When I first started hosting The Oak Suite, I thought “5-star guest experience” meant expensive furniture, designer everything, and a never-ending budget. Turns out, most of the things that actually move the needle for guests — the stuff that gets you the “this was the nicest Airbnb we’ve ever stayed in” review — cost almost nothing and take one Costco run to sort out.

If you’re a host (or thinking about becoming one), here are the three items on my personal Airbnb host checklist that I always come back to. None of them are fancy. All of them work.

Airbnb Host Checklist Item #1: The Costco Snack Wall

Guests remember food. Every single time.

I stock the kitchen with bulk snacks and breakfast items from Costco — think good coffee, a variety of teas, granola bars, individual cereal cups, oatmeal packets, and a couple of “treat” items that feel a little indulgent (we do popcorn, some individual bags of chips, and a little cookie treat). It costs me maybe $75–$80 per stock-up, and we typically do this once a year, maybe stocking up on coffee every now and then.

The trick isn’t quantity, it’s variety. A basket that has options for the early riser, the person who skipped groceries, and the one who wants a little something sweet after a long travel day — that’s what gets photographed and mentioned in reviews. It says “we thought about you before you even got here,” and that feeling is what guests are actually paying for.

We also put a small carton of milk, six eggs, and a few bottles of water in the fridge. The idea was that no matter what, they had milk for coffee and something to eat for breakfast. Travelling can be exhausting, and have you showing up at midnight, we wanted our guests to feel taken care of.

Airbnb Host Checklist Item #2: Towels, Linens, and Pillows — More Than You Think You Need

This one is simple math: guests use more towels than you expect, and running out of anything mid-stay is the fastest way to tank an experience that was otherwise going great. I’ve personally stayed in an airbnb that provided me one very small hand towel, and that was it… nothing else, not cool.

I keep double what feels reasonable — extra bath towels, hand towels, and a stash of backup linens guests never even have to ask for. Pillows are the same story: more pillows than beds, different firmness levels if you can manage it, because comfort preferences are so personal.

And here’s the part that surprises people: I buy almost all of it at Costco. Their linens and towel sets are genuinely hotel-quality for a fraction of what you’d pay at a home goods store, and buying in bulk keeps cost-per-set low even when you’re stocking extras. It works out to about $10 Canadian per towel, and we replace ours if guests damage them, but it’s very rare.

The other non-negotiable: white linens, always. It’s the single easiest way to make a space read as “clean” and “luxury” in photos and in person. White towels and white sheets photograph beautifully, they signal a hotel-level standard even in a modest space, and — practically speaking — they’re the easiest thing to bleach and keep looking new. It’s a small styling choice that does a lot of heavy lifting. We do also provide two grey towels, and two grey face clothes as an option for our guests as well.

**How many free toothbrushes and mini toothpastes do you get from your dentist? We put a toothbrush for each guest in our bathroom, just in case they forgot to pack one, it’s almost free for us to do. We also make sure our bathroom is stocked with shampoo/conditioner, body soap, and a hairdryer. These are all really inexpensive ways to make guests feel like they’re at a 5 star hotel.

Airbnb Host Checklist Item #3: Stock your kitchen with tools to make an Italian Dinner

Think a proper cheese board and knife, a good pasta pot, a garlic press, a cheese grater, wine glasses that actually feel nice in your hand, baking sheets, parchment paper, oven mitts, pot holders, etc. Everything that you would need to make a pasta dinner, make sure those items are in your kitchen. INCLUDING olive oil, seasonings, and maybe leaving them a bottle of local wine.

Guests love the option of a cozy night in, especially couples celebrating something. It costs very little to keep this stocked, but it reads as an incredibly thoughtful, high-touch amenity — the kind of thing people mention by name in their review.

The Real Takeaway

None of this requires a renovation or a huge budget. It requires noticing what actually makes guests feel taken care of, and being willing to do the small, consistent things that most hosts skip. A well-stocked snack basket, doubled-up white linens, and a ready-to-go dinner setup will do more for your reviews — and yes, for how to increase your Airbnb bookings over time — than almost any big-ticket upgrade.

If you’re building out your own hosting brand, systems, or guest experience — and want help making it feel as polished as it should — that’s exactly the kind of thing I love working on, check out our services here

Megan Ashley