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A comfortable bed is essential in any short-term vacation rental. While I have various blog posts sharing my favorite mattress and bedding for our 30A condos, I want to talk about choosing the best bed for Airbnb rental properties today.
For those of you that are new here, I’m Sarah! I am a family travel blogger, photographer, and Airbnb superhost. Investing in our four short-term vacation rentals on 30A (Florida) has been life-changing for my family. Being an Airbnb host provides me with a flexible job, and self-managing our properties gives us much more financial freedom.
If you landed on this blog post, I would bet that you recently purchased a vacation rental property of your own. When you are new to Airbnb hosting, getting your space ready to host guests can be overwhelming. That’s where I come in! I have a proven track record for providing a 5-star guest experience. Feel free to read my Airbnb reviews for yourself.
Click here to shop all of my Airbnb Buying Guides on Amazon!
Where should you start?
After reading this post, I recommend you click over to the Airbnb hosting section of my blog and read the others. I share everything from choosing a TV for your rental to baby-friendly Airbnb essentials that set you apart. Other posts include advice on choosing towels and a coffee maker and extra Airbnb amenities that your guests will appreciate, such as a tool kit and a first aid kit.
Today, we will talk about the actual beds and bed frames in your Airbnb. You want your guests to feel at home when staying with you, and a clean, comfortable, and sturdy bed is a must-have!
I frequently see Airbnb spaces using cheap metal platform beds in every room. Not only do these make a space feel cheap and unfinished, but they are notorious for loosening up over time. You need to be intentional when choosing a bed for your rental, and the most important thing to consider is the size of the space. The size will directly impact the size of the bed you choose.
RELATED READ: 8 Truths I Wish I Knew Before Becoming An Airbnb Host
How To Pick The Correct Size Airbnb BedFor Short Term Rentals
Simply put, you want to choose the largest bed possible without sacrificing the room’s usability. King beds are ideal whenever possible, but that is not always the case. You do want to make sure that there is room to get into bed on each side and somewhere in the room to place luggage. This may require measuring the space and marking it with masking tape.
For example, we have a single bedroom in our two one-bedroom condos in Seacrest Beach. Both prior owners have a queen bed in that space. By doing significant research focused on exact dimensions, I was able to find a king bed that fits well in the room. As you’ll see in my listing photos below, it does not have a footboard or anything hanging out, taking up space. Avoid that because oftentimes, people will hit their shin on that piece!
While there is room to walk around the bed in all directions, I was very intentional when designing our latest condo, ensuring there was no excess in the room. I even skipped bulky nightstands and replaced them with small, versatile tables.
On the other hand, our two studios have queen beds. There was no room for a king bed in each without sacrificing too much space.
What Brand Makes the Best Bed for Airbnb Rentals?
I have found a favorite! I 100% recommend the Zinus brand platform beds. I purchase mine from Amazon and recommend their mattresses as well. The exact model we have is the Zinus Debi Platform bed, but there are a variety of nearly identical models under other names.
These top-rated beds are available at a fantastic price point. Price is a significant consideration when purchasing most items on my Airbnb host checklist. As I mentioned in other posts, you will need to replace items in your vacation rentals more often than at home. So, the focus should not be on the lifetime of an item like it would be when purchasing an item for your personal home. The same goes for the towels and bedding I choose!
Why do I love the Zinus beds so much?
They are easy to put together and incredibly sturdy. In almost two years, I haven’t had to tighten up the first Zinus bed we bought a single time.
The Zinus platform beds tend to have a lower profile length and width. My mattress lines up precisely with the edges, leaving maximum room around the bed.
I love the height of their headboards. The way they are designed allows them to sit flush against the wall, and most are over a foot higher than other beds I considered. This allows the room to feel more full and upscale, especially if you have higher ceilings. The large headboard makes the bed feel substantial in a room without taking up usable space.
I want to point out that I went with a different wooden bed for our first two condos. It’s now out of stock, but I loved it! I do still like the design. I set on a wood bed frame when I first started because I felt it would be easier to clean than the upholstered beds. This is true, but on the other hand, I constantly have to tighten the bed and replace supports underneath. I will replace these in the next year or so with Zinus beds.
The upholstery on our Zinus beds is very easy to spot and clean as needed, but a little Scotchguard never hurts!
What Zinus Bed Should You Buy?
Always measure your space and cross-check the dimensions before buying one. That said, here are a few of my favorites! Take a look at the reviews before you buy. Pretty much all of these Zinus beds have over 4.5 stars from thousands of buyers.
ZINUS Kellen Upholstered Scalloped Platform Bed Frame
ZINUS Misty Upholstered Platform Bed Frame
ZINUS Debi Upholstered Platform Bed Frame
Zinus Judy Upholstered Platform Bed Frame
ZINUS Omkaram Upholstered Platform Bed Frame
You can also view all of my favorite Amazon beds here in my Best Amazon Beds List!
After Choosing The Best Bed For Your Airbnb, What Mattress Should You Buy?
I have a clear favorite here as well. I use the 12″ Zinus Green Tea Mattress in my condos and at home, too! I have a complete blog post with my reasoning, and you can click below to read that.
READ: What is The Best Mattress For Your Vacation Rental?
What Bedding Should You Buy For Your Airbnb?
Again, I have an entire post with links to all of our bedding, including mattress protectors, mattress pads, pillows, and more. This is my most-read blog post, and I continue to get feedback from readers daily who love the bed setup as much as I do! I will link that blog post below.
READ: Our Favorite Bedding For Our Airbnb Short-Term Rentals
Overall, choosing a bed for your short-term rentals is a very informed decision you make after considering your space. Always choose a king bed if you can, but do not force it into a space too small. And if you do have king beds, market that! Many guests will choose a unit with a king bed over a similar unit with a queen bed.
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