6. optional amenities
Optional amenities like shampoo, coffee, etc. can increase your value rating and make your guests’ stay even more enjoyable. Snacks and drinks can be bought in bulk at stores like Costco. Shampoo and soap can be purchased in bulk online at sites like Webstaurant Store and Amazon. There are hundreds of hotel supply companies, find one that fits your budget and style.
Following is a list of the most common optional amenities hosts provide.
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Snacks
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Water/soft drinks/juice
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Coffee
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Creamer
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Sugar
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Tea
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Soap & shampoo
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Luggage rack
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Iron and small ironing board
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Lockbox/keyless entry/Keycafe
After about a year of using a commercial hotel soap and shampoo brand, we decided to spend a little more and buy our bath products from a local organic company, Evolve Skin products, which make a personalized bag of bath amenities for our Airbnbs. It costs us $6 per bag, but our guests love them and we feel it adds to our value rating. It also helps build a local community around our hosting business, where other local companies feel they have a stake in our success.
A good rule of thumb when considering spending on extras like bath products and food is to spend up to 10% of the price of one night at your unit.