Posted by Aline Martin O'Brien on 16th Dec 2021
Short-Term Rentals Are Booming, Protect Your Five-Star Rating and Your Beds!
There are many online tips and advice sites for owners and managers of vacation rental units. Everything imaginable to enhance the guest experience (and the host's rating), from landscaping to bedroom decor, seems to have been addressed.
At Downlite, we do not own or operate any guest lodgings, although we have stayed at a few. We are experts in hotel-quality bedding at affordable prices, so we summarized the advice out there for hosts as it applies to bedding.
From the bottom up, a review of vacation host forums reveals ongoing problems with unprotected mattresses; hosts simply cannot afford to leave mattresses unprotected. Inexpensive mattress protectors that do not distribute or moderate body heat are also a significant guest satisfaction issue.
In fact, spills, stains, and unidentified substances create such an uncontrollable risk of total damage to a mattress, that many savvy hosts use a system of double protection. On top of the mattress protector and mattress pad, they place an additional waterproof mattress protector. This provides maximum protection for the mattress, and also allows the host to easily change/launder the top mattress protector while leaving the mattress pad and bottom protector in place. Additionally we recommend having two top waterproof pads for each bed – one on the bed and one to swap for laundry – to ensure there is no down time when accidents occur. Be sure to keep the replacement mattress pad in the nearby closet for that bedroom to speed up housekeeper tasks.
Downlite offers a hotel-quality mattress protector that addresses just about everything a host could ask for in a mattress protector.
●Clean Sleep Antimicrobial
●Cool To The Touch
●Durable For Repeat Washings
●Waterblock™ Waterproof Protection
●Odor Reduction
●SureGrip® Side Panels - Deep-pocket up to 18"
●OEKO-TEX® Certified Textiles Are Certified Free Of Harmful Chemicals
●Easy Care - Machine Wash & Dry
●Hypoallergenic - Reduces Reaction to Household Allergens
Next, consider the mattress pad. Short-term rental hosts report the need to launder mattress pads frequently and that a good mattress pad is helpful to achieving a five-star rating. Downlite offers a variety of mattress pads, including waterproof, hypoallergenic, cooling, plush, medium plush, super plush, or ultimate plush (ideal for a luxury rental), and other styles.
Note: we recommend having two waterproof mattress protectors, one to use and one in the closet as a replacement while the laundry is being done.
Vacation rental hosts seem pretty solidly in favor of using duvet covers to protect comforters and blankets and are in favor of washing the covers after every guest. Comforter lovers know to always look for a duvet or comforter with loops to attach the cover. Consider these Downlite comforters, duvets, and blankets, which feature the loops you will come to love.
Pillow protectors are essential. Careful hosts wash them after every visitor and typically have two sets on hand. Downlite's pillow protectors, available for under $10 each, have all the features a budding five-star host is looking for:
●400 Thread Count Cotton Dobby Damask Fabric
●Hypoallergenic
●White German Piping Detail
●18" Hidden Zipper Closure
●Easy Care: Machine Washable & Dryable
Pillows are among the most discussed items in the short-term rental world - both by hosts and guests. As we all know from visiting hotels, friends, and vacation homes, an excellent fresh pillow in a crisp laundered pillowcase makes a great first impression upon arrival. The consensus seems to be that pillows should be replaced every two years, with some variation for the pillow's quality and personal style.
Downlite offers a great starter kit of 10 high-quality soft density pillows that will nicely stock the rental unit and satisfy nearly every type of sleeper. It’s also considered best practice to have extra pillows in the nearby closet for accidents or guests who prefer more pillows.
We frequently advise our host customers to favor a durable classic pillow and consider hotel pillows, which come in soft, medium, or firm.
The Intelli-Pedic™ FlexSupport™ 3-in-1 Adjustable Pillow is unique in that it has two different filling styles and can transform into three sleep styles. This pillow delivers the perfect sleep, regardless of the sleep position, and can suit any guest.
We recommend a minimum of two pillows per guest, i.e., if your home sleeps six, you need at least 12 pillows, preferably extra pillows on hold and "ready to use" in the closet.
Another issue the savvy host will want to anticipate is the request for hypoallergenic bedding. You may notice that many vacation rental listings now indicate whether there are feathers and down products in use or not. Some hosts feature hypoallergenic or other specialized bedding and even charge a premium for it.
For hosts who anticipate the occasional request for unique bedding, we recommend keeping a spare set for that event.
Or you also can choose bedding that accommodates sensitive or allergic visitors, such as allergy-friendly bedding or hypoallergenic bedding. Several Downlite bedding products are certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly and easy to wash, which hosts appreciate.
Our mattress protector is hypoallergenic, and we also offer a wide variety of hypoallergenic mattress pads. Add hypoallergenic comforters and pillows, and your sensitive guests will sleep better than at home.
Therefore, our best advice to all the budding César Ritz', Conrad Hiltons, and Leona Helmsley's reading this blog, is that a five-star rating begins with, and is cemented by, an excellent bedding experience.
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If you would like personalized assistance or professional advice before ordering your bedding, you may contact our customer service representatives, and they will assist you in your decision-making.
Protector vs Pad: