Mo beds, mo problems

 

Under the Bed Chronicles

Mo’ Beds, Mo’ Problems

Why Chasing Maximum Occupancy Can Cost More Than It Makes

I have a question.

Who looked at a perfectly good three-bedroom vacation rental and thought…

“You know what this place needs? Three more bunk beds.”

Somewhere along the way, vacation rentals became a competition to see how many people could sleep in one house.

King bed.

Queen bed.

Bunk bed.

Pull-out couch.

Air mattress.

Futon.

Before long, a cozy mountain cabin designed for six people is proudly advertised as sleeping twelve.

Can it?

Technically.

Should it?

That’s a completely different question.

Here’s the thing.

A vacation rental isn’t measured by how many beds you can squeeze into it.

It’s measured by everything that has to support those guests.

The water heater.

The septic system.

The refrigerator.

The HVAC.

The kitchen.

The furniture.

The flooring.

The bathrooms.

The parking.

Every one of those things has a limit.

Adding another bunk bed doesn’t magically make your water heater larger.

It doesn’t give you a bigger septic tank.

It doesn’t make your refrigerator cool faster.

Speaking of refrigerators…

We’ve seen this more than once.

A large group stops at the grocery store before arriving.

They buy enough food to feed a football team.

Everything has been riding around at room temperature.

Then, within five minutes, every inch of refrigerator space is packed with warm food.

An hour later…

“The refrigerator isn’t working.”

It probably is.

Refrigerators don’t create cold.

They remove heat.

If you suddenly ask one to cool fifty pounds of room-temperature food, it’s going to take time.

That’s physics.

Not a service call.

The same thing happens throughout the house.

More guests mean:

More showers.

More dishes.

More laundry.

More toilet flushes.

More doors opening and closing.

More cooking.

More trash.

More wear on furniture.

More wear on flooring.

More wear on appliances.

More maintenance.

Mo’ beds…

Mo’ problems.

But here’s the part many owners don’t think about.

More beds don’t always mean more bookings.

After caring for vacation rentals since 2009, we’ve noticed a pattern.

Some of the busiest homes aren’t the ones that sleep twelve.

They’re the ones that comfortably sleep two to four.

Why?

Because couples and small families travel all year.

Weekend getaways.

Anniversary trips.

Fall color tours.

Ski weekends.

Remote workers looking for a change of scenery.

Those reservations happen every month of the year.

Large groups?

They usually travel during summer, Spring Break, Christmas, New Year’s, weddings, and family reunions.

They’re wonderful guests.

But they’re seasonal.

A comfortable cabin for four may actually book more consistently throughout the year than a house trying to sleep twelve.

Meanwhile, the larger occupancy house experiences significantly more wear every time it does book.

Eventually, those maintenance costs catch up.

Mattresses wear out.

Furniture loosens.

Floors age faster.

Paint gets scuffed.

Appliances work overtime.

The septic system quietly starts questioning your life choices.

We’re certainly not saying families shouldn’t vacation together.

They absolutely should.

We’re simply suggesting that comfortable occupancy is often a better long-term business strategy than maximum occupancy.

Your guests are more comfortable.

Your investment lasts longer.

Your maintenance bills stay lower.

And your house gets the chance to be the relaxing mountain getaway it was built to be…

Instead of trying to set the world record for competitive bunk bedding.

Until next time…

Simon

Director of Operations, Professional Bed Counter, and Part-Time Defender of Overworked Refrigerators.