One of the main reasons guests choose a vacation rental over a hotel is taking advantage of a fully stocked kitchen. People prefer self-cooking during a trip to eat healthy food, follow their dietary plan, or even for the simple reason of saving money. This is also true that the pandemic situation urged people to shift towards self-catered staycations to have the least contact with others and experience a safer stay. Thus, property owners must consider all essentials in their vacation rental kitchen checklist to create a memorable visit by bringing guests the comfort of home. 

Following is our suggested vacation rental kitchen inventory, created to assist you in deciding which kitchen items to provide for your guests.

1. Kitchen Appliances, the Fundamentals of a Vacation Rental Kitchen Checklist

Whether your vacation rental kitchen is large or small, it must be equipped with certain appliances needed for cooking basic meals. Since your guests have various expectations, preparing main items will give this assurance that all guests with different tastes will be happy.

If your property supports a large number of guests, a dishwasher could be a suitable appliance that you may want to add to your vacation rental kitchen checklist as well.

2. Various Range of Kitchen Accessories

• Pots and pans
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Can opener
• Bottle opener
• Ladle/ slotted spoon
• Kitchen scissors
• Measuring cups
• Oven gloves
• Strainer
• Grater 

Listing this kind of kitchen essentials might be a bit confusing. It is hard to distinguish what is vital for a kitchen and what is not much necessary as there are several kitchen tools.

One way is to place yourself in your guests’ shoes and find the most practical and handy kitchen utensils needed for preparing daily meals from their point of view.

Another recommendation is to buy all the accessories from one material (e.g. wood or steel), which is easier to prepare from one or two stores and gives a consistent and luxurious look to the kitchen. 

3. Tableware and Dinnerware Sets

• Plates and bowls (large and small)
• Serving platters
• Forks and spoons
• Steak and butter knives
• Drinking cups
• Hot-drink mugs
• Wine glasses
• Pitcher 
• Plastic cups and dishes (for kids)

It is always recommended to put extra cutlery, plates, and glasses in your kitchen. For example, for a 2-bedroom unit, it is better to double the number and provide 4 of each tableware to give your guests more flexibility in managing their dirty dishes. 

It’s also sensible to buy some extras, and therefore when one breaks, you can replace it with its match from the same set.

4. Spices to be Included in Your Vacation Rental Kitchen Inventory

• Salt
• Sugar
• Pepper
• Spices
• Cooking oil
• Coffee and tea

This is not pleasant for your guests to spend money on stuff like salt and cooking oil to only use a little of them and drop the remainings. Make a convenient stay by considering these basic amenities in your vacation rental kitchen checklist, and don’t leave your guests struggling with these minor issues.

You may also consider stocking some snacks, such as cookies and chips, to better welcoming your clients and make a good relationship with them.

5. Cleaning Supplies and Leftovers

• Kitchen towel and napkin
• Cleaning wipes
• Plastic wrap
• Food container
• Aluminium foil
• Dish soap
• Dishwashing gloves
• Sponges
• Trash bags

You want your guest to leave the property in good condition, so supply them with the required facilities in advance. But remember to stock chemical cleaners somewhere out of kids access.

Providing food container and plastic wrap also gives them a way to save food in the fridge and better manage their meals.

6. Fire Safety Systems and Equipment

• Fire blanket
• Extinguisher
• Smoke sensors

Equipping your kitchen with mentioned items is a must. As a vacation rental owner, your priority is to keep your property safe because your guests hate facing a life-threatening situation while on vacation.

Easy and fast access to safety tools (e.g. setting the fire blanket near the oven) also provides preservative care for your rental and prevents the small challenge from converting to a big problem.

Vacation Rental Kitchen Checklist Final tips

Besides providing a perfect vacation rental kitchen checklist of essentials, you may want to add a bit of art and make your place more inviting. So, don’t be afraid to style your kitchen, for example, with some plants, counter decor items, and a beautiful mat.

Labelling can also be helpful to find the kitchen stuff easily. You may want to put tags on each drawer mentioning what items they include. However, be careful not to make your kitchen busy with labels that destroy the stylish appearance of the area.

Applying all may cost you a little but ultimately will make your kitchen looking luxurious and leave a significant impact on your guests’ experience that definitely will be mentioned in their reviews. 

However, you may ignore some items we mentioned or change them with other essentials you prefer because you understand your guests’ pain points better and know how much storage space your kitchen has.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention about the items a vacation rental kitchen checklist should include? Let us know what you think in the comments!