledge of a good mattress protector to ensure any spills or “”other”” fluids aren’t stained in the bed and me laying on top. Clean sheets, blankets, and mattresses, and I am good; I want our guests to feel the same. I want our guests to feel comfortable while staying in our home. 

The beds we have currently have excellent mattress protectors on them, so this wasn’t an expense we had to incur. However, there is the concern for fluids spilled or accidents from little ones that may sleep in the beds, so this really needs to be a priority for all short-term rentals. If we would need to purchase more in the future, this water poof mattress cover is the brand I would go with. The reviews are excellent, and the cost isn’t terrible. Sadly, price isn’t always directly reflective of quality, so do your homework to find the best deal.

Mattress pad

We already had good mattresses we decided to keep from what my parents already had. In the guest room, there was a firm king bed mattress and medium-firm full mattresses. These both were in good condition, so we bought these gel toppers for both. We use this same gel topper for our own bed in our home and love it. It is breathable and doesn’t get too hot. Our short-term rental will most likely be a seasonal summer spot for guests, and that is in the hottest and most humid time of the year. We have had a foam mattress pad before, and they were really soft and comfy but also were very hot! We also felt a foam wouldn’t be as durable as a covered gel mattress pad. Suppose we see guests coming in more in January and February for ice-fishing. In that case, we will probably purchase flannel sheets to accommodate a heated blanket.

In the master bedroom, there is a sleep number bed, which is in excellent condition. The mattress can be soft depending on what setting a person sets, but we chose to purchase a gel pad for this bed as well to add in a bit of comfy luxury. The master bedroom has a king-size bed as well, of course. We were thankful the beds were all in good shape because those would honestly be one of our most significant expenses if we didn’t already have some.

Sheets

The sheets we have right now are beautiful, but I don’t think they would be suitable for a rental. They are a flannel-like fabric and cream in color. We read a lot about sheets in the Airbnb Facebook group, and there were so many mixed suggestions. On the one hand, white looks clean and brings the idea of clean to mind when someone sees it. On the other hand, they stain easily and, after several washes, start to look a little off-white and dirty. I did see a suggestion to squirt several drops of original Dawn dish soap on a white washcloth and throw that in the laundry with the sheets. Supposedly that keeps the sheets looking crisp white. I thought this go around we will make things as least complicated as possible. I was first going to go with these bone-colored sheets. I figured this is a happy medium between light and dark and will go with all the decor and colors in the home currently. The primary color palette is navy, dark green, burgundy, mauve, and tans or creams. These are microfiber, fade-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, and are 21″ in-depth! I find sheets are often too short, and after a washing or two, don’t wrap around the entire mattress anymore. The problem I ran into was finding enough sets in all the sizes I needed. So these had great reviews and a reasonable price; Mellanni sheets. I went with two sets for each bed, so our cleaners have the option to take the used sheets off-site to wash. I’ll keep you posted on how the white sheets turn out in our vacation rental. Maybe colored sheets will be the way to go? Time will tell. 

Pillows

Pillows are another item that can be tricky. People like different types of pillows. I want a soft pillow but not too soft where my head ends up touching the bed after a little while (like feather pillows). Not everyone can do feather pillows with allergies. I am sure there is a class of people who like a hard pillow though I have no idea why? My point is, I don’t think there will be such thing as a perfect pillow for our guests. My plan is to have several options throughout the rooms, and they can pick which they like and move them from room to room if necessary, kind of like the three little bears. Also, many people love their own pillows so much they often pack them for their trip, so maybe it won’t be anything that comes up in our reviews anyways; we shall see!

We already have some pillows in excellent condition. Still, We will purchase some more in different sizes and densities, so hopefully, each guest will find one they like. These pillows are what I went with to add into what we already have, two queen size and two kings. They are a cooling pillow and have phenomenal reviews.  I also bought 6 queen size of these Mainstays pillows from Walmart. We bought some of these for our camper a couple years ago and they were surprisingly comfy! These are all suggestions, not must-haves, and remember we are in the learning phase still with this being our first vacation rental. We may find we need something completely different than these a year down the road!

Pillow protectors

Pillow protectors are needed for a few reasons. One, the obvious, cleanliness. To be completely frank, people sweat, stink, and can be oily. We do not want that directly on our pillow. The protectors will make it easy to take off, launder, and keep the actual pillows clean. The other reason for pillow protectors is bed bugs or lice; that awful experience I pray we never have to deal with, but it could be a reality. Finally, they will protect the pillows overall and essentially allow them to last longer. We bought several of each size to cover the pillows we have and to have some extras. Having at least two complete sets of all sheets, pillowcases, mattress covers, and blankets will make cleaning quicker for your crew. Sometimes they will do the laundry on-site while they are cleaning the home, and other times will take the laundry with them and bring it back the next time they come clean. We chose these pillow protectors because they are zippered and have a lifetime warranty if the zipper breaks. This brand had excellent reviews as well.

Blankets, comforter, quilts?

This was probably the hardest one for me to look for and decide on. I personally LOVE a big, fluffy, heavy blanket. You know, the kind you crawl under and feel warm and ready for a night of deep sleep. I have never been one that can sleep with only a sheet. The last several years, traveling a lot more and staying in hotels, I see the trend of comforters going, and a blanket begins replaced. I know the reasoning and appreciate it. I was creeped out sometimes, wondering how often the comforter I was cuddling up in was actually washed and who cuddled with it last. So what is a suitable replacement? The most recommended options we read were a duvet and cover, a quilt, or a comforter. Given the size of our washing machine, I chose to go with the duvet cover. These are a few I like but haven’t decided for sure which one I will get. Too many choices!

Bohemian – more than I would care to spend on just one duvet, considering I have 5 mattresses to buy and will get 2 sets of each for backup.

Bedsure Navy Blue Coverlet

Clara Clark 

Both the Clara and the Bedsure coverlets are about the same, just a little different in design. But, again, finding enough of the same in one brand wasn’t working out.

And the total is…

Not going to lie; pulling the trigger on this made me wince a bit. However, with all the research my husband and I have done, investing in good bedding for our vacation rental bedroom setup was key! So purchase we did.

I am excited to get these all on the beds and see what they look like. Navy blue is a calming color, and I felt it matched the theme of lake life. White sheets are a gamble in my mind, but white does portray cleanliness.