A leading Airbnb property management company show you how to make your rental feel cosier in winter

Imagine your home is an Airbnb. You want it to feel cosy, warm and welcoming for holiday guests and business travellers alike to stay in – but what does that mean in practical terms, what should you be doing in order to achieve that goal? The team behind SevenStays’ quality Airbnb management services help you answer that question now.

Whether you’re styling a city apartment or seaside cottage, there are plenty of ways to switch up your space as the seasons change by introducing cosier features to your Airbnb property. Get this right and a property owner is on the right track to receive more rental income (and more guaranteed rental income too) from their property portfolio – however big or small it might be. Take a look at some of our top tips for rental property owners below.

Add colour to your space

Colour is an important role player in interior design, and it can be used to add warmth, create a sense of space or even create a sense of fun.

Introduce soft textures

From a plush new rug to stylish throws and cushions, adding different textures to a room is an easy way for property owners to add depth and create an effortlessly inviting environment. Softer textures can immediately evoke feelings of comfort amongst guests to help them feel truly relaxed in your home.

Use rugs to create soft zones

Rugs are a prime example of a soft texture that you should be adding to your guests’ living spaces when the temperatures start to drop. They are a great way to create soft zones in the room. They can be used to define individual areas and provide a cosy, relaxing atmosphere in your home. When it comes to choosing the right rug for you, think about the kind of look or feel that you’re trying to achieve with your design.

If you have cold floor surfaces rugs can help keep that cold at bay when guests are walking or sitting on them. They could be an ideal solution if this is something that concerns you – since they come with the added bonus that they aren’t a permanent solution. Once the summer months come back around you can roll those rugs back up, put them in storage and let your laminate, tile, or parquet be the star of the show once more.

They also work well as accents against other colours because they add texture and create interest. Make sure that any coloured rugs complement each other by using warmer tones like reds, oranges and yellows as these will help create cosiness rather than feeling cold or hard like metal furniture would do instead!

Consider ambient lighting

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of home decorating is lighting. You might not think about it much, but lighting can make or break the atmosphere in any room; it’s crucial for mood and ambience. The right lighting can really transform a vacation rental property and the living spaces within it, especially if you’re looking to appeal to couples. Where possible, ensure rooms have smaller lamps to create ambience and a calm atmosphere, and opt for warm-toned lampshades and light bulbs, or dimmable options, as this will cast a soft light throughout your space.

Choose your furniture carefully

Choose your furniture carefully. The biggest mistake you can make is to fill your home with uncomfortable and harsh-looking furniture. This will make the room feel cold, unwelcoming and uninviting, even if it’s filled with fluffy throws, soft cushions and throws that warm up the atmosphere right away.

Buy good quality pieces. If you want something sturdy and comfortable, always buy high quality pieces of furniture rather than going for cheap ones that won’t last long enough to be worth their price tag (and they will probably look horrible too!).

Consider using upholstered chairs instead of leather seating if you don’t want your living room feeling cold in wintertime but still want an elegant look for guests; leather can be cold to the touch in a cold atmosphere and uncomfortable to sit on in colder weather.

Embrace the Scandinavian tradition of ‘hygge’

Made popular a few years back after being shortlisted as the Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “word of the year”, the notion of hygge (as defined in the Cambridge English Dictionary) refers to “a quality of cosiness (= feeling warm, comfortable, and safe) that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family”. In essence, this implies that if your holiday home has warm, cosy pieces dotted around, this will impact the general mood of the space and, in turn, your guests will feel more positive and relaxed. Applying hygge to vacation rentals can mean adding things like books and candles to your rooms, adding natural textures, or creating a dedicated space for guests to recline with a hot drink.

Make your bathroom a spa-like haven

After a busy day of exploring a new location, many guests like the idea of rejuvenating or relaxing back at their short term rental with a bath or shower. Because of this, the bathroom is an important part of the home – especially when it comes to ensuring guests feel well-rested. According to Homes & Gardens, creating a cosier, tranquil space is ‘all about using key design details that add that luxurious look and choosing ‘spa’ type materials like wood, stone, bamboo and marble’ with no clutter. In this case, less is more, but ensure you’ve paid attention to preparing the small details, as they don’t go unnoticed – including providing fresh towels and products.

How property management services help property owners do this

Because there’s a big gap between what guests are looking for in spring and summer and what they expect to see from a rental property in Autumn and Winter, the help of Airbnb management companies like SevenStays can be invaluable in helping property owners keep up with those changes, make sure that their rental property meets expectations at any time of year and delivers maximum rental income no matter when it’s let out.

For example, our property management services (which are available in locations throughout the UK) include maintenance, restocking and cleaning services – and one of the Airbnb management tasks that would fall under that umbrella would be the switchover from a spring/summer dressing to a more cosy autumn/winter one. Adding extra soft furnishings, rugs, throws etc. can all be done by our team of professional Airbnb property managers when the time is right – all you need to do is provide us with the furnishings that you want to be used.

That’s not all though – the vacation rental management services offered by our property management company also address your online listing too. Our property management experts will craft the perfect write-up that will really let your short term rental property shine and make a great first impression on potential guests – and then we’ll pair that copy with professional photos to really round everything off. And as they say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.

A Cosier Short Stay

And there you have it – some simple tips to make your Airbnb feel cosier. You don’t need to spend a lot of money or do any major renovations, but by making smart choices about colour, lighting and furniture, you can really transform the space.

Interior design is about the feeling you get when you walk through the front door of a room. It’s about how things are arranged and decorated, as well as how they’re made. Decorating refers to the final touch of decorating (such as adding artwork or a plant). Architecture focuses on how things are built (like walls and doors) while interior design considers all these factors when creating spaces that people live in.

Interested in renting out your property? Sign up for SevenStays’ Airbnb management service now, or view our FAQ page to learn more.