Airbnb Interior Design and Staging Tips to Attract More Guests

Airbnb Interior Design Tips to Stay Booked All Year

Running an Airbnb is not like inviting someone over to your house and letting them crash in your guest room at night. It’s a serious business that requires time and investment. When you decide to open your house to guests, you need to make sure to make a good impression. A bad one will leave them with a bad taste in their mouth and bad reviews for you. Consider these Airbnb interior design tips to create the best guest experience.

Decorate for Your Audience

When considering your Airbnb interior design, keeping your audience in mind is crucial. Keep the walls a neutral color. Add some pops of color with art pieces. Draw inspiration from the local area. Examples could be a bowl of sand and shells on the coffee table if your house is close to the beach or framed music venue posters if your Airbnb in close to a thriving music scene. Hang mirrors strategically to add more light to the room. Identify your audience and decorate to suit them. Choose accent pieces that have character and start a conversation. Pro tip: Use a wide angled lens to capture more light and space in one photograph. Check out our photography tips here.

Clean and Fresh

Make sure your Airbnb is clean and looks fresh. Old, stained carpets are not attractive and will turn away guests upon viewing. Make sure the carpet looks fresh and clean. Hardwood floors can have a worn look to them if that is the aesthetic that you are going for; otherwise, they should be buffed and polished or apply a new coat of poly after any sanding that may be needed. You want your Airbnb to smell like home. Consider leaving new, unused candles for your guests (if your insurance will allow), or placing an automatic air freshener near an entranceway, so your guests smell the scent of freshness as soon as they walk in. Choose a fresh, clean scent not something that would be overpowering.

Minimal yet Functional

When styling your Airbnb, use minimal pieces that do not clutter the space. Ikea has many furniture options that are sleek and classically modern. Any nooks or small spaces that can hold storage units or even open shelving pieces are great ways to create spaces for guests to put their stuff. Hooks on the walls, wall racks, overhead toilet ladder/shelving and any closet space; guests will still need a place to unpack so keep this in mind when styling as well.

Pro TIP: Maximize your bed space with futon couches that will pull out for additional guests.

Spoil Them a Little

Some nice things to leave for guests are extension cords, cell phone chargers, hair dryers, and even a basic first aid kit with Motrin and Tylenol.  Or spoil them even more with baskets of hotel toiletry items under the sink in case they may have forgotten some toothpaste or shampoo. If you are offering a family-friendly Airbnb, keeping items like a booster seat or a packet of baby wipes in the bathroom would be a great way to let them know you are thinking of there needs during their stay. Hosts that go for the extra wow factor are the ones that usually end up on the Superhost list.  What is Superhost? Read about it here.

Something Sentimental

Hang a corkboard with tacks on the wall. Leave a polaroid camera for your guests to snap a picture of themselves to hang up before they leave. This sentimental gesture will be a hit with your guests, and as a host, you will have a great way to remember them.

 What Not to Do:

• Religious or political items like crosses on the wall or pictures of the president have no place inside your Airbnb
• Personal items like family photos can make guests feel like they are invading someone else’s home and space.

Styling and staging an Airbnb is a lot like staging a house. The guests staying in your Airbnb will likely have different backgrounds, styles, and tastes. Neutral style with a certain vibe is best. We have some neutral paint color ideas here. With these tips, you should be able to attract plenty of guests and stay booked all year long.