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Equipping Your Holiday Home: A Comprehensive Guide
As holiday home owners, creating a memorable experience for your guests begins with ensuring they have everything they need for a comfortable stay.
At keyone, we know how important it is to provide both the essentials and those extra touches that make all the difference. Here’s our guide to equipping your holiday flat, based on our experience as a trusted holiday rental company.
We’ve categorised these as “essentials”, or “nice to haves”. The nice-to-have items aren’t always expected by guests, but they can make your property more attractive and increase the chances of positive reviews and longer bookings*. These are even sometimes expected if your accommodation has a higher than average price.
Bedroom Essentials
Essentials
Comfortable Beds: Make sure to offer enough beds to accommodate the maximum number of guests your property can hold.
Bed Linen & Blankets: Provide sheets, blankets, and pillows for every guest. Having a spare set or two ensures that emergencies or longer stays are never a hassle.
Bedside Tables & Lamps: Where possible, include bedside tables and lamps to create a homely and functional space.
Clothing Storage: Offer plenty of storage space, such as wardrobes or dressers, with enough hangers for all guests.
Nice-to-Have’s:
Hot Water Bottles: A lovely touch for colder nights.*
Linen Basket: A simple linen basket helps guests keep dirty laundry organised.*
Multi-Socket Plugs: Provide power points that cater to USBs, so guests can easily charge their devices.
Disposable Earplugs: Thoughtful for guests who need quiet for a good nights rest.*
Phone Charging Points: Ideally placed next to the bed for overnight charging.
TV in the Bedroom: For those lazy mornings where guests want to relax in bed.
Kitchen Essentials
Guests who opt for holiday homes over hotels often value the convenience of cooking their own meals. A well-equipped kitchen is essential and can help your property stand out by catering to a range of dining preferences.
To enhance the guest experience, we recommend providing multiple sets of plates—especially if your property includes a dishwasher. When guests don’t have to wash dishes by hand, they’re more likely to use more plates, making this a thoughtful addition to your kitchen setup.
Essentials:
Kitchen Appliances: Your kitchen should include a kettle, coffee machine (consider providing preground beans or coffee pods), toaster, microwave, stovetop, and fridge.
Plates & Bowls: Ensure there are enough plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We recommend 2-3 times the maximum number of guests your home can accommodate, especially if you have a dishwasher.
Offer a variety of plate types: dinner plates, side plates, cereal bowls, pasta bowls, salad bowls, and serving plates.
Cutlery: Provide at least 2-3 sets of cutlery for each guest at maximum occupancy. Make sure to include different sizes and kinds of silverware, such as dinner knives, forks, dessert spoons, teaspoons, and serving spoons.
Cooking Equipment: Ensure you have the right cooking gear, such as frying pans (one large, one small), pots in various sizes, a roasting tin, chopping boards, colander, and mixing bowls.
Glasses & Mugs: Provide water, wine, and beer glasses, as well as mugs, enough for 2-3 times the guest capacity.
Utensils: Include a wide range of cooking utensils such as wooden spoons, spatulas, metal spoons, tongs, ladles, and whisks.
Knives: Equip the kitchen with a variety of knives, including bread, carving, paring, and multi-purpose knives, along with a sharpener.
Cleaning Supplies: Supply cleaning products, dishcloths, pan scourers, kitchen rolls, and general cleaning tools like mops, brooms, and a vacuum.
Waste Disposal: Provide waste and recycling bins and spare garbage bags to help guests keep the kitchen tidy.
Nice-to-Have’s:
Additional Appliances: In addition to the essentials above, your property will stand out if you can provide a dishwasher, freezer, and an oven.
Teapot & Caffetiere: For guests who love their tea or coffee rituals.
Basic Spices & Condiments: Salt, pepper, olive oil, tea, coffee, and sugar can add a welcoming touch.*
Oven Gloves & Apron: Practical and thoughtful additions that guests will appreciate.
Bathroom Essentials
A clean, well-equipped bathroom is a top priority for guests. Make sure yours is stocked with everything they need.
Essentials:
Hot water: Make sure your hot water tank can provide enough for your maximum occupancy.
Towels: Provide high-quality bath towels and hand towels for each guest. Having extra sets ensures that there are enough for everyone during longer stays. Additional towels are often requested for stays longer than 3 days.
Bath Mat: A soft bath mat makes the bathroom more comfortable, and helps keep floors dry and safe.
Toiletries: Include basic toiletries such as soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. It’s always nice to have a backup supply to avoid guests running out.
Toilet Brush & Plunger: A toilet brush and a plunger are small but essential items for keeping the bathroom clean and functional.
Waste Bin: A small bin in the bathroom helps keep things tidy.
Nice-to-Have’s:
Hairdryer: Many guests don’t travel with their own, so having one available can be very convenient.
Luxury Toiletries: Offering higher-quality shower gels, lotions, or bath bombs can add a luxurious touch to your guest experience.
Bathrobes: If your property offers access to wellness facilities such as sauna, pool or hot tub, guests will always appreciate the possibility to borrow a nice bath robe, stepping up the comfort level and making you shine even more as a host.*
Washing Machine: Providing a washing machine for guests adds convenience and comfort, and will definitely increase the chances of longer bookings.
Iron and Ironing Board: Especially if you provide a washing machine, it makes sense to think about providing an iron and an ironing board.
Living Space Essentials
Creating a cosy and inviting living space is essential for your guests to feel at home.
Essentials:
Comfortable Seating: Ensure there is enough seating for all your guests. A comfy sofa or armchairs are ideal for lounging and relaxing.
Wi-Fi Access: For most guests, high-speed internet is as expected as hot water in the shower.
Entertainment: Provide a TV, possibly with streaming services, games, books, and a few local magazines to give guests options for relaxing.
Nice-to-Have Extras:
Board Games & Puzzles: Perfect for family stays or rainy days.
Blankets & Cushions: Cosy throws and soft cushions add warmth to the living space.
Local Guides & Maps: Offering information about local attractions, restaurants, and hiking trails is a great way to enhance the guest experience. Your local tourism association will often provide these.
Final Touches
To elevate your property, consider these thoughtful extras that can help guests feel welcomed and cared for:
Welcome Pack: A small welcome pack with snacks, a bottle of wine, or local produce makes a great first impression.*
Emergency Supplies: Have a flashlight, a box of matches, candles, and lighters handy in case of a power outage.*
Eco-Friendly Options: Offer recycling bins, reusable bags, and energy-efficient appliances to cater to environmentally conscious guests. This can score you additional points with guests who are looking for a sustainable property.
It’s a long list, but it pays off!
Creating a well-equipped holiday home is about balancing practicality with comfort. By providing essential amenities and those little extras, you’ll ensure your guests have a memorable, hassle-free stay—leading to rave reviews and repeat bookings!
Want some additional help with your holiday home? keyone specialises in the management of holiday homes – from basic marketing and revenue optimisation services to full service marketing, guest communication, and cleaning.
Learn more here, or
get in touch today to see how we can help you.
*Please be aware that while some of the "nice-to-have" items listed can significantly enhance the guest experience, they may not be items that keyone or most property managers in the market can regularly provide or restock. We’ve included them because they can create memorable stays, but it's important to consider that once offered, future guests who see these mentioned in reviews may expect them. Before committing to these extras, ensure that you can consistently provide them over time.
