If you own a vacation rental property, it’s safe to say that you don’t have the interior decorating budget that you’d find at a massive hotel.
Nevertheless, there are ways you can give your property some personality with just a few small adjustments. Here are eight vacation rental interior design tips to help increase bookings.
1. Throw pillows
A colorful collection of throw pillows (not so many that they get thrown on the floor) can give your property a warm, inviting feel in promotional photos and when guests arrive. Just don’t forget to cut away any tags or loose threads.
2. Art work
Track down some local artists and hang their work on your walls. Chances are that local painters and photographers use the local landscape, which helps give your property a more personalized touch.
You can point to a piece and say something like “The lake in this painting is just a few miles away. There’s a great bike trail there.”
But don’t focus too much on small pieces. Big canvases and large framed photographs can help bring a room together.
3. Hooks and hangers
It’s unlikely your guests will be traveling with their own hangers, so be sure to provide a copious amount. Hang some hooks so visitors will have a place to put robes, towels, handbags and other items that might not fit on a hanger.
4. Light it up
Make sure there’s plenty of light to allow your guests to read, whether they’re engrossed in a terrific novel or just want to consult a road map for a shorter route home.
5. Interior colors
Is blue your favorite color? If so, you’re in the company of nearly half the population. Blue suggests good feelings: trustworthiness, calm, friendship. Adding some blue will help guests feel at home.
While blue may be many people’s favorite color, brown and beige tints tend to be among their least favorites. (For some people, these shades suggest decay.) Try to balance earth tones with splashes of blue or bluish green.
6. The old and the new
When decorating your space, try to mix antique (or antique reproductions) or vintage items with some newer objects to make your property feel a bit more authentic. But just have a few knick-knacks. Too many can make your rooms feel overstuffed and dust collectors.
Having a blend is important. If you only have antique items, your rental property might make guests feel that they will not be able to touch or move items in case of breakage. This is why I would recommend reproductions rather then true antiques. Antiques or antique reproductions give a warm and personal touch to a home. So mixing old and new is a great way to decorate your home or rental property.
7. Fresh linens
No list of vacation rental tips would be complete without discussing linens. This should probably be obvious, but you need to not only wash the sheets and towels after each guest leaves, but also check them for stains before adding to the washer. Before adding to the dryer, check that the stain was removed. If not, try to remove the stain again or throw into a rag bag. Once dried, it is very difficult to remove stains. Do not recycle sheets or towels from your home at your rental property. Invest in new linens every couple of years. Guests are very particular about the sheets they sleep on and the towels they use. The cleaning of linens applies to pillows, mattress pads (use mattress/bed bug protectors), blankets, duvets, quilts, coverlets , bedspreads or comforters. All items should be checked for stains, pillows need pillow protectors and all should be washed before next guests arrive.
8. Think minimalist
Keep it simple. Give your space a clean, open feel. It will make your guests feel more at home and give you – or your housekeeping crew – less work to do.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of vacation rental interior design tips. If you’d like to know more, or need further suggestions for decorating your property, contact InnStyle.
Our sales team looks forward to helping you find items that will make your guests feel at home.