What furnishings to get or skip for an STR Kitchen

Question

I’m in the process of acquiring my 4th STR, and for the first time plan to furnish and manage the property.  The first three properties were all setup by the PM and I felt sometimes there were unnecessary items at the same time some missing necessary items.  So I’d like to know what everyone supplies in their kitchen and how much of it.  Do you have 20 spices or just Salt and Pepper?  A blender?  Sleep 16 but have 50 place settings?…..

Scott K. · Answer

I buy everything and try to restock once a year to make up for things broken, used, lost, or stolen.

You can get basic spices in a set from Amazon for $20. I wouldn't be that cheap to forego it.

3x the glassware and dishes based on occupancy max. You don't want guests to eat breakfast then have to run the dishwasher just to eat lunch. That's pinching pennies. Plus after a few months a few will be broken and you'll be down to 2x before you know it which I'd argue is the bare minimum.

You should try staying in your own properties with the max number of guests to understand the best practices, that's how you really learn what experience you want to provide. Provide more than you think you need to. These things aren't expensive.

Joseph Bafia · Answer

@Andrew Haney

We do provide an ample supply of dish a like plates, glasses and mugs.

As far as appliances and “extras”, we’ve really scaled back over time.  We tried to over-provide and had things like both a traditional coffee maker and a Keurig.  We also had every single type of utensil you could think of.  We had various spices, condiments, and even provided a bottle of wine for each guest stay. Over time , we realized that the more we had the more opportunity for dissatisfaction.  Some guests would say “the home does not provide ground nutmeg”  or “ the bottle of wine was nice , but we prefer white wine and they had red”.

Now we follow the “less is more” plan and provide a clean home with the basics.  This way the housekeeper is not inventorying all the small items.  We do disclose everything provided so people know in advance what to buy and bring.

Andrew Haney · Answer

@Christaye Foster

Thank you for your point of view I couldn’t agree more.   Jumping in to real estate investing sometimes can feel like you drinking from a fire but there’s a lot of great people on BP that help you get through things.

Christaye Foster · Answer

Rookie here: just learning the lingo so STR - Short term rental -- got it.  Overwhelmed but really enjoying all the resources from bigger pockets... just listened to a short-term arbitrage podcast so this is cool to be a bit vicarious and listen in/learn/visualize what bringing in some STR's looks like...  And I travelled the country for 10 years w/o and then w/ kids so agreed - well stocked is really nice if it's large parties... for us working travelers I just wanted cleanliness - rather have clean and sparse than hairs/food/trash left behind and it's stocked to the hilt

Gerald Pitts · Answer

I agree with Scott on everything.  I try to think of everything anyone would need to cook anything.  I would go with all the PM suggestions, all of your own suggestions, and also ask the cleaners what they think.

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Andrew Haney, our kitchen is stocked to the nines. Like others, we have plenty of the basics. I do have waffle irons, multiple coffee pots, 2 Keurigs, a wok, a bunch of skillets, etc. You can cook a full Thanksgiving meal in our home with all the fixin's for up to 12 people.

There are over 40 spices in the cabinet and I swap them out just before expiration. I take the remaining home and use them here.

I also provide a 16oz package of spaghetti and can of sauce. It is a quick, easy meal for guests if they arrive late and just need something to eat.

We get the most compliments on the kitchen. We are pretty far from the big town so cooking at the house is important.

Sylvia B. · Answer

From a consumer's point of view:Don't get so caught up with wondering about air fryers and waffle irons that you forget the basics. Provide plenty of dishes, glasses, mugs, and flatware. Measuring cups & spoons, spatulas, large spoons, ladles, colander, large pitchers, serving bowls, etc, are all more important than a variety of spices.

In September Hubby and I stayed in a nice house in Gulf Shores that was advertised to sleep 11. There were 6 each of dinner and salad plates, 5 bowls, 6 mugs, and 10 glasses. There were about 20 wine glasses, though. :-D

Basic salt & pepper and a can of non-stick spray would be nice. Also, more than one dish towel would be helpful.

Joseph Bafia · Answer

@Andrew Haney

We do.  We list out what we have and we haven’t had any issues or complaints.

Andrew Haney · Answer

@Joseph Bafia

I like this concept.  Do you also spell this out very clearly in the listing?

Andrew Haney · Answer

@Scott Kunz

Thank you for the suggestions. I just really want a guests stay to be easy  while suiting their lifestyle without giving them an opportunity to try everything kitchen gadget in Target.  Has anyone started furnishing air fryers?   I love ours and feel like everyone I know has one or is getting one.

What furnishings to get or skip for an STR Kitchen

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