Do you remember the old days when a cottage rental kitchen was the final resting place for old pots and pans, blunt knives and rusty can openers? Nowadays, guests have loftier expectations and look for well-equipped gourmet kitchens where they can cater for their families without having to improvise.
Gone too are the times when the only appliances were an old coffee maker and a two-slice toaster. There’s plenty more you can add that will make your guests’ kitchen experience so much better and that can only lead to one thing….better reviews!
Here’s five ideas for small appliances that will wow your guests.
Instant Pot
The Instant Pot has been Amazon’s consistent Black Friday best-seller for the last few years, so you can bet that the majority of rental guests have one in their home. Given this popularity, guests are going to be super-happy to find one in their rental cottage
Vitamix
People love smoothies and they love their Vitamix at home. Yes, I know….super expensive. But it is the queen of blenders and if I were to find one of these in a place I rented, it would surpass all expectations. It could even go on your list of amenities and might sway a booking decision. There is a reason there are 341K followers of the Vitamix Instagram page
Ice Cream Maker
Some years ago I rented a villa on the Bahamian Island of Eleuthera. There was an ice cream maker along with a recipe book and a note telling us the best places to buy ingredients. I’d never used one of these before but by the end of that vacation I was a convert. We ate home-made ice cream every day and I never forgot that place or the great host who had been so thoughtful to provide everything we needed to use it.
Cook Books & Instruction Manuals
Provide the instruction manuals for each appliance (or include them in your digital guide book). Leave some cook books too – particularly specialist ones for the appliances.
Bread Maker
More people than ever have been making bread at home recently so the addition of a bread maker will be very appealing to some. It may be difficult to source yeast and bread flour locally, so let your guests know in advance the appliance is available so they can bring their ingredients.
Food Processor
A food processor should be part of the standard equipment offered at a cottage rental and they aren’t too expensive. A decent quality machine is under $100.
3 Small Appliances to Avoid
From experience over the years, these appliances are the worst to clean, break down most often, are just unnecessary to supply or just downright dangerous in unskilled hands.
- Toaster oven
- Waffle maker
- Mandoline Slicer
When equipping your kitchen, think about your guest persona. If they like to cook – and let’s face it, cottage country is not awash with restaurants – delivering them a kitchen experience that doesn’t frustrate or annoy can only be good. And it will pay back in those great reviews.
And one final plea from me – the Brit who drinks 8 mugs of tea a day.
Make sure you have a kettle. Either electric or stove top – it doesn’t matter. Just don’t make me boil water in a microwave. Even science will tell you it’s not the same.
