What is the best Vacation Rental Furniture?

Vacation rental furniture is furniture that you purchase when looking to completely furnish a unit before renting it out for short periods of time. Although, figuring out exactly what you need is not always easy. First we suggest that you read through some online guides that detail what you would need for a standard rental property. Online guides provide a great list of all the items that need to be included to ensure guest satisfaction. Why reinvent the wheel, when these lists already exist? It would be unfair to put that burden on yourself! No one can think of everything - for example, even if you may not put a pull out sofa (sleeper sofa) in your home, they are excellent options for short term vacation rentals because they provide additional beds! You also want to make sure you don’t just put the basic, cheap furniture in there. Just because you are renting this space out for a short period of time, does not mean that the people who rent from you don’t deserve the absolute best.

After reading a guide to furnishing basics, you now know that  there needs to be  at least one bed in each room, or more depending on how you are advertising the property. You are going to need a couch in the living room, and enough seating to accommodate the number of people that you are advertising the place for. Next you are going to need a table for eating, a coffee table, drawers and wardrobes for their belongings and so much more.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of pieces that you are going to need to purchase to fully furnish a space and we haven’t even looked at lamps and things like that. Ideally, if you are struggling to think of what you could be missing, you should read through and check off the checklist that you got online and tick items off as you go along. This way, you will know what you have and what you don’t have, meaning you can get to work on purchasing the items you are short of. So what kinds of furniture should you be putting in your home?

What is Durable Or Commercial Grade Furniture?

This is important: “Commercial Grade” furniture is furniture that is built to last. It is durable and made to withstand a lot of use, which is perfect seeing as there are going to be people in and out of your rental property. You will need furniture that is going to be able to withstand long-term use so that you are not having to replace every couple of months. This is why commercial grade furniture is fantastic. Don’t forget, every time you need to replace furniture in your vacation rental, you will need to block off the booking calendar in order to coordinate the delivery or installation. That means you won’t be able to get bookings for that day (which may cost you more than the actual furniture). You also need to pay for an additional piece of furniture, and pay for haul away or removal of the damaged item. Finally, you might even have to refund a guest who was there when the furniture broke (or who discovered it broken) - hopefully they don’t try to collect from you for their injury when they fell off the chair that broke (what a headache!)

You will find that commercial-grade furniture is extremely durable because it is rigorously tested for withstanding additional wear and tear. Even though there are specific brands that are “known” for being the most durable because they build their furniture specifically for this purpose, commercial grade furniture can mean even more. Look for Commercial Grade testing that uses best practices from ANSI and BIFMA for example as those products are truly tested to withstand a commercial setting. These tests include leg strength, weight limit, structure soundness, tipping, etc. It also can mean specific fabrics that are performance grade, meaning they don’t absorb stains as easily / can be cleaned if damaged. If you think about it, how often do you think workplaces, hotels or other commercial spaces that use commercial grade furniture need to actually replace the furniture that they buy? If something breaks of course this needs to be sorted, but it’s not likely to do so because of wear and tear anywhere in the near future!

You may have heard commercial grade furniture called contract grade at some point, so don’t let this fool you. They are the same thing, and basically mean that they are both used for commercial purposes. It’s the underlying testing requirements that are important to look at (and the reviews by other folks who have purchased them for those purposes.While you may be furnishing a residential feeling property, it still counts as commercial because you are going to be earning a profit from it. That said, reviews on residential purchasing websites or by people who are looking to use a coffee table in their own home for example are not as important as a review from another short term rental / vacation rental host who has bought the items for this type of environment!

What Furniture Will Last The Longest In Your Vacation Rental?

Ideally, you want to pick furniture that is going to last a long time. This is why we recommend that you look into commercial-grade (or contract grade) furniture whenever you can. There are even beds that are commercial grade as they are made durable and for lots of use.. It is also to be noted that pieces such as chest drawers and wardrobes are going to last the longest. The reason for this is that while they are used, they are not constantly being sat on, or having items put on them.

It is also important to manage your expectations. What we mean by this is that not all furniture is going to last forever and everything can be worn down and damaged. This is why you want to be looking at a cost-effective solution that still allows you to have money when the time comes to replace the items.

What Is The Best Furniture To Attract Guests / Get More Bookings?

While a blank slate is what you should be aiming for when searching for a home buyer for a residential property, this is completely the opposite for a vacation rental. You want to make sure that the place is packed full of things that will draw the eyes of users online so that they book your rental. At the end of the day, the photo of the listing is the most important thing to draw in a booking! This means that you want to make the place have a nice, home away from home vibe about it. 

To do this, you are going to need to have comfortable-looking and feeling seats. A corner sofa is certainly something to consider as it gives off a family vibe, but is also great for the couple looking for a weekend getaway.  Again, while the look is certainly important, you don’t want reviews that say the bed or sofa in your vacation rental is uncomfortable. You should also be sure that your rugs are decorative, giving the space a little something extra.

If you want to get more bookings, you are going to need to make the bedrooms look inviting. If you want people to be attracted to your rental unit, then you want to have a comfortable bed in each and every room. This might be a little expensive, but it’s going to pay off. Even if every short term booking is $20 more per night because your place looks better, that’s over $7,000+ in additional vacation rental revenue per year being driven by your furniture and design alone.

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How To Furnish A Short Term Rental Unit?

Furnishing a short-term rental does not need to be difficult. As long as you take a deep breath and figure out what it is that you actually want to achieve, it should be relatively easy. Think about the kind of things that you would expect if you were going to be staying in a short term rental yourself. This is a great place to start when it comes to furnishing a short-term rental unit. Keep in mind that while you should put in a lot of the things that you would put into a long-term rental unit, it doesn’t need to be on the same kind of scale. In fact, many studies suggest that too many personal items like family photographs or overly-unique pieces can actually detract from bookings.

Keep in mind when you are choosing your furniture that you want people to feel comfortable in the unit. For most items, it is best to choose comfort over anything else to improve guest satisfaction. Go through the basics and be sure things will look good together, rather than just throwing random pieces of furniture into the room and hoping they work as a whole.

You can even hire an interior designer if you think it would be beneficial.. Let them know what you are going for, and then they can work on ordering all the furniture that you are going to need. 

What Brands Of Furniture Are Best For Vacation Rental

It really depends on what pieces of furniture you are buying to what kind of brands you want to look at. For example, let’s start with the sofa. You want to be comfortable and yet you don’t want them to sink every single time they sit down. As such, you should be shopping for Contract Grade furniture from West Elm or Pottery Barn.  Williams-Sonoma Brands are known for being the most comfortable, but also made of high-grade materials. It’s not just all about looks, it’s also about how practical and sturdy your pieces are.

Really, the bedframe isn’t the important part (so long as it won’t break), it’s the mattress that’s important for comfort. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to mattresses but you are just going to have to do your best. Ideally, you should go for something that is soft and firm as this is more likely going to be the most popular option. Helix offers a wide variety of hybrid mattresses that will satisfy every type of guest. The Helix Midnight mattress is very popular amongst vacation rental hosts and is definitely a necessity for the master bedroom (they are writing the review after all!).

Design Tips For Furnishing A Short Term Rental / Vacation Rental Unit

Everyone has different tastes and design choices. . Ours might not be the exact same as yours, and yours won’t be the same as someone else’s, but that’s just the way that it is. The best advice that we can give you when setting up a short-term rental property is that you don’t want to put TOO much personality into it. Of course, it is nice to stay somewhere that is nicely decorated, and that is slightly colorful, but, if you are not careful then it could end up being too niche and not appeal to the broadest number of people ..

We advise that you choose a neutral color palette for furniture. You can jazz up the place with colorful artwork and rugs, while keeping the furniture simple. Keep it to blacks, greys, or browns as much as possible. We would say white, but you never know how messy a renter could be. Also, use darker furniture for fabrics so they won’t show stains or dirt as noticeably.

We also recommend that you try to keep the local design aesthetic as much as possible (are you a cabin in the woods or a cottage on the beach?_Also consider placing all of your furniture pieces in the space before you start decorating. This way, you can check if the furniture fits and creates the vibe that you are looking for, before getting carried away enhancing it.

Do’s and Don’ts For Setting Up A Rental Unit

When setting up a rental unit, there are certain do’s and don’ts that you should think about. Some of them are as follows:

Do I Need To Use Different Furniture For A Long Term Rental As Opposed To A Short Term Rental?

This is a question that a lot of people ask, and the short answer is no, you don’t. People are going to be in and out constantly, meaning that the standard furniture for long-term furnished rentals is actually going to be fantastic.

At the end of the day, it is all very similar. There is no reason not to treat the unit as though it is going to be a long-term thing when you are out and buying the furniture. Don’t forget that people expect to be comfortable when they rent somewhere to stay, and it is important not to lack in things that guests perceive as standard.. The argument that someone won’t care if a mattress is uncomfortable if they “only have to sleep on it for a few nights” is just a red herring. Guests will notice within a few minutes of lying down if the bed is uncomfortable, and it’ll be reflected in your review.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now have a better understanding of all things short-term vacation rental furniture. As you can see, there are a few steps to take when furnishing a short-term rental unit, but it is a fairly straightforward process when you know what to do. If you do have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to answer any further questions that you have.