The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Airbnb Bed — Alisha Arnold (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase with an affiliate link does not cost you any more, but I may receive a small commission to help keep this site running. Learn more here.

Beds are the most important element in your short term rental. If you didn’t already know that, listen up. If your guests have a bad night’s sleep, your review will suffer just like their beauty rest. You want your beds to feel like they are climbing into a 5-star hotel bed. I’m here to share all the things with you and all the products I use when it comes to beds in your vacation rental.

Buying a mattress is a big commitment, and it’s also a gigantic hassle if you have to go into the mattress stores test them out and make a choice you think your guests will like and then get the thing delivered. Who has time for all of that? Not me. There is also the option of buying a used mattress but that’s so scary, you never know where that mattress has been or what type of critters are living in it.

When I started my Airbnb my best friend (who also had an Airbnb) suggested that I use a Zinus Mattresses and in an act of trust mixed with desperation and blind faith I bought one for my guest room, (which was the first bed I rented out on Airbnb) and it was amazing. First off, it’s super comfortable for everyone because memory foam contours to your body, and you don’t have to worry about selecting a firmness of mattress which I find super confusing anyway. It’s mailed right to your door in a compressed box, no delivery people to coordinate, and they are under $500 which is awesome especially when you have to buy more than one of them. I recommend getting the 12” thickness, so they are super comfortable.

Watch me assemble a Zinus bed

Fast-forward to 5 years and 2 vacation rental properties later, and I have now bought 6 of these mattresses in total. I’ve gotten so many compliments from my friends and family, as well as 5-star reviews from my guests mentioning the comfortable mattresses. They hold up to the test of time as well. I’ve had my oldest one for about 4 years, and it still looks and feels brand new.

Memory foam mattresses need memory foam bases and Zinus also offers great deals on stylish bases. I also love this base because there is basically no assembly required. I personally buy whatever headboard I like, and I mount that to the wall with brackets and then I use a basic base that I use a bed skirt to cover and I push it up against the wall. Likewise, I like this method because it makes the bed easier for my cleaners to move around for deep cleaning. Get 2-bed skirts per bed, so you have a backup for when you are washing one or in case one gets damaged.

1. ZINUS SmartBase // 2. ZINUS Lorelai // 3. ZINUS Yelena

Ok, now that you’ve invested your hard-earned money into a mattress and mattress base you need to pick a headboard. Here are three ways I source headboards:

1. Buy a new headboard and mount it to the wall with these brackets. That way you don’t have to worry about finding a headboard that matches the bed base. And it makes cleaning under the bed so much easier because the bed is much lighter without the headboard.

2. DIY a headboard. Wall stickers, paint or repurposed objects can be used.

3. Get a second-hand headboard. Check out the Restore in your area, thrift shops, staging companies or Facebook Marketplace. I got the headboard featured above for my property Kona Landing at the Restore for $35 and it is a very cool unique piece that really makes the room.

   If you have a Zinus Base you can pair it with a headboard using these brackets.

1. Flush Mount Brackets // 2. Footboard Brackets

Side note, if you want to know more about decorating an Airbnb bedroom check out this post.

I’m a big fan of Zinus products and here are my current favorite platform beds which are essentially the base and headboard all in one piece of furniture. Notice that I am avoiding fabric upholstered headboards. Upholstered headboards are tricky to clean so avoid them in your rental properties.

1. ZINUS Olga // 2. ZINUS Brock // 3. ZINUS Kai

Sheets are tricky, but here are some tips that you should not stray from. Sheets need to be hotel quality, white (I repeat white), and climate-appropriate fabric. You need 3 sets of sheets per bed and if you are starting your Airbnb from scratch I highly recommend buying all the same size mattresses, so you have all the same size sheets. It’s a big hassle to sort through all white sheets looking for the tag, so you know what size it is.

Hotel sheets are not only comfortable and high-quality, but they are made to be washed more than regular sheets. My Airbnb sheets get washed 4–8 times per month, as opposed to at home, where I wash them twice a month. Sheets need to be white for a few reasons. People are used to hotel sheets being white and when they crawl into an Airbnb bed that has colored or patterned sheets it can definitely feel less than clean. White is the only color that can be bleached without ruining the fabric and trust me, in an Airbnb you want to be able to sanitize the sheets in between uses.

Here are the sheets I use in my rentals that I recommend:

1. HC Collection Bed Sheets // 2. HC COLLECTION Pillow Cases

For warmer climates, I use these microfiber sheets:

3.  Beckham Hotel Collection // 4. Beckham Hotel Collection Pillow Cases

Duvet covers for your Airbnb

1. HC COLLECTION Duvet Cover Set // 2. Danjor Linens Duvet Insert

Blankets can be tricky when dealing with your rentals, and you need to think about how much laundry you can do in between guests. The first school of thought is duvet covers which are essentially a comforter that goes inside a duvet cover (essentially a large pillow case for your blanket.) The duvet covers can be washed, and they are less bulky than blankets, so this can be a good solution if you don’t have a great washer. Get at least 2 duvet covers for each bed and I keep at least 1 extra duvet insert per size of bed on hand at all times.

1. Fringe Duvet // 2. Basic Duvet // 3. Tassel Duvet

I recommend white duvet inserts and covers as they can be washed and bleached and give your rental a clean look. Make sure to get 2-3 duvet covers for each bed. Feel free to get more inventive with your duvet covers if you want to bring in some color here, but I leave the color up to my accent pillows and throw blankets.

Duvets can be tricky to change, so a simpler but more laundry-heavy approach is comforters. You need at least 2 for each bed.

Beckham Hotel Collection All-season Comforter

1. SafeRest Zippered Mattress Protector // 2. SafeRest Mattress Protector // 3. SafeRest Pillow Protector

You NEED to protect your mattress with mattress protectors. I suggest using 2, start with a full zip enclosure and then top it with a traditional mattress protector. I like this one. It's not too plastic feeling, but I’ve had kids pee the beds and adults puke in the beds (I know totally gross, but it happens) and nothing got on the mattress. I recommend having a few mattress protectors on hand for each size mattress in your rental in case you need to turn over the house quickly, and you don’t have time to wash the mattress protectors.

Don’t forget to protect your pillows, they stay nicer longer and there is no bigger turn-off for your guest then pulling the sheets off at the end of a stay and finding a stained pillow.

Pro-tip: Sheets need to be free of wrinkles, fold them as soon as they come out of the dryer. If this isn’t resulting in smooth sheets, you can steam iron the sheets right on the bed, it takes less than a minute to do this and leaves your bed looking picture-perfect. Get an iron with a good steam setting and a new extension cord, fill your iron with distilled water (or it won’t steam), and run the iron over your sheets while they are on the bed. Iron the sheets one at a time, first the fitted sheet and then the top sheet. Be careful when ironing sheets as of course this is a fire hazard if you were to leave the iron on the bed, and don’t do it when small children or pets are around.

I like this iron because it steams vertically or horizontally.

Pillows are important, and it’s good to give your guests options. I recommend having 4 pillows on each bed, 2 firm and 2 soft, so the guest has options. If the bed is a queen or a king, I put 2 king-size pillows and 2 queen-size pillows on the bed. The king-size pillows make it easier to sit up and read in bed. Make sure you have 3 pillowcases for each pillow. Make sure you are buying extra pillowcases that match your sheet sets. Some brands look brighter than others, and the brighter pillows can leave the rest of your sheets looking dingy. Much like your mattress, you need to protect your pillows with pillow protectors.

I recommend adding 1-3 throw pillows per bed to add some style, I coordinate this look with my throw blanket. Make sure you buy 2 of every pillow cover, so you have a backup. Throw pillows need to be washed in between each guest, just like everything else. Throw pillow inserts can be up to 2 inches bigger than their covers to make the pillows more full.

After reading this don’t you just want to take a nap in this Airbnb bed that we just created? Or maybe you are so tired from all this info that you just need to lay down. Don’t worry, I know this was a lot to take in so I’ve created a cheatsheet with all the items you need for a perfect Airbnb Bed including quantities and product links.

Download the Airbnb bedding cheatsheet