64 Guest Essentials: A Complete Checklist for the Modern Guest

When today’s travelers begin searching where to stay for their trip, they compare your short-term rentals (STRs) with other similar property types as well as boutique hotels and major hotel chains. That’s because the hotel and STR industries have converged, and now compete with each other for business within the same platforms and online travel agencies (OTAs).

As a result, your target market expects you to do more than ever—guests want the luxury service traditionally provided by hotels, but they also want the personalization and independence that STRs specialize in. Plus they expect competitive prices wherever they go.

This means you’re under a lot of pressure to deliver all of the above, and that includes stocking your units with a huge variety of quality items and amenities for each stay. In this article, we’ll help you do just that—with a downloadable checklist produced with our amenities and fulfillment partner, sojo, and tips on how to make it all run smoothly on an operational level.

With a complete checklist of guest essentials (we also share our cleaning and furniture checklists!) and streamlined, scalable processes to deliver 5-star stays every time, you can grow your portfolio without diminishing your quality of service or adding to your workload.

Guest essentials: Expert views on personalization & longer stays

With so much competition and guests increasingly expecting hotel standards of service, you need to create that ‘wow’ factor to stay competitive across all your units, stays, and listings.

If you do this successfully, you can consistently receive 5-star reviews, earn word-of-mouth recommendations, and maintain your Airbnb Superhost status. But that means anticipating what your guests need, want, and love, and creating repeatable processes that ensure all the essentials are provided for, from toiletries and phone chargers to nightlights and full-length mirrors.

As part of your strategic planning, you also need to consider why and how your guests are staying with you. As Julia Herrington from our partner, Airbnb, says, “The longer people are staying, the more that well-equipped homes with specific amenities are really going to be important to guests.”

Julia Herrington, Airbnb Market Manager: Longer stays affect needs and expectations

Personalization is also extremely important to the guest experience, from your pre-arrival messaging to your welcome basket gifts. And, by paying attention to your target audience and different guest types, you can create a truly memorable experience that makes your services stand out.

As Max Farley of our guest supplies software partner, sojo says, “You bring an identity to the home that the renter can resonate with, and hopefully you get them as a follow-on renter the next year.”

Max Farley, sojo CEO: Personalization is crucial to customer loyalty

Guest essentials checklist: All the must-haves for a 5-star stay

In partnership with sojo, this checklist provides a helpful breakdown of common amenities and supplies to elevate property quality and guest service for STR property managers.

• Bar soap
• Bath towels
• Body lotion
• Body wash
• Conditioner
• Hair dryer
• Hand soap
• Hand towels
• Shampoo
• Toilet paper
• Wash cloths
  

Luxury additions