Beds are one of the most important things to get right in an Airbnb, but there are so many things to decide! In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know to make sure your vacation rental beds are perfect for your Airbnb. After all, a well-rested guest is a happy guest.
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Table of Contents
How Many and What Size Beds Are Best for Your Vacation Rental?
How many beds depends not only on the number and size of the bedrooms, but also on what kind of guests you want, and how many. If your city has occupancy limits, you can start there.
As to how big beds should be, my answer is usually “as big as possible.”
(Note: I am referring to American/Canadian bed sizes in this article and Imperial measurements, but if you’re outside the US or Canada the information still applies. Just choose the metric version of the download)
Who’s going to sleep in them?
Who is your ideal guest? If it’s families with young children, you’ll want at least one room with a pair of twin or full beds. You may want more than one room like that if you host groups of friends or co-workers.
On the other hand, if you get groups of couples traveling together you’ll want mostly king or queen rooms.
Either way, if you buy xl-twin beds they can be pushed together and made up as a standard king-sized bed. Just think about that when you’re choosing bedframes. You’ll also want to chat with your management team about who puts the beds together, and who takes them back apart.
What are your occupancy limits?
Some cities base occupancy limits on the number of beds, not bedrooms, so you’ll see listings for small two-bedrooms that sleep twelve because they’ve added sofa beds, trundle beds, and air mattresses to their bed count. That wouldn’t work for my guests, but if I had a cabin off a bike trail and wanted to appeal to groups of cyclists who just want to rest and have a beer at the end of a long day it could be perfect. I might even consider bunk beds.
Did you know you can fit a king-sized bed in a room as small as 10 x 12? How large of a room do you need for two twins? Scroll down to get the download that will show you exactly how you can arrange bedrooms of all sizes.
Can we build some cool bunk beds?
Speaking of – I love those custom bunk rooms all over social media, with the staircases and all, but every time I see them I think of what a pain in the butt it must be to make the upper bunk beds. Is it even possible to do it without crawling all over them? Before you go too far with that sort of plan, think about whether doing so will add a major time suck during busy turnovers. You may also want to consult with your insurance carrier; I still remember the time my brother had to be rushed to the emergency room to get stitches in his chin after an unfortunate tumble from the top bunk at Grandma’s house. If you’re not worried about kids, what about drunk people?
What about sofa beds and such?
As far as sofa beds, trundle beds, and air mattresses, can your plumbing handle extra people? Will taking care of sofa beds and air mattresses place a burden on your housekeeping team? Are you confident they’ll clean and check everything every time?
Want to know everything you need to know about buying a sofa for your Airbnb?
Okay, so back to that bigger-is-better thing.
It sounds silly, but one of the reasons my four-bedroom vacation rental is successful is that it is one of the only four-bedroom homes in the area with all king beds (three kings and two xl-twins). It makes it a no-brainer for groups of three or four couples to book our house because they know that no one will get stuck in a small room. That works for us because those groups are our ideal guests.
Of course, not every room is big enough for a king bed. So how do you know what size bed will fit? The best way is to download my awesome and free guide.
Here’s what you need to know. There should be enough room to get in bed from either side. Two and a half feet (30 inches) is comfortable, and 3 feet is better, either from the wall to the bed or a piece of furniture and the bed. ‘
Beds can be placed closer to the wall on one side, but it’s not ideal, and it makes changing the bedding a pain. If you don’t have a full three feet on one side, allow at least 22 inches for vacuums and making the bed.
Queen beds are fine if that works best for your guests and the room, but full-sized beds should only be used in double rooms or for kids. For double twin rooms, choose XL twins. They’re 5 inches longer than a standard twin and you can push two of them together to make an Eastern king.
Bonus tip: choose different colored sheets for different-sized beds to make turnovers less aggravating.
Do you need a dresser for your Airbnb? What about a TV?
Of course, beds aren’t the only things to go in bedrooms. Here are some general non-bed space planning guidelines:
- Yes, people still like TVs in bedrooms, even if they travel with iPads. Think about where a tv will go when you plan out your furniture unless you’re sure your guests don’t want or need them.
- You’ll want some kind of dresser unless the room has a closet with drawers. You need some space for hanging clothes and some for folded clothes, but not a lot.
- If there’s not a good place to put a dresser you can usually put a small chest of drawers in a closet.
- If you don’t need a dresser because you have enough storage in the closet, consider a console table, shelves, or similar as a landing spot for all of the things people take out of their pockets when they change clothes or unwind.
- Nightstands should be proportionate to the bed. Choose nightstands at least 24” wide for queen and king-sized beds.
- You need bedside lights. If there’s not a lot of room, plug-in wall sconces are a great idea. There are a lot of cheap and chic options on Amazon.
- Every bedroom should have a full-length mirror. It can be a cheap one on the back of a closet door.
- Give people a place to get suitcases out of the way. Folding luggage racks are good and not expensive. Foot-of-the-bed benches are also good. Both will keep people from putting dirty and damaging suitcases on the bed.
- If there’s room, give people a place to sit.
- Even better, set up a small workstation if you’ve got the room. Bonus points if you can set it up so that you can’t tell it’s a bedroom from a Zoom call.
Ok, but what kind of mattress is best for a vacation rental?
There are three types of mattresses you can buy, either at a traditional brick-and-mortar store or online: spring, foam, or hybrid mattresses.
Spring Mattresses
These are “traditional” mattresses, made of a base of springs (usually) topped with a layer of foam or other materials, and then a layer of padding, or a pillow top.
Spring mattresses are the type I recommend for vacation rentals. I like the same configuration that luxury hotels use: tight-top pocketed coil mattresses with reinforced sides. I then add a removable (and replaceable) plush topper. Here’s what all those things mean:
- Pocketed coils: Look for individually wrapped pocket coils (vs. open coils). These provide better motion isolation and contouring and are indicative of a better-quality mattress.
- Reinforced sides. Important for hospitality, Prevents the sides from getting smushed when people sit on the edge of the bed.
- Tight top. An innerspring mattress without extra padding, i.e., a pillowtop. You have to add your own topper. Ideal for hospitality.
However, that combination isn’t so easy to find at retail stores. After all, it’s frequently the pillowtop layer that provides the most opportunity for an upsell, and most manufacturers sell those already attached to the mattress. In that case, I look for the coils and reinforced sides that I want with the most basic pillowtop. Here are some pillowtop terms to know.
- Pillowtop vs. Euro-top: this just means the padding on top is either a sewn-on layer (pillowtop) or under the fabric of the mattress (Euro-top.) Either is fine.
- Double-sided: Whatever padding is added is the same on the top and bottom so that you can flip and rotate the mattress for longevity. Good to have.
Foam Mattresses
Foam mattresses are made of different layers of foam, usually of varying densities for durability, support, and cushioning. For a more durable foam mattress, look for a memory foam density of at least four pounds per cubic foot. This is the density that’s recommended for people over 200 pounds, which makes it a good choice for a vacation rental.
It’s possible to get a foam mattress under $400, but they are usually made of less dense, therefore less durable foam. They’ll get you started but you may need to replace them sooner than you would a better-quality mattress.
Foam mattresses generally fall into two categories, memory foam, and latex. Memory foam tends to mold to your body as you sleep, which causes a sinking, cradling sensation that some people like and some (like me) hate. Memory foam also retains heat, although some mattresses claim to have “cooling technology,” which is sometimes effective.
Unlike memory foam, latex is a natural product derived from rubber trees. Latex mattresses tend to cost a little more than memory foam. They do not trap heat as much as memory foam versions do, and they have less of a sinking effect.
The Airbnb Mattresses I Recommend:
- Sealy Posturepedic Carver 11” Firm This is about as close to a tight top spring mattress as you can get. A basic mattress at a good price, with free delivery and setup (as long as you have a Costco membership). Way better than schlepping a heavy mattress in a box. A topper is a must with this one.
- WinkBed Luxury Firm Multiple sites, including the New York Times, US News, and Health.com have voted this the best hybrid mattress around. Although it’s priced well for the quality, it may be a little more than what you need for your vacation rental. Worth it if your vacation rental is also your part-time home, but probably not if you’re going to put a topper on it.
- ZINUS 12 Inch Green Tea Cooling Gel Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress Wow, so cheap you guys. It gets good reviews, so it’s probably worth it as a low-cost starter mattress even if you have to replace it sooner than higher-priced options.
- Saatva Classic Mattress With a 365-night trial period and a lifetime guarantee, this well-reviewed hybrid mattress may be well worth the upgrade, especially if you’re renting at a luxury price point.
- Novaform 14″ ComfortGrande Plus Gel Memory Foam Mattress Medium This foam mattress from Costco is way cheaper than most beds in a box and has the famous Cosco return policy. Delivery is free, but they don’t set this one up for you.
- Tuft & Needle – Original Mattress This foam mattress gets great reviews and it’s a good price. It’s not memory foam, so it promises to stay cooler than other foam mattresses. No foam density is given, so it may not last long for heavier people.
Mattress Toppers
Fluffy toppers are the thing that will have your guests raving about your beds, and they are the answer to why some hotel beds are just so comfortable. As with mattresses, there are a lot of memory foam options in this category, but I recommend choosing a topper that’s washable. If you feel like your beds really need that extra layer of foam, then you can use a memory foam or latex topper with a washable cover.
What about the bedframe? Is just a headboard OK for a vacation rental?
Beds should have a headboard of some sort that’s easy to keep clean. Upholstered headboards can be attractive and economical, especially if you’re handy and you make one yourself. Just be sure to choose an easy-care material. No headboard means guests will be sitting with pillows up against the bare wall, which is neither comfortable nor good for the longevity of your paint.
You don’t necessarily need a bed frame beyond the simple metal one that can be added to your mattress order, but a frame with a closed bottom, like a platform, or one with low clearance will save your housekeepers from constantly fishing lost items from underneath the beds. That’s why hotels often use beds with closed bottoms. Keep in mind that if you don’t have a bed with a frame you’ll need to add a bed skirt or another way to cover the box spring.
Whether or not you need a box spring depends on the type of bed frame and mattress you choose.
Need styling help? Check out 12 Cheap Ways to Add Style to Your Short-Term Rental
Notched Border Headboard in Fawn Gray
Tufted Fabric and Wood Headboard
Seagrass Headboard
Rattan Headboard
Upholstered Headboard with Nailheads
Metal Headboard
Scallop Headboard
Carved Teak Headboard
Upholstered Velvet Headboard in Royal Blue
Acacia Wood Headboard
Oak and Linen Headboard
Woven Leather Headboard
What do you think? Have you found a great deal on mattresses for your Airbnb? Please share with the class in the comments below!
