How to Furnish an Airbnb Apartment to Earn More
Two nearly identical apartments on the same street. One rents for CZK 2,500 per night at 85% occupancy; the other for CZK 1,600 and guests complain it "didn't even match the photos". The difference? Not location or layout – furnishings.
Below you will find the specific items that turn an average apartment into a booking that fills itself. And at the end you'll find out why you don't have to handle it yourself.
Mattress and bedding – guests know instantly
Guests don't sit down with a calculator. But as soon as they lie on a soft, stable mattress and touch cotton bed linen with at least 200 g/m² thread weight, they subconsciously know they're in the right place. These sensory signals are what determine a five-star review.
- Medium-firm mattress, new or at most two years old
- 100% cotton or bamboo bedding, light tones (look cleaner in photos)
- At least two sets per bed – saves the cleaning when there is a quick guest turnaround
- Hotel-grade towels (500–600 g/m²), at least two per guest
Fast Wi-Fi is not a bonus – it is the baseline
Slow internet is today a more serious problem for guests than a missing microwave. Working travellers, families with children and tourists all stream video and make video calls. Less than 100 Mb/s symmetric will show up in reviews.
Write the password in a visible spot, ideally on a small sign on the table or a laser-cut wooden plaque – a small detail, a big impression.
A kitchen that actually works
Airbnb guests cook. Or at least have breakfast. An empty kitchen with three plates and one pan leads to reviews like "impractical". A fully equipped kitchen, by contrast, is one of the most frequently praised highlights.
- A quality coffee maker – capsule or espresso; morning coffee is a ritual
- Basic supplies: coffee, tea, sugar, salt, oil, a few spices
- Enough crockery for the maximum number of guests plus two extras
- A sharp kitchen knife – a detail chefs appreciate and others don't even notice
- A dishwasher where the layout allows – guests appreciate it more than it seems
Smart lock: check-in without waiting
Handing over keys in person works until a guest flies in late at night on a delayed flight. A smart lock or key safe eliminates the logistics on both sides. The guest receives a code by SMS, arrives when needed – and you sleep soundly.
It also reduces the risk of key loss and the need to change locks. The initial investment of CZK 3,000–8,000 pays back within two months of operation.
Stylish but durable interior – the false economy of cheap furniture
An Airbnb apartment can easily see 150–200 check-ins a year. A fragile designer piece from the first row of a catalogue won't last. Look for the intersection: visually attractive materials that are easy to clean and don't lose their look after dozens of guests.
"Investment in quality upholstery and durable surfaces pays back twice as fast as saving on cheap furniture – you replace that in two years, a quality piece lasts ten."
Specifically: microfibre covers instead of light-coloured velvet, solid wood or veneer instead of unfinished MDF, ceramic tiles instead of PVC in the bathroom.
Maximising capacity – more beds without sacrificing comfort
The nightly rate rises with the number of guests, but cleaning and management costs do not. So it pays to think about how to use the layout cleverly.
- A mezzanine conversion using ceiling height – a studio can go from 2 to 4-guest capacity
- A sofa bed or wall bed in the living room adds a sleeping space without permanent footprint
- Bunk beds in a smaller room suitable for groups of friends or families with children
Portfolio example: a Žižkov studio got a mezzanine conversion. Capacity rose from 2 to 4 guests and annual revenue increased significantly – purely from a smarter layout.
I want to know how to maximise my apartment's yield
Professional photography – decisions are made before the guest reads the description
On Airbnb guests choose with their eyes. The first five seconds on a listing are decisive. Dark phone photos cost owners literally thousands of crowns each month – through lower search position and lower click-through rate.
A professional photographer with interior experience costs CZK 3,000–6,000. With average monthly apartment revenue in the tens of thousands, this is an investment that pays back in one good extra weekend.
Small details that create five-star reviews
Guests don't write praise about the mattress. They write about the feeling. A welcome pack with local tea, a Prague map with handwritten tips, quality liquid soap instead of a plastic sachet – these are the things that end up in reviews as "a wonderful detail".
- Welcome card with the guest's name (can be prepared with a template)
- Local guide: favourite restaurants, cafés, markets – ideally in Czech and English
- Quality bathroom supplies: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel
- Supplies for the first morning: coffee, tea, sugar – nothing costly, big impression
Premium equipment for premium returns
Larger group apartments have space for features that set them apart from the competition. A sauna, pool table, projector with screen or a heated outdoor terrace – each such feature allows a higher nightly rate and targets the guests who write reviews and recommend further.
The Nové Město apartment from Investerra's portfolio – capacity 12 guests, sauna, pool table – earns over CZK 1.2 million annually. Occupancy stays above 85% even off-season.
Where not to over-invest
Furnishing an Airbnb apartment is not a chase for perfection at any cost. A CZK 40,000 television won't bring higher reviews than a solid 55-inch for CZK 12,000. Original art on the walls is pleasant but not decisive. Invest where the guest physically feels it – sleep, bathroom, kitchen – and save where it is decoration.
- Expensive pictures and decorations: won't pay back in the nightly rate
- Top-end hi-fi: a Bluetooth speaker for CZK 1,500 does the job
- Too much equipment: every unnecessary item is one more thing that can break or go missing
Key takeaways
Occupancy and nightly rate are not chance. They are the result of specific decisions about the mattress, Wi-Fi, kitchen, lock, photos and dozens of small details. Every bad decision shows up in reviews and bookings. Every good one compounds month after month.
After 19 years of operation and over 45,000 reviews, Investerra knows exactly what works and what guests appreciate. We handle furnishing and complete apartment fit-out for owners – from selecting the mattress through professional photography to the welcome pack. You receive 70% of the revenue and payment within 5 days. We take care of the rest.
Related: how to turn a well-furnished apartment into five-star reviews, read in the article How to get 5-star reviews.
This article was prepared by the Investerra team. We manage 130 apartments in Prague since 2007 – with over 45,000 guest reviews on Airbnb and Booking.com and returns of 5–12% per year for property owners.
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