What guests booking stays of more than a week look for

What the guest expects to find

The kitchen

Cooking saves money and makes a person feel at home. A useful kitchen has a stove and an oven or microwave, a decent-sized refrigerator, pots, pans, knives, cutting boards, and enough plates and utensils for all the guests, plus a coffee maker and the basics for cooking. A kitchen with three plates and one pan does not count as a full kitchen.

In the photos and in the description, show the kitchen in detail. It is one of the first things this guest looks at.

The place to work

Many people who stay one or several weeks work remotely for part of the stay. They need a table or desk, a chair comfortable for several hours, good light and outlets nearby. If you have a space like that, name it and show it. If you do not, offering a folding desk can make the difference.

The internet

Wifi weighs more than almost any other amenity. Before saying it is fast, test it in several spots in the property and at different hours. If you can, state the real speed you measure and avoid promising what you cannot sustain. A router in a good spot and a backup connection help when the guest has meetings.

Laundry

On a stay of several weeks, doing laundry stops being optional. The ideal is a washer and dryer inside the property or in an accessible spot in the building. If there is none, say where the nearest laundromat is and what it costs. Include detergent and a drying rack if there is no dryer.

Comfort for living, not just sleeping

• Enough closet and storage space for several weeks.
• A comfortable bed and pillow, and spare linens.
• Parking, or clear information on where to leave the car.
• Air conditioning or ventilation that works well.
• A pleasant place to sit, read or watch a movie.
• Clear rules on visitors, noise and pets.

What to clarify before the booking

The long-stay guest wants to know what is included in the price: electricity, water, internet, mid-stay cleanings. Also clarify the cancellation policy for long stays, whether there is a deposit and what happens if something breaks or fails during the stay. The clearer everything is, the fewer back-and-forth messages there will be.

How to answer the questions before they arrive

Review the messages you get from guests asking about long stays and write the answers into the listing description. If several ask about the wifi speed or the washing machine, put it in the first lines. A listing that answers before it is asked saves messages and builds trust.

A detail that gets forgotten: everyday life

Someone staying three weeks needs to know where the supermarket, the pharmacy and the nearest laundromat are. Prepare a short guide with those details, the trash pickup schedule and the building rules. It is a small gesture that the long-stay guest appreciates a lot and that shows up in the reviews.

How this shows up in price and calendar

A long stay also changes how you sell. Check that your minimum stay and your rate allow bookings of a week or more, and consider a nightly rate that drops with length of stay. Leave room in the calendar for cleaning and inspection between long guests. And if you accept long bookings, watch that they do not block high-demand dates where several single nights would pay more.

Also give the guest a clear way to reach you throughout the month. On a long stay small problems come up, like a burnt-out bulb or a towel change, and solving them quickly stops them from growing.

A quick list for your property

• Does my kitchen let people really cook?
• Do I have a comfortable place to work?
• Did I test the wifi in several spots and at several times?
• Is there a washer or a clear option nearby?
• Do my photos show all of this?
• Does my rate drop with length of stay?

Someone who stays a long time is not buying a room. They are buying a place to live comfortably for a few days. The more your property resembles that, the easier it sells.