Setting Up a Luxury Short-Term Rental

Open the cupboard under any kitchen or bathroom sink and you will usually find the honest version of a home: half-used cleaning products, spare cloths and odds and ends collected over the years. None of it belongs in a guest-ready property.

Clear it out. The standard to aim for throughout the laundry, bathrooms and kitchen is clean, clear and minimal, while still holding the essentials a guest genuinely needs. A guest opening a cupboard should find order, not clutter.

The same discipline applies to personal items. Family photographs, paperwork, toiletries and the general evidence of your own life should be removed entirely. A home can feel warm without feeling occupied, and guests relax more fully in a space that feels like theirs for the duration of the stay.

One of the simplest ways to make a property feel curated rather than assembled is consistency in amenities. Choose a single brand you trust for hand wash, body products, kitchen essentials and laundry products, then use it throughout the home.

Consider clean, locally made products that are thoughtful about their effect on people and the environment. Ideally, choose something guests would not ordinarily find at the local supermarket.

The effect is subtle but real. Matching bottles in the bathroom, laundry and beside the kitchen sink read as intention. A different label in every room reads as leftovers. Cohesion is one of those details guests rarely name but always feel.

Removing personal items does not mean stripping the home back to a shell. Bedrooms in particular need enough soft furnishings to feel warm and inviting. Throw cushions on the bed and an additional throw folded at the end do double duty: they make the room aesthetically pleasing and offer genuine extra warmth on a cold night.

• Provide at least four sleeping pillows per bed—two in front and two behind—so each guest can sleep the way they prefer.
• For a higher standard, include both soft and firm pillow options.
• Use crisp, clean and crease-free linen. Pressed linen signals care in a way no welcome gift can.
• Fit mattress and pillow protectors to every bed.
• Provide proper winter-weight bedding as well as lighter summer options.
• Stock spare blankets and include them in the property’s amenities list.

Towels are one of the few areas where guests do count. As a minimum, provide two face cloths, two hand towels and at least two bath towels per guest. If the property is serviced less frequently between linen changes, increase those numbers accordingly.

Running out of towels midway through a stay is a small failure, but it is exactly the kind guests remember. Stock for the full stay, not merely for arrival.

Guests choosing a premium home over a hotel are often doing so precisely because they want to cook. The kitchen should let them do it comfortably, with enough pots, pans, bowls, utensils and preparation space that nothing feels like a compromise.

A useful rule of thumb is to provide two of everything at full capacity. If the property sleeps six adults, that means twelve wine glasses, twelve champagne glasses, twelve plates, twelve bowls and so on. This allows one set to be in use while another is being cleaned and ensures that dinner for the full house never runs short.

On food, take one of two approaches. Either remove excess food entirely or leave only unopened items you are genuinely happy for guests to use. Fridges and freezers should be completely clean and clear apart from anything deliberately provided, such as fresh milk.

If you provide milk, ask guests beforehand which type they prefer. It is a thirty-second question that tells them, before they have even arrived, that the stay has been thought about.

Throughout the rest of the home, the principle remains the same: no unnecessary clutter and nothing a guest has to hunt for. Remotes should be easy to find. Surfaces should be clear. Everyday items should be placed where the guest will naturally look for them.

One small detail also protects the home itself. If you have dining tables or coffee tables you would rather not see marked, make coasters and placemats easy to reach—or simply place the coasters on the table before guests arrive. Guests overwhelmingly use what is put in front of them.

Making the right behaviour effortless is far more effective than hoping for it, and it meaningfully reduces the likelihood of damage.

Everything above happens before a booking is confirmed. The next thing worth your attention is the arrival itself: how guests reach the property, how they enter and what greets them in the first five minutes. First impressions in a luxury home are made at the gate.

Start with clear directions. Guests may be arriving in an unfamiliar region after a long flight, and often after dark. A beautifully prepared home counts for little if the journey to the front door is confusing. Provide clear, step-by-step arrival instructions, with images where helpful, so finding the property and getting inside feels effortless.

Ideally, you or someone on your behalf meets the guest in person. Where that is not possible, think carefully about access. Is the key genuinely easy to find? Better still, consider a smart lock. Smart locks give guests simple, reliable access at any hour and add security for the owner because codes can be changed between stays.