Hosting 101: What Coffee to Serve for Your Airbnb Guests
Whether you are a new airbnb host, or you are already running your short-term rental for a while, you always want to impress your guests. Coffee is definitely the best starting point.
The airbnb economy
According to Airbnb, hosts on the platform are spread across 220 countries and regions, and generated revenue of more than $100 billion since the company's inception.
Their global survey of 78,900 Airbnb hosts from November 2019 revealed that hosts on Airbnb span across different occupations and from different stages of life. They are teachers (10%) and healthcare workers (9%). They are in hospitality (7%), technology and retail (both 6%). They are also in financial services (6%) and construction (5%). They are artists (5%) and designers, and about one in five are retirees.
COVID-19 didn't slow down the growing Airbnb economy either. The company reported that in 2020 alone more than 200,000 new hosts welcomed their first guests through Airbnb.
Do you need to provide coffee for your airbnb guests?
You should always treat your rental property as a business and ensure your customers are satisfied with your amenities. This will help you generate great reviews for others to see on your profile, and give reasons for your guests to come back to stay at your place again. Similarly to hotels that offer in-room coffee solutions, you need to consider providing coffee options for your guests as well.
Guests expect to have a coffee options at their Airbnb. For example, several guests shared these thoughts in a Reddit thread:
"Yes, I expect a way to make coffee. When we travel and stay in AirBnb." said user hannie8· User despoina19 added, "I would want coffee available as a guest, and everywhere I've stayed has had this."
What coffee to purchase for your airbnb?
Whole bean coffee
Pros:
- Can stay fresher over a longer period of time.
- Guests can grind the beans for different brew methods.
- Provides an elevated coffee experience
Cons:
- Takes longer time for guests to make a cup of coffee.
- You will need to provide an additional grinder for guests.
- Can be messy to clean.
- You need to provide a coffee maker.
Ground coffee
Pros:
- No need to purchase a grinder.
- Makes the coffee experience a bit quicker for the guests
- Consistent, uniform grind size.
Cons:
- You still need to buy an additional coffeemaker.
- Your guests can mess up the coffee to water ratio.
- It's hard to keep track of how much coffee you have left.
- It's messy to clean.
Instant coffee
Pros:
- No need in a coffee machine, just an electric kettle.
- You can find quality instant coffee options that taste as good as ground coffee, minus the mess.
- Your guests can't make it wrong as it's very easy to make.
- Easy to keep track of your inventory, especially if you buy single-serve instant coffee packets. Instant coffee also won't go bad for years.
Cons:
- Some brands of instant coffee can taste bad (make sure to buy high-end instant coffee).
- You might want to pour bulk instant coffee in an additional canister, so guests won't use the same bag.
Capsules or pods
Pros:
- Easy to make and you have many options to choose from.
- It's an affordable option per serving of coffee.
Cons:
- Uses a lot of plastic and creates unnecessary waste.
- You will need to maintain the machine, so it won't go bad quickly.
- Bulk packaging and a machine that takes valuable counter space.
All the coffee essentials to buy for your Airbnb
We made this list of all the Airbnb coffee essentials, so can make sure you have everything you need for the best quest experience. Bonus, you can easily purchase all of these products on Amazon and re-stock them when you are out of any of them with a 2 day delivery window (or set up a monthly recurring order to take one task of your to-do list).
1. Electric kettle of easy coffee or tea
Stainless steel tea kettle for fast boiling water. 1.7L and 1500W, BPA-Free, cordless with automatic shutoff and Boil-Dry Protection. Comes in beautiful retro colors like beige, blue, green, red and rose gold.
2. Retro ceramic coffee mugs (diner style)
Give your guests a nostalgic coffee experience, but also make your life much easier. These ceramic earthenware (fully verified) are dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Each set comes with 4 retro coffee mugs that can hold up to 10 US fl oz.
3. Rustic and compact coffee bar
If you need an additional space for your airbnb coffee setup, this coffee bar is a great option. It includes a wire basket, mug hooks, space for a microwave or an oven and much more. The best part? It's usually sold around $100 and ships for free with Prime.
4. Quality instant coffee for an elevated airbnb coffee experience
Instant coffee is hands down the easiest way for you to provide coffee in your airbnb. However, you still want to maintain an elevated coffee experience for your guests, so make sure to choose only premium instant coffee options. Waka Coffee is made from 100% Arabica beans and freeze dried. It tastes like coffee from a drip machine, minus the hassle of making it. This bulk package also makes it a much more affordable option per serving.
5. Single-serve packets for coffee or tea
Sugar In The Raw is made with only the highest quality ingredients. This turbinado sugar is unbleached, unrefined and made from natural sugar cane. Plus, it’s kosher, vegan, gluten-free and non-gmo project verified. Bonus-- this sugar's kraft paper packets will go perfectly with the Waka Coffee kraft packets.
6. Single-serve tea bag options (because some guests won't want coffee)
This fruit flavor herbal tea sampler includes 1 box each of Meyer Lemon, Acai Berry, Wild Raspberry Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger, Mango Passionfruit, and Strawberry Pomegranate. Leave a few packets for your guests to choose from.
7. Non-dairy flavored creamer options
You never know what food allergies or diets your guests follow, so these Nutpods dairy-free creamers are perfect to cover most diets. They are good option for those who follow Whole 30, keto, WW, paleo, plant-based (vegan), vegetarian, lactose-free, and/or diabetic diets. These coffee creamers are also unsweetened with no sweeteners or added sugars.
8. Honey as a sweetener alternative
Just like with the coffee creamer, you want to provide sweetener options for your airbnb guests. Some quests will really appreciate honey in their tea or coffee instead of sugar. This raw and unfiltered honey 16 oz. squeeze bottle is made with all-natural sweetener and without additives.
9. Coffee and tea spoons
Don't forget the little things for your coffee setup. This mini coffee spoon set is affordable and practical. It includes 6 - 4.7 inches stainless steel small spoons that are usefulness to stir milk or cream into tea and after-dinner coffee.
Now that you have all the coffee essentials, you are ready to grow your airbnb business!
