Describe what you are saying by "major updating"?

Great question, I think what I am looking for is design /style ideas? Color pallets, furniture placement...things to make it more welcoming.

As a full time live in rental or still a temp vacation rental?

This is a vacation rental in Northern Michigan. It rents in the summer to people there for vacation, then in the winter to snowmobiliers. I am hoping to make it flow and show better so we can increase our rentals.

The two living rooms need warming up a lot. They look to be incomplete and filled with furniture that you maybe didn’t want in your home. What they have going for them is that they are wipeable which is good in a rental but you definitely need more things in the space as it looks stark. I know airbnbs get trashed over time but they still need plants (fake okay if needed), throws and pillows, art etc to look good

Thank you! Yes to all of that. It just feels like there is no flow, and not very warm. I love the idea of some plants and pillows as well as art. It is an awkward space and not super easy to make work with the furniture.

For the short term rental for crowds of people in one place, it looks good to me. If I were there in summer I’d really want chairs out on that great porch - in addition to the ones under the trees that I personally wouldn’t use as too close to street - Unless those adirondak chairs are in back yard. In summers I’d also want floor coverings in the community rooms & maybe in bedrooms. In winter, with skiers & snowboarders maybe not. Take down the dusty stuff from DR over table light & the arch way into LR. Add large & colorful art on the walls - over sofa, in DR. Think about local photography that’s labled so guests can know what they’re looking at. The old family photos in the DR are odd to me. Don’t convey the homey feel I think is the goal with them. I’d rather look at right sized colorful local scenes.

I go to a lot of Airbnb spots with my family and with my friends. We are always looking for: comfortable beds and bedding, adequate number of towels per guest (at least two plus a beach or hot tub towel), adequate seating for beds available - if you sleep ten you need ten dining spots, ten sitting spots and at least ten of things in kitchen too. Comfortable lounging areas that feel homey and well curated not cast offs. Access to a TV that works and has programming available and doesn’t rely only programming anything. A kitchen that is well equipped with all the things not just a few of everything.

Amazing feedback! Thank you so much! I'm over here feverishly taking notes!

Adding another bathroom would definitely improve the experience. Lots of bedroom , but only one bath/shower would not be a positive for me.

Oh wow I missed that! Agree one bathroom would be hard

I go to a lot of AirBNBs. The house looks great from the outside - charming with that great porch. It needs some seating. I would also lower the shrubbery a bit to fully see the porch. The firepit are needs work - that is a great feature to have! We always use one. The outside space looks great! Get some horse shoes or corn hole toss or badminton games.

- Dining room - a nice sideboard, some simple wainscot paneling, larger artwork ( local artisans are great for that ) curtains for both window not just one, a nice rug and a table runner with some flameless candles for a center piece.

- Fireplace room - need some more angles of the room but that would probably be used more in the winter. I think I would get a sofa with a chaise, area rug, coffee table and some ottomans that can pull apart for additional seating. If the fireplace is non operational, make it a sort of game room - nice game table , a fooseball (sp?) table. Have a cabinet with games and cards, maybe a bookcase.

- Living room - Just not a fan of the furniture but if you have to keep, throw some blankets over the back/side, maybe some pillows. I would move the tv from where it is to the wall with the larger sofa and bring the furniture into a more conversation set up. Don't push everything back to the walls.

- I think the kitchen is adorable. If it gets to the point of needing replacing, then I would move stuff around and get a better layout. The stove seems to be off by itself. The hanging fixture looks a bit low.

- Bedrooms - get rid of the wallpaper. Paint some nice neutral colors. I love these older homes when there is a different color in each room and everything is coordinated with that color - NOT too matchy matchy though. Comfortable mattresses, great pillows and luggage racks would be essentials IMO. Make sure there are enough outlets - there's lots of stuff to charge when traveling. Match the style of bed if there are going to be 2. If it is a family friendly place, do not be afraid to do bunk beds in one room for more people.

- bathroom looks fine - make sure the tile and grout is pristine! Maybe change the paint color for some interest. Put down a nice floor mat in front of the shower and add some robe hooks. I would also add a cabinet or change the pedestal to a cabinet and extend the counter to the left. Potential of 10 people and there is no counter space?

- powder room - no pics. If you do a bigger reno, try to turn that into a bath with a shower. Again 10 people with 1 shower??

- Things I like when I stay - pictures that look exactly like the place - no AI no crazy angles, a " stocked" kitchen ( basic spices, cooking utensils, tupperware, wrap, foil etc ), shopping bags ( many grocery stores require you bring your own bags, brochures from the area - vineyards, stores, events, an info sheet - numbers for the fire dept , police, local hospital/urgent care and a little welcome basket - the last place I was at had prosecco, a bottle of local wine, and all the stuff for smores and a gift card for a local restaurant.

Bright side - the charm of the home is so good. That staircase is beautiful! And the potential is great! I would totally stay here!!

Best of luck!

Agree that another bathroom is needed. Take wallpaper down. Paint those walls. All bedrooms should have a rug imo.

Fireplace room also needs a rug. Maybe another TV above the fireplace. Looks like a charming house!

debra

I think the bedrooms could use a bit 5* hotel feel nothing huge. We just stayed in an airbnb for the first time it was anice home the kitchen lacked some better cooking stuff but we were there for a wedding do no big deal. The one large bedroom was nicely done the other 2 more like yours . I agree you need to compare others in your area to see what you need to do if anything. A nice washable rug in the LR and Maybe more thsn one TV watching spce Yes to another bathroom if possible

Are you renting week by week? Weekends? For a month plus at a time? The luxury of your amenities might change with longer stays but our Airbnb experience says focus on another bathroom, fully stock kitchen and yes to seating that matches the number the home sleeps. The rest of the suggestions are meh, IMPO. I don't need fancy I need useful space when we rent. People are looking for a fit of beds to people and YES to enough bathrooms. When you have two or more couples privacy, access is huge! The places that we don't return too have beds full of pillows for looks and no where to put them when you want to use the bed!! I don't need to fight with the owners idea of high style!! Tchotchkes all over the place, is another frustration. I'm not living there and I don't want to feel like I've invade someone's home and have to worry about breaking something when you set a glass down. My guess is your biggest issue with not being full up is the bathroom situation. I will say it's soo sad the painting that was done on the staircase. It would make me sad to live with that, and yes it would make me find a different rental over yours. I would not want the charm removed from these big old homes. I would be looking to be embraced by it.

1. You have you have 179 reviews averaging 4.7 so clearly this is a popular rental. Do you feel you are not renting it out enough weeks in the warm weather months? How booked are you? (Looks like nobody is staying at any AirBnBs in this area in the winter so I don't think you are going to increase bookings in snow months no matter what you do.)

2. You listings says half bath but shows no pics of it. Can you show us the half bath so we can give feedback on it? You should show it in your listings so people realize there is another sink and toilet for ten people to use. (Yes, a second bath would be great but until you add that ....)

3. Here are pics of other AirBnB's near you. They have the white fluffy towels, white bedding, nightstands on either side of the bed, lamps, one has a TV in the bedroom.

@arcy_gw I don’t think anyone’s advice was to make this a home and overdo the pillows. But as is the linens look tired and not comfortable. Having at least four sleeping type pillows on a queen/king allows the surer choice. Having linens that are clean, fresh, comfortable is important. Yes there is a balance to there being some decor so it doesn’t look stark and overdoing it and personalizing too much.

The only slightly negative reviews say the place just feels a bit tired. They are right.

I wouldn't worry about the flow too much. And I don't know that I'd invest in major renovations other than a second bath if it feels worth it to you. Get estimates on the cost then figure out how many nights you would need to book to get that money back and see if it is realistic for you to recoup that money.

I love old spaces and many people probably want your house because it is old, but you could easily reduce the granny vibe with some simple paint too.

The green kitchen shouts old granny, not nice historic. You could keep the green or paint the cabinets cream. Put a solid white fabric under the sink. Get new lighting. Have two toasters - for 10 people! Get rid of the old granny canisters. Have a nice coffee set up that feels like it welcomes people into your home: a woven tray with 8 white coffee mugs, a modern coffee canisters of coffee, a wide tea selection.

Take down the art hanging in the bedrooms. Better to have nothing on the walls.

A lot of the bedroom furniture is so mismatched it just feels like a flea market. The big fancy iron bed isn't helping. I'd get a regular headboard and have it match that of the smaller bed. Get a new headboard for the room that has the mirrored headboard. There is nothing wrong with mismatched furinture if done well but yours looks like a hodge podge.

To be honest, there isn't a lot I would change. We have rented a lot of AirBnbs over the years, at least 30-40. What I look for is: Do the sofas look comfortable? Do the dining chairs look comfortable? (With yours I would want a cushion on the seat.) Do the beds look comfortable? Is it clean? Is there a walk in shower (I have mobility issues)? Are there laundry facilities? Is there WiFi? Heating/cooling? Does the kitchen look well equipped (I like to cook)?

Bookshelves with books are a big plus.

I would take down/paint over the wallpaper with ships and the little squares. Especially the little squares are way too busy for a bedroom and not at all restful. In the bedroom with the iron bed frame I would remove the frame- it dominates the room but contributes little to the atmosphere- and have matching quilts on both beds. All of the beds need fluffier pillows, at least two per sleeper. I didn't see anywhere to hang clothes in any of the rooms, which would bother me if I were staying more than one night. My personal preference is for white sheets, but it's not a must. I think they make a room look cleaner and airier. Bedside rugs in winter would make the rooms cosier.

I'm not a huge fan of the bed at an angle in one of the rooms. If there isn't room to have it oriented straight, perhaps having two singles in there would work better. I'd also like to see a headboard of some sort on every bed, rather than bare wall behind the bed. The mirrored headboard is OK for me but I'd like to see a few books in it.

Where do guests hang their wet towels after showering? There aren't really enough towel rails for two people in the bathroom, let alone ten.

In the dining room I would put a sideboard or buffet to store plate, eating and serving utensils and serving bowls/platters/jugs etc., with a couple of interesting pieces on the top. Be generous with plates and eating utensils as it's a PITA having just one per person.

The kitchen should be well equipped, with decent pots in various sizes (with enough suitable for cooking for ten people), good knives (nothing worse than trying to prep a meal with crappy knives) and cutting boards. I like a water jug to have chilled water in the fridge and plenty of ice cube trays. The work triangle is a bit awkward, but without major renovation it's not really possible to alter that. A bigger microwave oven is needed for ten people. I agree with a larger/more toasters. Basic cooking supplies such as salt/pepper, some dried herbs and spices, cooking oil etc are a must; a plus would be sugar and flour; eggs, milk and butter in the fridge; bread in the freezer; coffee and tea, jam, and anything you would hope to find in the pantry when planning a meal. Tupperware, plastic wrap and foil are much appreciated. A picnic basket is also a big plus.

I don't mind the art but having one wall in the dining room with lots of pictures and the other large walls totally blank is a bit weird. A fun thing if you could get it might be a large map of the area and nearby towns, with places of interest marked. A file with information about the house and area- how to work the various appliances, where the spare toilet rolls are, when is garbage pickup day, where to find doctors/the hospital/emergency dentist etc, local restaurants and take away food places that you are happy to recommend, brochures for places to visit and activities to enjoy etc could be placed on the dining room sideboard is a big plus for me.

Netflix or similar would be a welcome addition.

I think the back yard could use a little TLC- perhaps pave the area under the tree where the grass won't grow (or put a flower bed with shade loving plants there). Enough chairs and a picnic table so guests could grill their dinner and sit out to eat it on warm summer nights would be ideal.

The last place we stayed in had disposable slippers provided, which I really appreciated. Doing this would also encourage guests to wear them while indoors and help keep your hardwood floors in good shape.

If I think of anything else I'll post it here.

Here are some pictures of the last place I stayed at. Maybe they will help!

We had the best time!

Just wanted to come back and say thank you for this community of ideas. We have a painter in there now, and it has brightened up the rooms drastically. I value each of you and your feedback! Thank you so much!

When done, after photos would be nice! Great bones to work with!.