All Forum Posts by: Diana Mulvihill

Ok @Diana Mulvihill, that makes sense to be cautious. Just keep up on the maintenance and service of the system and it will be fine.

Also, I would put some kind of little sign on the toilet top telling guests not to put anything but toilet paper in the toilet. Make sure you have a good wastebasket nearby for other items.

I made these little signs in those plastic, desk standing photo frames from Dollar Tree. Keeps guests from flushing stuff down there that ain't TP! :)

hi all, i’m newish to BP boards, thank you in advance for sharing your opinions + experience.

i’m looking for opinions about how helpful an additional sleep number is in the income + rentability of an str.

i’m potentially purchasing a 3 bedroom, 2 bath property which i will STR + also live in part-time.

ideally, i’d like to have:

*a king bed in the master bedroom

*a queen bed in one bedroom

*a queen memory foam pullout sofa in the third bedroom

this would be a 3 bedroom that sleeps 6

this is my preference for:

*general look of the house / not a house full of beds

*number of guests/noise/cars

*septic

*would allow me to create a cute ‘chill out’ space in an extra bedroom-sized nook elsewhere in the house, which i think would be appealing to travelers.

***

alternatively i could have:

*a king bed in the master bedroom

*a queen bed in one bedroom

*a bunk bed in one bedroom (or other)

*the queen memory foam pullout sofa in a bedroom-sized nook elsewhere in the house.

this would be a 3 bedroom that sleeps 8 

thoughts? thank you!!!

First, is ROI the most important metric to you? Money is not everyone's #1 motivator. Some of my clients think if they have more than X number of guests in the house, it will wear faster, and they want to one day occupy the house full time, etc etc. However, if money is the most important metric, I look at the bedding (and other amenities) as a net you use to catch fish. The more options the wider you can cast the net, the more fish you catch. While it is true you could sleep 6 with a K and 2 Q's you can also only accommodate 3 single adults. As a general rule I would be looking for 10-12 in a 3/2 based on double occupancy of each queen or larger bed. A typical 3/2 to me would may (depending on room size) look like:

Master: K and Q sleeper sofa

BR2: Queen + bunk

BR3: Queen

Living Room: Queen pull out couch

In this scenario I would be at 12 but perhaps the master or BR2 cannot accommodate 2 beds which would drop you to 10 or even 8.  In the case of 8 I would try for 2 sleeper sofas in living room.

@Diana Mulvihill In my opinion after 24 years of running B&Bs you will get the more upscale guests with two king sized beds not a queen. Personally I can’t stand sleeping in a queen with my partner, and prefer a king and will look elsewhere for a king unless the rate is so cheap it makes it worth it.

I don’t think this is the quality of guests you are looking for.

Also I second the opinion to not get a sleeper sofa. After years of having to sleep on one at my parents house we finally just started booking a hotel. They’re not as comfortable as beds and this third room is where I’d prefer to see you have a queen or two twins with good quality mattresses, not the cheapest ones you can buy.

I’d save the couches for the living room and the extra room if that’s the route you choose to go with and get the most comfortable you can find.

Hey @Diana Mulvihill, so I am confused why you wouldn't make the 3rd bedroom...a bedroom...with an actual bed.

Everything else makes sense but putting a sofa bed in there is a waste. But the sofa with pull out in the living room as and extra. That is what we do. It isn't listed as extra sleeping space, but if someone asks if we can accommodate 12 (we sleep 10) then I can help them out if I feel it will work for them.

Next up is the septic. What is your concern with that? Everything else you talk about is easy. A septic system that isn't up to vacation renters is a real problem. 

I think you should not count a sleeper sofa as a bed.  They are almost always not as comfortable, and nobody looks forward to sleeping on one.  I don't see why putting beds in your third bedroom is filling the house with beds.  Make the house sleep 6 - put a queen bed in the third bedroom, or a trundle bed if you think you'll have kids as guests, and don't have a sleeper sofa at all.  Many guests would value a workspace more than a chill out space, since you probably have a living room or den where they can hang out.

Two things 

Number 1- two kings for two couples and two double bunks (4 people in a bunk room). Still sleeps 8 but will allow you two families. 

secondly and more importantly make sure your bathrooms match sleeping rooms, this is a deal breaker on all str that we purchase and has been proven time and again. 3 bed needs to be 3 bath 

Agree with what others have said, especially on not subscribing to heads in beds but also on who your target audience is.  I have two 2 bedroom condos on the beach.  One has a king and a queen the other has a king and two twins.  Both have a pull out sofa sectional in the living room but I stopped advertising those as beds.  I found the wear and tear and guests that wanted to use this as a 6 person were not what I was targeting.  Also, I am getting rid of the twins in one bedroom for another king bed.  I prefer one or two couples more than families and I wasn't attracting that with the twin beds.   So I'd recommend thinking about who you want in the property and then determining the bed configurations and number

Congrats on your path to wealth @Diana Mulvihill!