The Best Gear to Outfit a Vacation Rental or Airbnb

Updated Dec 10, 2022

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We interviewed four Airbnb “superhosts”—and more than a dozen frequent rental guests—to determine the top 24 items to invest in for an overnight rental. The common theme we heard was that guests expect any rental to be as well-equipped as the typical hotel room. Having new, high-quality towels, a good mattress, a nice coffee setup, and more can make the difference between a happy guest and a meh review.

Tuft & Needle Original

Best for back-sleepers

Although this mattress is too firm for some side- and stomach-sleepers, it should be comfortable for most guests for a few nights. It’s reasonably priced and comes with bed-in-a-box delivery.

We recommend

Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow

Best for back- and side-sleepers

It’s supportive without being stiff, and it’s moldable, giving you excellent support exactly where you need it. This is also one of the most affordable pillows we tested.

We recommend

Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate

Best for stomach-sleepers

This customizable down-alternative pillow is softer than shredded foam, so it’s better for stomach-sleepers who need less loft than the Nest Easy Breather provides. It’s also much less messy to adjust.

We recommend

Protect-A-Bed AllerZip Smooth Mattress Encasement

The best mattress encasement

With superbly reinforced seams, a secure zipper, and a smooth feel, the Protect-A-Bed is protective and the most comfortable encasement to sleep on.

We recommend

Protect-A-Bed AllerZip Smooth Pillow Protectors

The best pillow encasements

Top-notch seaming and quality construction make these encasements better than most. They come at a great price, and using them will extend the life of pillows by years.

We recommend

Target Threshold 400 Thread Count Performance Sheet Set

The best set under $50

These sateen sheets from Target are almost as soft, durable, and wrinkle-resistant as sets we’ve tried that cost four times the price.

Budget friendly

Target Fieldcrest Warmest Down Comforter

A bargain down comforter

This down comforter is better than any other we found for less than $200—it’s lofty and warm with a beautifully soft shell, but its down isn’t ethically certified.

Budget friendly

Utopia Bedding Queen Comforter Duvet Insert

Best down-alternative comforter

The Utopia is a warm yet relatively breathable down-alternative comforter that would be ideal for a room where you don’t want to splurge on bedding, for people with down allergies, or if you avoid animal products.

Budget friendly

Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover

The best duvet cover

This well-constructed cover is as soft and comfortable as pricier ones, it has nice features like duvet ties and a cloth storage bag, and it comes at a great price for its quality.

We recommend

Frontgate Resort Cotton Bath Towel

The best towel for most people

This towel is soft and plush like a luxury hotel towel, and it comes in several sumptuous colors.

We recommend

Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer

Our favorite hair dryer

This hair dryer is lightweight and has a long cord, and it tied for blowing the hottest and fastest air among the models we tested. We like it just as much as dryers several times the price.

We recommend

Maytex Water Repellent Fabric Shower Curtain Liner

An affordable, washable shower liner

This washable polyester shower liner works as well as liners twice the price. It won’t attract soap scum like a dime-store plastic liner, and it can also double as a shower curtain.

Another good choice

Mr. Coffee Easy Measure

Our cheap coffee maker pick

This straightforward, compact machine makes a very smooth, agreeable cup of coffee.

Budget friendly

Nespresso Essenza Mini

Fully automatic, no fuss

The smallest Nespresso machine available makes as-good-as-Starbucks espresso drinks at the push of a button.

We recommend

Bodum Brazil

The best French press

This simple but elegant French press makes coffee just as grit-free as brews from competitors that cost much more.

We recommend

Midea WHS-65LSS1

The best mini fridge

Tiny enough to fit under any desk, this cube-shaped fridge can still hold a few dozen canned drinks, and it’s a fine spot to store leftovers for a day or two.

We recommend

Danby Designer DCR044A2

A not-so-mini fridge

This fridge has the best shelving of any model at this price and size. With can holsters, an egg tray, and a full-width freezer, it’s great for drinks, snacks, and perishable items.

A better upgrade

Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle

The best electric kettle for most people

This 1.7-liter variable-temperature stainless steel kettle quickly brings water to the temperatures needed for optimum flavor from teas and coffee.

We recommend

Toshiba EM131A5C

Good looks, great controls

This midsize microwave looks better and has a few more useful features—including a mute option, automatic reheating, and a door handle instead of a button—than similar ovens.

We recommend

Cuisinart CPT-122 2-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster

The best toaster

This inexpensive toaster browned bread more evenly than almost anything else we tested, and looks attractive on any countertop.

We recommend

Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven

The best toaster oven

This compact toaster oven evenly toasts bread, bakes cookies, and brings frozen foods to life as well as or better than competitors that cost significantly more.

We recommend

Libbey Signature Kentfield Estate All-Purpose Wine Glass

The best everyday, all-purpose wine glass

These wine glasses are good-looking and well-balanced, and will showcase most wines very well.

We recommend

Kidde AccessPoint KeySafe

The best lockbox

The Kidde is an affordable high-quality lockbox, and for our locksmith testers, its unique combination-dial design was consistently the toughest to break open.

We recommend

Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator

The best room fan

The compact Vornado 630 can send breezes to the far corners of a large room, is easy to control and clean, and has a long-established record of reliability.

We recommend

Vornado VH200

The best space heater

Great for bedrooms or offices, the Vornado VH200 heated our test spaces faster, cheaper, and more quietly than anything else we could find.

We recommend

TP-Link RE220

Improved Wi-Fi coverage, low cost

TP-Link’s RE220 is a cheap way to add more reliable Wi-Fi coverage and an Ethernet port to a part of your home if you already have a router and a wireless network.

We recommend

TCL Roku TV (32-inch)

The TCL Roku has a decent picture right out of the box, integrated Roku functions, and one more HDMI port than other small TVs.

We recommend

First Alert PRO5

A fine extinguisher

Easy to handle and effective against all types of common fires, this First Alert model exceeds the minimum recommendations for the home and is easy to find.

We recommend

First Alert SA511CN2-3ST Interconnected Wireless Smoke Alarm with Voice Location

The best basic smoke alarm

Available in a two-pack, these alarms can interconnect so that they all sound at once. They also tell you which room the fire is in.

We recommend

Adventure Medical Kits Adventure First Aid 2.0

The best first-aid kit

This pack has supplies for up to four people and comes with easy-to-follow instructions.