5 Best Pillows for AirBNB Guests - Michigan Short Term Rentals

Types of Pillows for Your Short Term rental

There are a few things in an AirBNB that prove to be very tricky to nail and get right and one of those items is pillows.

Pillows are very personal and every single person has a different definition of what constitutes the “perfect” pillow. Personally, I hate when I stay at a hotel and they provide those tiny square pillows – they literally look like an accent pillow you would see on a sofa. I ask myself why every single time.

This is not what we want when it comes to your AirBNB. The main goal is to keep your guests wanting to come back again and this post is going to help you nail down this particular item on your furnishing list.

Now – there are so many different types of pillows for your bed:

Traditional pillows
Body pillows
Lumbar pillows
Neck pillows

It seems like there is a pillow for every little thing nowadays.

However, for an AirBNB, the only type you need to think about is the traditional pillows.

Believe it or not, most of our guests have traveled with their own specific pillows, therefore I do not see the point in purchasing different specialty pillows for your guests.

Things to Consider When Choosing Pillows for your vacation rental

There are so many different factors to consider when it comes to choosing pillows. Are they meant for back sleepers, side sleepers, or stomach sleepers? What type of filling do the pillows have? Are they firm, medium, or soft? Let’s take a closer look at each one of these questions.

Sleeping Position

First up – which sleeping position should you cater to? All of them! Now I do not mean that you should go out and buy three different pillows!

All you need to do is go to Amazon (or your favorite retailer) and look for pillows that list all three. Are they going to be absolutely perfect for each position – maybe not, but this is a great middle-of-the-road solution for your guests. This is what we have done and we honestly have not gotten any bad feedback about our pillows so far!

Pillow Fill Type

Second – what type of fill do you want your pillows to have? I highly recommend staying away from any sort of down pillows.

While they may seem very fancy and high-end – the biggest reason I avoid down pillows (and comforters) is that some people are actually allergic to the feathers. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to deal with an avoidable allergic reaction during a guest’s stay!

Also, down pillows are very taste-specific as they are not the firmest and most supportive pillow option out there and some people are really not happy with feeling feathers against their head.

My advice is to always go with a down alternative or micro-fiber filling. These tend to hold up well and again, are going to appeal to the majority of guests.

The other thing I would probably tend to avoid is gel pillows. These can be rather firm and again are very taste-specific.

Pillow Firmness

Lastly, what firmness should you purchase? You are never going to be able to completely please every single guest, but from my experience, purchasing a pillow that runs in the medium firmness category is going to be the safest bet!

If you have a higher-end property and want to add that extra touch, you could take a little idea from the fancy hotel brands. You could purchase firm pillows and medium-firm pillows and have them available for your guests to choose from.

I would recommend purchasing a zippable cloth tote that you could store in the bedroom closet.

You could do this for any type of property, however, I do not think it is necessary for most vacation rentals.

How Many Pillows Do You Need For Each Bed?

Let’s break down how many pillows you should have for each bed according to size.

Twin Beds

Whether they are individual beds or bunk beds, I recommend two standard-size pillows. This is my personal preference as I like when a bed looks very fluffy and inviting, but you could get away with just 1 pillow if you prefer.

Double Bed

For a double bed – I would recommend 2 standard pillows per guest, 4 in total.

Queen Bed

For a queen-size or full-size bed, I recommend 2 queen-size pillows per guest, again 4 pillows in total. You may be wondering what the difference is between a standard pillow and a queen pillow or maybe you did not even realize that queen-size pillows existed.

The queen pillows are about 4 inches longer, so if you want to go that route, make sure you buy the correct pillow cases.

King Bed

For a king or even a california king bed, I recommend 2 king-size pillows per guest, 4 in total.

When it comes to maintaining a supply of pillows – most pillows on Amazon come in a pack of two, so I usually make sure I have at least a couple of extra boxes on hand at all times.

We have had guests steal our pillows (I guess that is quite the compliment when they want to bring yours home), however, they will then leave their dingy pillow behind.

You want to always make sure your cleaning team has extra pillows handy in the event that happens or in case one gets ruined.

Top 5 Pillows for AirBNB

One other thing to note regarding pillows is that I always recommend purchasing pillow protectors. These will help tremendously with protecting your pillows and can help them to last longer.

When purchasing the protectors, look for options that are waterproof, hypoallergenic, bed bug proof, and have a zipper closure. Click the link below for one of the brands that I have purchased many times for each of our properties – I highly recommend this option!