What Makes a Short Term Rental Work: Lessons from our Lakehouse
We’ve owned our lakehouse for just over ten years. When we purchased it in 2015, Airbnb and VRBO were still relatively new (to us at least!) and our initial plan was to use the cottage almost exclusively ourselves, accepting the costs as part of having a family place on the lake. Shortly after we closed and finished renovating, we decided to list it as a short-term rental — largely out of curiosity. It turned out to be an incredibly worthwhile decision, influencing not only how we manage the property, but how we think about design, maintenance and the guest experience.
Running a successful short-term rental isn’t about chasing trends or overloading a space with features. It’s about consistency, care and paying attention to the details that guests notice immediately — and remember long after they leave.
Cleanliness Is the Baseline, Not the Bonus
The single most important factor in hosting is cleanliness. Guests don’t compare your cottage to other rentals — they compare it to a hotel. That means everything needs to feel not just clean, but fresh.
We pay attention to the unglamorous details: baseboards, caulking, corners of drawers and the back of shelves. We refresh things regularly — redoing caulking and repainting walls and trim more often than we ever would if it was just our family using the space. High turnover means wear shows quickly, and touch-ups become part of regular maintenance, not an occasional project.
Equally important is having a cleaner you trust completely. Ours is flexible, reliable, and thorough — and when we arrive after she’s finished, the cottage feels like a place we’d be excited to stay ourselves. That’s the standard we aim for every time.
Thoughtful Touches Go a Long Way
Guests appreciate small gestures that make their arrival feel intentional. We now ensure that with every guest we leave a simple welcome gift — a sign on the table with a bottle of local wine or a regional snack - anything. It doesn’t cost much, but it sets the tone immediately.
When people have paid a premium for a getaway, arriving to something thoughtful feels like part of the experience rather than an afterthought.
Stock the Space Like You’d Use It Yourself
One of the most common oversights in short-term rentals is an under-equipped kitchen. If you want guests to feel comfortable settling in, the space needs to support real use. We stocked our kitchen by staying there ourselves and paying attention to what we reached for — and what was missing. Good knives matter. A proper bottle opener matters. So do basics like a vegetable peeler, enough cutting boards, decent cookware and serving pieces. The goal isn’t excess — it’s functionality.
The same applies to linens. We keep ample supplies of bath towels, washcloths, beach towels, kitchen towels, and bedding — all folded, organized, and ready. Comfortable beds and good linens are non-negotiable.
It’s also worth thinking through the everyday items people now expect to have readily available. Simple things like phone chargers, Apple Watch chargers and hair dryers are easy to overlook, but they make a real difference in how comfortable a stay feels. Guests travel lighter than they used to, and when those small necessities are already there, it removes friction and makes the space feel thoughtfully prepared rather than minimally equipped.
Comfort Always Wins
When we furnished the lake house, comfort was a priority. Sofas needed to be genuinely comfortable — the kind you can sink into at the end of the day. Beds needed to feel inviting. This isn’t a showroom; it’s a place people are meant to relax.
A beautiful space that isn’t comfortable won’t earn repeat bookings. Comfort is part of the design.
Create Space for Guests to Make It Their Own
One of the biggest mindset shifts for us was realizing that a successful short-term rental can’t feel like someone else’s home. Early on, my instinct was to treat the lakehouse as a personal space — to hang family photos, display sentimental objects and outfit rooms specifically around our children. We finally had the lakehouse we always wanted - and I wanted to put our personal touch on it!
My husband was the one who pushed back, and he was right. Guests don’t want to feel like they’re staying in someone else’s life. They want the experience of arrival that you get at a hotel — a space that feels welcoming, intentional and ready for them to inhabit for however long they’re there.
We’ve kept the lakehouse deliberately neutral. There are no family photos, no personal memorabilia and no overly specific references to us. That neutrality allows guests to relax, settle in, and feel like the space is theirs — whether for a weekend or a few weeks. It’s a subtle distinction, but it makes a meaningful difference in how people experience the stay.
Communication Shapes the Experience
Clear, responsive communication matters. Guests have questions — before arrival, during their stay and sometimes afterwards. We respond as quickly as possible, whether it’s a simple question about the television or a request for restaurant recommendations.
We also try to be flexible where we can. Allowing an early check-in or late checkout when schedules permit costs us very little and means a lot to guests working around travel windows and limited vacation time.
When issues arise — and they inevitably do — how you handle them matters more than the issue itself. Offering a complimentary night or a local dinner voucher has helped preserve goodwill when circumstances are outside our control. Short-term rentals rely heavily on reviews and word of mouth, and generosity in those moments pays dividends.
Add a Few Unexpected Elements
What often sets a stay apart are the things guests don’t expect but genuinely enjoy: a record player with a small, well-chosen record collection, a shelf of good books and/or board games that actually get used. These details invite people to slow down and engage with the space rather than just pass through it.
They don’t need to be expensive — they just need to feel intentional.
Designing for Use, Not Perfection
Hosting a short-term rental has reinforced something we’ve learned again and again: the best spaces aren’t the most precious ones. They’re the ones designed to be used. Durable materials, comfortable furnishings, and thoughtful upkeep matter more than any single design feature.
Over time, we’ve learned to think less about how a space looks in photos (although that matters too!) and more about how it supports real life — for us and for the people who stay there. That mindset has shaped not only how we host, but how we approach design more broadly.