7 Airbnb Upgrades to Make After the Summer Season

After a busy summer season, your short-term rental has probably told you quite a bit about what is working and what isn't.

Furniture has been put to the test. Guests have left reviews. Your property manager has fielded questions and complaints. Cleaning and maintenance teams have seen the home between stays. And you now have an entire season of information you can use to make the property better.

This is one of our favorite times to evaluate a vacation rental because we aren't guessing anymore.

You can see what held up, what guests loved, what they struggled with, and which areas of the property may be ready for an update. And if a property didn't perform as well as expected this season, don’t immediately assume price is the only problem. Sometimes the property itself needs attention.

At Mickler & Co. Design Studio, we work with short-term rental owners, investors, and property managers to identify improvements that can make a vacation rental more attractive, functional, durable, and competitive. That doesn't always mean a major renovation. Sometimes a few smart changes can make a significant difference.

Here are seven areas I would look at first.

1. Replace the Furniture That Didn't Survive the Summer

Start with the pieces guests use the most.

Sofas, dining chairs, mattresses, bar stools, outdoor furniture, rugs, and bedroom furniture take considerably more abuse in a vacation rental than they would in a typical home.

Ready to replace a worn-out sofa? Here are a few of our STR favorites:

Aisha 69.7'' Faux Leather Sofa

Emilio 90” Upholstered Sofa (w Performance Fabric)

Artisan Landing Sofa (w Performance Fabric) - Made To Order

By the end of summer, you may start seeing sagging sofa cushions, stained upholstery, scratched tables, wobbly chairs, worn mattresses, faded outdoor cushions, or rugs that simply aren't cleaning up well anymore.

Property managers are especially helpful here because they see these homes far more often than most owners do. They also hear from cleaners and maintenance teams when something is becoming a recurring issue.

One of the biggest mistakes we see in vacation rental design is selecting furniture primarily based on the lowest initial price. We love a good deal as much as anyone, but inexpensive furniture isn't a deal if you're replacing it every season. For the pieces guests use constantly, I would prioritize durability, cleanability, comfort, and appropriate scale. Decorative pieces are usually a much better place to save.

If you're trying to decide where to invest and where to find savings, our Coastal Bedroom Save vs. Splurge: Designer Look for Less article walks through exactly how we approach those decisions.

Shop STR Furniture & Replacement Essentials

This is also a great time to replace the pieces that took the biggest beating during peak season. We've pulled together some of our favorite STR-friendly furniture and décor, including durable rugs, nightstands, lighting, seating, and other pieces we use when designing vacation properties.

2. Upgrade the Bedrooms Before Buying More Décor

If you only have so much money to spend on improvements, don't automatically start buying more accessories. Start with the guest experience, and sleep is a pretty important part of that experience.

Walk into each bedroom and look at it as though you've never seen it before. Ask yourself:

• Does the bed look inviting, and is the mattress actually comfortable?

• Are there nightstands on both sides when space allows?

• Can guests easily charge their phones?

• Is there adequate bedside lighting?

• Is there somewhere to put a suitcase?

• Does the bedding still look fresh?

• Does the room feel finished, or does it look like it was furnished with whatever happened to fit?

A bedroom doesn't always need a complete redesign. Sometimes a better headboard, fresh bedding, new lamps, a properly sized rug, artwork, and a few thoughtful details are enough to completely change the room. For short-term rentals, I generally recommend investing more in the pieces guests physically interact with and saving on things that are easier to replace. Mattresses, beds, durable nightstands, quality sheets, and rugs usually deserve more of the budget than decorative accessories.

Looking to upgrade the mattresses in your short term rental during the off season? Here are a few of our favorites!

Budget Friendly

• Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch Green Tea Mattress, Queen, Ivory
  

365 Night Trial Period & Forever Warranty

• Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress
  

Luxury Hotel Bed Feel

• Helix Midnight Luxe 13" Medium Hybrid Mattress

3. Give Guests Something to Remember

Take a look at the first ten photos of your listing. What do you remember? That's an important question.

There are a lot of nice vacation rentals. Nice isn't necessarily enough to make someone stop scrolling. That doesn't mean you need a neon sign, a themed room in every corner, or a house full of trendy design features. Actually, we would rather see one or two memorable moments done really well.

That might be a beautiful bunk room, an interesting headboard wall, wallpaper in the powder room, a great dining space, a thoughtfully designed coffee bar, an outdoor shower, a game room, a fantastic porch, or a piece of artwork that gives the home some personality. The goal isn't to make the property gimmicky. It's to give it an identity.

This is something we talk about in our Short-Term Rental Interior Design in Wilmington, NC: High-ROI Strategies to Increase Occupancy article. Good STR design has to do more than look pretty in person. It also has to communicate quickly through listing photos.

When guests are comparing your property with ten others nearby, they need a reason to remember yours.

4. Don't Forget About the Outdoor Spaces

For coastal vacation rentals, outdoor living is a big part of the experience. Guests may be coming for the beach, but they're also imagining morning coffee on the porch, dinner outside, kids playing after a beach day, or everyone sitting together in the evening.

After peak season, take a hard look at those spaces. Is there enough seating for the number of guests the property sleeps? If your house sleeps ten but your patio seats four, that's a problem.

Is there shade? Is the outdoor furniture still comfortable? Are the cushions faded? Can everyone actually eat outside? Is there somewhere to hang wet towels?

Is beach gear organized or piled into a corner of the garage?

Is there an outdoor shower, and if there is, does it function well?

Could an underused porch or covered area become another guest space?

Outdoor areas are one of those places where a relatively simple improvement can add a lot to the overall experience.

We've written an entire guide on How to Maximize Your Indoor/Outdoor Living Space, including furniture layouts, durable materials, flexibility, and guest comfort.

And if you manage or own a coastal property, our Beach House Essentials Every Coastal Short-Term Rental Needs includes the beach carts, towels, shade systems, games, portable fans, and other practical items we've found guests actually use.

5. Pay Attention to the Little Things Guests Keep Mentioning

Read your reviews, then talk to your property manager and the people cleaning and maintaining the property. Those three sources can tell you a lot about how the home is actually functioning between stays.

You may start hearing the same things over and over:

• There’s nowhere to put luggage.

• The bedroom needs another lamp.

• Guests keep moving furniture around.

• There aren’t enough hooks for towels.

• Everyone asks where to charge their phones.

• The kitchen is missing something guests regularly need.

• The patio doesn’t have enough seating.

• A piece of furniture is becoming difficult to clean or maintain.

• The kitchen is missing something basic.

• The patio needs more seating.

• The sofa is becoming difficult to clean.

One comment can be personal preference. When you hear the same comment repeatedly, pay attention.

I like to divide this feedback into three categories:

Repair - Replace - Improve

Some will be simple maintenance issues. Others point to a larger design or functionality problem. And some are incredibly easy to solve. A luggage rack, additional hooks, better bedside lighting, a charging station, an entry bench, blackout panels, or better storage may not be exciting design purchases, but these are often the little details that make a rental easier to use.

Here’s a list of some of our Short Term Rental Guest Essentials on Amazon.

6. Look at the Property Through the Listing Photos

Now leave the house and pull up the actual listing. This is one of the most important parts of the evaluation. Pretend you've never seen the property before and look at it the way a potential guest would.

Ask yourself:

• Would you stop scrolling when you saw this property?

• Which photo makes you want to book?

• Which rooms look dated or tired?

• Does the furniture look too small for the room or too crowded?

• Do the bedrooms look comfortable and inviting?

• Does the living room have a clear focal point?

• Are the outdoor spaces featured prominently?

• Does the property look bright and inviting without appearing washed out?

• Most importantly, what makes it different from the rentals around it?

Your vacation rental is competing visually long before a guest ever walks through the door. This is why include professional listing photography when we're designing STR properties.

It doesn't mean designing a house solely for Instagram. It means understanding that furniture scale, lighting, color, layout, artwork, styling, and memorable features need to translate well in photographs as well as they do in person.

Sometimes the problem is the photography. Sometimes it's the styling or furniture. And sometimes the property simply hasn't kept pace with the competition.

Before automatically lowering the nightly rate on an underperforming property, take a close look at what a potential guest sees before they ever get to the price.

For more on this, read Short-Term Rental Interior Design in Wilmington, NC: High-ROI Strategies to Increase Occupancy.

7. Decide What Needs a Refresh and What Needs a Bigger Plan

Short Term Rental Patio Design - Before

Short Term Rental Patio Design - After

Not every property needs to be completely redesigned.

Sometimes an owner calls us thinking everything needs to go when, in reality, there are several good pieces worth keeping. Other times, a property has been updated a little bit at a time for so many years that there is no longer any consistency. This is where an objective evaluation can save a lot of wasted spending.

We generally look at improvements in three levels in Short Term Rental Design:

Quick Updates

Bedding, lamps, rugs, artwork, accessories, kitchen items, bath accessories, beach amenities, styling, and smaller furniture replacements.

Moderate Improvements

Living room furniture, bedroom redesigns, outdoor furniture, paint, wallpaper, lighting, improved gathering areas, built-ins, and new guest amenities.

Larger Projects

Flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, bunk rooms, major layout changes, outdoor living projects, and complete furnishing packages. The goal isn't to replace everything. It's to figure out where the gaps are and create a plan. And the end of summer is a great time to do it.

Design decisions take time. Furniture has lead times. Contractors get booked. Installations need to be coordinated. And if you're making meaningful changes, you also want enough time to have the property professionally photographed and the listing updated well before next year's peak season.

Property Managers Often See the Problems First

Property managers have a unique perspective because they see these homes throughout the season and understand how they actually perform day to day. They’re often the first to recognize when a property needs attention.

They have insight owners may not always see firsthand, including:

• Recurring guest comments and complaints

• Feedback from cleaning and maintenance teams

• Furniture and finishes that aren’t holding up

• Spaces that create ongoing functional issues

• Properties that consistently receive positive feedback

• Homes within their portfolio that may be underperforming compared with expectations

An owner may visit a few times a year and think the property still looks pretty good. A property manager who sees it regularly may have a very different perspective. But knowing a property needs improvement and knowing exactly what to change are two different things. That’s where we can help.

We’ve seen the value of this firsthand through our work with local property management companies such as Host Help Property Management in Carolina Beach, NC. Because their team is involved in the day-to-day management of vacation rentals, they have insight into guest feedback, maintenance concerns and recurring issues that an owner may not always see. That operational perspective, combined with our design perspective, can help identify where a property may need attention.

STR Property Evaluations for Underperforming Vacation Rentals

Not sure where your property is falling short? We offer STR Property Evaluations to identify the design, furnishing and guest-experience upgrades that could have the biggest impact. Contact Us to learn more or schedule an evaluation.

We evaluate the property through a design, functionality, guest-experience, and presentation lens.

Depending on the property, we'll look at things like:

• Furniture condition and scale

• Bedrooms and sleeping spaces

• Living and gathering areas

• Outdoor spaces

• Guest functionality

• Amenities

• Storage

• Lighting

• Overall design consistency

• Styling

• Listing-photo presentation

• Areas that feel dated

• Missed opportunities

• Items that should be repaired or replaced

• Areas where a targeted refresh may be enough

• Areas that may justify a larger investment

The idea isn't to walk through the house and tell an owner to buy all new furniture. It's to identify what is actually worth addressing. A property manager may already know that a home needs help.

We can provide the design perspective and turn that observation into a prioritized improvement plan the manager can take back to the owner.

And if the property needs more than recommendations, Mickler & Co. can help with the next phase, including design, furniture and décor selections, purchasing, installation, and styling.

A Design Resource for Property Management Companies

We aren't trying to do the property manager's job. We want to be a resource for them. Property management companies understand reservations, operations, housekeeping, maintenance, guest communication, and the day-to-day realities of running a vacation rental.

We understand the physical property.That makes for a really good partnership. If you're managing a property that has good bones and a good location but isn't performing the way you believe it could, bring us in to look at it. Maybe it needs a few strategic changes. Maybe it needs better furniture. Perhaps the outdoor space is being completely underutilized. What if the bedrooms aren’t hotel inspired? Does it need new styling and fresh photos? Or maybe it really does need a larger renovation.

Let's figure that out before the owner starts spending money in the wrong places.

Your Vacation Rental Is Also a Business Asset

We love beautiful interiors, but when we're designing a short-term rental, beautiful isn't the only goal. Every recommendation has to work harder than it might in someone's primary home.

Before recommending an improvement, we consider:

• Will it hold up to frequent guest use?

• Is it easy to clean and maintain?

• Will it improve guest comfort or functionality?

• Will it photograph well for the listing?

• Does it solve a recurring problem?

• Will it help the property stand out from competing rentals?

• Is this the right place for the owner to invest their budget?

That's the balance we're looking for. A successful vacation rental should feel beautiful and welcoming when guests arrive, while still functioning as a hardworking investment for the owner.

Short-Term Rental Design in Wilmington and Coastal North Carolina

Mickler & Co. Design Studio works with vacation rental owners, investors, and property management companies throughout Wilmington and North Carolina.

Our Short Term Rental Design services throughout North Carolina include property evaluations, interior design, space planning, furniture and décor selections, furnishing packages, purchasing coordination, installation, styling, outdoor living recommendations, and property refreshes.

Whether you own one vacation rental or manage an entire portfolio, the end of peak season is a good time to look at what worked, what didn't, and what needs to happen before next year.

And you don't have to figure it out alone.

Is One of Your Properties Underperforming?

If you own a vacation rental and aren't sure what to improve next, a STR Property Evaluation can help you prioritize where to start. If you're a property manager and have a home in your portfolio that isn't performing the way you believe it could, we'd love to work with you, too. You bring the day-to-day knowledge of the property. We'll bring the design perspective.

Together, we can give the owner a much clearer picture of what may need to change and where their improvement dollars are best spent.

Not local? We also offer Virtual Design Consultations for vacation rental owners outside our service area.