Top Airbnb Mattress Choices Guest Will LOVE (2024) (2024)

What is the best mattress for an Airbnb? Getting a mattress that is comfortable and durable is extremely important, especially in a vacation rental bedroom. Short term rentals take a lot more wear and tear than a home that is used as a primary residence – that is definitely a give in. That’s why you want to make sure you’re choosing the right mattress for your short term rental. In this post, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about picking a mattress for your Airbnb or any type of furnished rental property. From high end mattress options to less expensive but durable choice, here is your complete Airbnb mattress guide!

It took me a few weeks of research before I decided on mattresses for my beach rental! So today, I’m going to try to save you some time and put together a comprehensive guide to choosing a mattress for your Airbnb bedroom. There are a few determining factors that you’ll want to consider and I’ve included them for you below. Now let’s dive into some recommendations on how to decide on a mattress for your rental.

I’m going to cover some of the questions you may be thinking about when it comes to mattresses in this post. But first, let me start with a product list for you!

Top Picks For Mattresses In Your Rental Properties (Airbnb)

• Wayfair Sleep™ 14″ Medium Memory Foam Mattress best overall – I have these in my latest Airbnb in West Palm Beach
• Zinus 12″ Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress (best Amazon pick)
• Wayfair Sleep™ 12″ Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress (best for hot sleepers)
• OYT 10” Medium Gel Memory Foam Mattress (amazing price point around $300 for a queen!)
• Serta Arctic Premier Firm 14.5″ Memory Foam Mattress (best for a luxury high-end listing)
• Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-ProAdapt® 12″ Medium Hybrid Mattress (best hybrid mattress)
• Sealy Posturepedic® Spring Bloom 12″ Medium Mattress (best for pressure relief)
• Azul BedInABox (best medium soft bed in a box option)

What is my personal pick for my beach rental mattress?

To start off this post, I wanted to share the exact mattress that I use in my beach house Airbnb. It’s a 2 bedroom / 1 bathroom bungalow style home located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. For both bedrooms, we had room for queen beds and I decided to purchase this Wayfair Sleep Medium Memory Foam Mattress.

I was a little hesitant about order a mattress online. Not knowing what to expect, I decided to take the risk on the Wayfair mattress. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on mattresses or bedding for the Airbnb and found these ones that had amazing 5-star reviews.

This picture below is one of the bedrooms from my newest Airbnb addition in West Palm Beach – The Barefoot Bungalow. We have 4 bedrooms and decided on queen sized mattresses in each room. Because of the great value and compliments we got in our Lake Worth Airbnb, we went with the Wayfair Sleep 14″ Medium Memory Foam option again.

It’s now in all 4 of our guest rooms and really think it’s the best value for a durable mattress that is great for stomach sleepers and side sleepers alike!

The guests at my short-term rentals over the past year have given tons of compliments on the beds (check my reviews!) and how comfortable they are. Some guests have even asked for the link to the exact bed so that they could buy one for themselves!

It’s been almost 2 years now, and both queen mattresses are in great shape and have no signs of sagging or caving in the middle. I would 100% order the Wayfair Sleep Memory Foam Mattress again and again. I went with the 10″ version but I’m sure they are all great for different solutions.

Wayfair Sleep Mattresses

How do you choose a mattress for your Airbnb?

The best way to choose a mattress for your Airbnb is to make sure you know your demographic! Are your guests going to be families with children? Will there be a lots of partying going on (resulting in high wear and tear)? Will they be going to be the beach and bringing back a bunch of sand? Do you have a high end rental that will attract a particular guest?

Some things that you probably won’t know ahead of time are people body type, weather they are side sleepers or not, if they get hot or cold at time. That being said, you should appeal to accommodate as many as these characteristics as you can to get the post positive reviews.

After knowing some of these facts about your future guests, look through some of the reviews for mattresses online. Remember, you’re not going to be the one sleeping in the bed. So, make sure you’re getting a mattress that fits the majority of peoples needs.

From my personal experience, if there is going to be a lot of very short stays, the wear and tear might be higher than if the same family was in there for a month. I would consider buying a less expensive mattress in case something happens to it and you need to buy a new one. This doesn’t have to sacrifice the comfort of the mattress though! There are so many cheap but comfortable mattress options out there.

Another thing to consider is getting a mattress in a retail store vs. online. There are many options that will ship right to your front door. My personal preference is a quality mattress in a box that you don’t need to worry about getting from the store to your rental!

Is a memory foam mattress good for Airbnb?

Memory foam is an excellent material choice for your Airbnb. Memory foam will get the most amount of compliments from guests. They’ll sleep in comfort for sure!

Best Memory Foam Mattress For Airbnb’s: Wayfair Medium Memory Foam Mattress

What is the best mattress firmness in a short term rental?

Choose a medium firmness to appeal to the largest percentage of guests. Not everyone prefers the same type of mattress (firm, soft, medium, etc.) so something in the middle is your best pick.

Best Medium Firmness Mattress For Rentals: Alp 14″ Medium Mattress

What is the cheapest most comfortable mattress?

Mattresses in a box are a new trend that I’ve seen people purchasing lately. It sounds a little weird at first but when I got the Wayfair Sleep mattress in a box – it showed up in a long box that was pretty easy to move and very easy to unpack.

Most of these options are on the less expensive side and are a great choice for a vacation rental. They are durable and if something drastic happens to it – like a guest rips or tears the entire thing – it won’t cost you that much money to replace it.

Think about it, if you have 4 guests rooms at your listing, that’s at least 4 mattresses you have to buy.

Cheap And Comfortable Mattress Picks For A Vacation Rental

Another benefit of these cheaper mattresses that you can order online is that you can get a replacement shipped to your door. Order it today and you’ll have a new one in a few days! As opposed to ordering one in a big box store. You may have to wait for delivery or the one you want might even be on backorder and you’ll have to wait longer – no fun!

See more mattresses in a box.

Another brand that I have heard great things about for a mattress that is inexpensive is Zinus. I’m in a few Facebook groups for Airbnb short term rental owners and hosts and the question about mattresses comes up every so often. The Zinus 12″ Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress has rave reviews from a bunch of people in those groups!

What is the best type of mattress for vacation rentals?

Memory foam mattresses are by far the most popular, durable, and price friendly for rentals. To learn more about types of materials for mattresses, here is a post from Mattress Firm.

Memory foam – best for side sleepers, partners who share a bed, overall

Innerspring – best for back pain

Hybrid – best for all sleep positions

Gel grid – best for hot sleepers and body weight transfers

Should you add a mattress topper to your Airbnb mattress?

This depends on what type of mattress you decided to use in your rental property. If you went with some kind of pillow top mattress, you may not need to get a mattress topper.

If you got a basic mattress with coils in it, try adding a gel mattress topper for your guests comfort. They will definitely thank you when they’re able to get a good nights sleep.

Adding a comfortable mattress pad along with choosing the right bedding for your vacation rental will definitely lead towards those 5 star reviews and being an amazing Airbnb host.

Mattress Pad Options For Your Rental

Is a mattress protector necessary?

Yes! A mattress cover will make protect again things like bed bugs and spills. You don’t want to risk either of these to the brand new mattress you’re going to buy.

As Airbnb hosts, you want to thing ahead of things like this to minimize having to replace bigger ticket furnishings like a mattress. Most mattress protectors are waterproof and washable. So if a spill does happen, you mattress is perfectly fine and you can throw it in the wash!

Most Popular Mattress Protector: SlumberOwl Premium Bamboo Zippered Mattress Encasem*nt

Do you need a box spring under the mattress at your rental?

Not really! IMO, box springs are a thing of the past. Unless your vision is to have a bed that is extremely elevated from the ground. Most bed frames now have slats at the base of the frame to hold the mattress. There is always the option to also add a box spring but it’s definitely not necessary.

Save the cost of buying a box spring in addition to a mattress (that’s what I did!). Buy bed frames that are usable without the box spring. This will be most new bed frames but make sure to check the details before buying.

A lot of times, these types of frames will be labeled as a “platform bed frame“.

Platform Bed Options For Your Airbnb Mattress Selection

What size mattress is best for a vacation rental?

In general, a queen bed is an excellent choice. Picking a bed size or mattress size for your rental will 100% depend on how large your bedrooms are and how many guests you want each bedroom to sleep.

For reference, each bedroom in my beach rental is about 12′ x 12′. They are on the smaller size but we are able to fit a queen sized bed and 2 nightstands in each room comfortably!

Don’t overcrowd the space – if your room is a bit smaller, getting 2 twin sized mattresses and putting them on bunk beds might be a good option for you.

Related Airbnb Hosting Posts

What type of mattress do most people prefer?

There are so many different types of mattresses out there – firm to soft, adjustable frames, coils or no coils, memory foam, and any combination of all of these options. It can be overwhelming choosing a mattress for yourself, let alone renters that you don’t even know!

If you’re looking for a more detailed description on mattress types and selections, check out this article by Consumer Reports for their mattress buying guide.

I would recommend getting something that is middle of the road – medium firmness. That way, it will be comfortable for most. You can’t please everyone 100% of the time so finding a mattress to suit most renters is the way to go.

What mattress brand holds up the best for renters?

This topic is a tricky one to answer because I have not personally tested multiple brands for several years. I know from my personal home, my iComfort has stood the test of time! If it was a little cheaper, I may have considered using them at my vacation rental.

For your luxury or upscale rental home, the iComfort by Sealy’s brand would really wow your guests as far as comfort.

For the average Airbnb, like my beach bungalow, my #1 pick would be the Wayfair Sleep line.

Here is a list of the top brands to consider when furnishing your rental:

• Wayfair Sleep (My Personal Top Brand Pick)
• Zinus (Green Tea Cooling Beds)
• Nectar (Gel Memory Foam)

What is the best type of mattress for a rental property?

For your Airbnb vacation rental property, don’t get something that is too soft or too firm. The best mattress choice will be a medium firmness but also forgiving mattress. Some people have back problems that need a firmer mattress while others are the opposite and like a very plush feel.

What if you have a luxury Airbnb?

The best mattress for a luxury Airbnb should be considered a little differently than a standard rental property. In a luxury vacation rental listing, guests are expecting top notch everything – and that includes the bed they are sleeping in.

I would recommend getting a high quality mattress and foundation (fancy word for box spring) that will provide each guest with ultimate comfort. Each of these below should also come with a lifetime warranty that some of the budget friendly options don’t have.

Luxury Airbnb High Quality Mattress Recommendations

The Tempur-Pedic Mattress brand has always been at the top of the list as far as mattress quality and comfort. And they last foreverr!!

iComfort is another brand that I would trust the durability and quality of all of their mattresses. I personally have an iComfort mattress and have been using it for about 7 years! It doesn’t sag and I feel like I’m sleeping on a cloud every night.

Serta has a premier line available on Wayfair with free delivery as well. Here is a great high end option: Serta Artic Premier Mattress.

Airbnb Mattress Recommendations Recap

Let’s recap all of the info I just covered on the best mattress for your Airbnb. The most important thing to keep in mind is you want guests to have a good night’s sleep every night of their stay! The best option does not necessarily have to be the most expensive. There are many great brands for mattresses at your Airbnb rental.

• Know the type of people that will be sleeping at your vacation rental property (kids sleep different than adults and than elderly people!)
• Narrow down your price range and read reviews online
• Find the most comfortable mattress within that range that will last the longest
• Don’t feel like you need to over spend on a mattress – there will be damages at some point
• If you have a luxury short term rental, go all out and get the best of the best for your mattresses

Make sure you do your research before accidentally purchasing an uncomfortable mattress for Airbnb guests to sleep on.

Thanks again for reading through my process of picking a mattress for an Airbnb! Questions? Leave a comment below!

Hey, I’m Melissa.

As an Airbnb Superhost and someone who is passionate about investing in real estate, I created Beach Life Bliss to share my experiences and help short term rental operators. I have been a self-managing landlord since 2011 and started my first short term rental property in 2019.

Creating a space with amenities that guests love, beautifully designed rooms, and providing exceptional hospitality will make your Airbnb business thrive.

I hope that all of myAirbnb Hosting Tipsare helpful as you navigate the challenges and rewards of being a short term rental owner and operator!

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