The Best Vacation Rental Amenities: What Guests Search For, Rate Highly, and Book

When guests search for the perfect rental, they may scroll through hundreds of homes — and having the right vacation rental amenities can make yours stand out.

But with so many options out there, it can be hard to know which amenities will have the most impact on your property’s success. To help you decide, we looked at the last year of data from more than 30,000 Evolve homes and more than 5 million searches on evolve.com. We asked three questions: Which amenities do guests filter for most? Which ones show up alongside better reviews? And which ones are generally associated with more bookings and income?

Use this list of vacation rental amenities to figure out which are worth a closer look for your home.

A Quick Note on the Data

Everything in this article describes patterns — not cause and effect. No dataset can fully separate one amenity from everything else that makes a home successful.

To keep insights as fair as possible, we compared each home only with similar homes: same market, same number of bedrooms. Treat these findings as insights to weigh against your own market, budget, and guests — not as a guarantee that adding an amenity will automatically raise your bookings, reviews, or income.

In This Article: 
The Top 10 Vacation Rental Amenities Overall
Regional Differences in Most-Searched Amenities
Amenities Linked to Five-Star Reviews
Amenities Linked to Higher Occupancy and Rental Income
Your Vacation Rental Amenities Checklist

The Top 10 Vacation Rental Amenities Overall

The best amenities for vacation rentals overall were ranked by evaluating three signals together: how often guests filter for them, how they line up with guest ratings, and how homes that have them tend to perform compared with similar homes.

1. Pet-Friendly

Pet-friendly is first and foremost a policy, but it functions like an amenity in the way travelers search — and no other filter comes close.

In the last 12 months, “pets allowed” was the most-applied filter on evolve.com property searches. Pet-friendly homes booked about 5% more of their available nights than similar homes, and earned about 7% more rental income on average.

The key amenities that make a rental pet-friendly: a fenced-in yard, bowls, washable beds, and pet/baby gates. Go the extra mile with hospitality touches like leashes, treats, toys, and extra poop bags.

There is one caveat worth planning for. Pet-friendly homes also earned five-star ratings less often than similar homes. Make sure you set clear pet rules, are upfront about your pet fee, and maintain durable furnishings to keep the guest experience consistently high-quality and protect your reviews.

2. Fully-Stocked Kitchen

Making home-cooked meals — and saving money by not dining out — can be a big reason travelers choose to book a vacation rental over a hotel (especially if they’re traveling with family). It’s no surprise “kitchen” is in the top 10 filters on evolve.com searches.

And the details matter once guests arrive. Homes that list full dishware and flatware, a dishwasher, a coffee maker, or a slow cooker earned five-star ratings on roughly 2–4% more of their reviews than similar homes without them. Homes with a dishwasher also tended to earn more rental income than comparable homes in their area.

3. Complimentary Linens and Toiletries

Complimentary linens and toiletries can go a long way with guests.

Regarding linens, make sure you have enough towels and bedding to suit your home’s total capacity. And think about the state of those linens. Are your towels soft or scratchy? Do the sheets look worn-down or brand-new? Are there blankets for people to cozy up with on the couch or by the fire pit? All of these can impact the kind of comments guests leave online — which can influence bookings you get in the future.

For toiletries, have backups available if they forget something truly essential, like toothpaste or shampoo and conditioner. And consider providing feminine hygiene products and a hair dryer so travelers can pack less.

That hair dryer may be one of the smallest, highest-value items on your list. Of every amenity we looked at, it showed the biggest review gap: homes that had one earned five-star ratings on about 5% more of their reviews than similar homes that didn’t.

4. High-Speed Internet and WiFi

Providing online access isn’t just a consideration for business travelers or remote workers anymore. These vacation rental must-haves help make sure your guests can stay in touch with family, stream their favorite entertainment, and even share their trip (and your property) with friends on social media.

WiFi was the sixth most-searched amenity filter on evolve.com in the last 12 months. Nearly every Evolve home lists it, but the small group that doesn’t booked noticeably fewer nights. Once you have yours set up, make sure every guest can easily connect. Post login information near your t.v. and in any office space, plus have it clearly listed in your welcome book.

5. Air Conditioning

Air conditioning made the top five filters on evolve.com overall — and among guests who also filtered for a beach, ocean, or lake location, it ranked even higher.

A/C is clearly a value-add no matter how you choose to cool down your place, but the type of system may matter for reviews. We found that homes with central air earned five-star ratings on about 4% more of their reviews than similar homes without any A/C, while homes that relied on window units earned them about 1% more often. If you have window units, make sure they’re always running well. That 3-point difference may come down to maintenance.

6. Laundry

Easy washing and drying is a frequent pro when guests are choosing where to stay. For anyone booking longer than a few days, complimentary laundry can make travel far less stressful — especially if children are coming along.

The data lines up with that. Properties with an in-home washer booked about 5% more of their available nights than similar homes without one, earned about 16% more rental income on average, and got five-star ratings about 3% more often. Stocking laundry detergent was associated with better reviews, too.

Note: shared coin laundry, more common in condo complexes, did not have the same impact on performance.

7. Private Hot Tub

From luxury rentals to tiny homes, a hot tub is a value-add in properties of all sizes. The #3 amenity filter on evolve.com overall, homes with one earned about 44% more rental income and booked about 4% more of their nights than similar homes without.

A shared community hot tub showed almost none of that difference — and slightly lower reviews — so if you do have a private tub, make “private” clear in your listing.

8. Private Pool

“Pool” was the second most-searched amenity filter on evolve.com (and the top filter coastal guests added after a beach or ocean location).

Homes with a private outdoor pool earned about 48% more rental income and booked about 4% more of their nights than similar homes. Like hot tubs, it’s important to note that shared community pools didn’t show the same lift.

Just remember: homes that can support private pools may also have other luxury amenities in the mix (think a game room, sauna, or outdoor bar setup). The income outperformance of homes with private pools may not be entirely wrapped up in that amenity alone.

And of course, pools are a bigger investment to install, insure, and maintain — which is what bumps their ranking down on our overall list. If it’s viable for you, be sure to weigh the cost and your market’s local rules before opting to add one.

9. Kid-Friendly Extras

With vacation rentals remaining a top choice for families due to privacy and space, it makes sense to see kid-friendly amenities at the top. And your property can help keep younger guests — and their parents — happy by providing extras like a Pack ‘N Play, crib, and high chair.

Homes that listed a Pack ‘N Play booked about 3% more of their nights than similar homes and, along with high chairs, were associated with about 2% more five-star reviews.

10. Game Room and Indoor Entertainment

Guests aren’t likely to jam-pack their itinerary day in and out, so giving them the option to kick back at your rental can offer a familiar way to relax away from home.

If you have a Smart TV, consider offering logins to streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. Adding a gaming console to your inventory can also be a big way to fuel family-friendly fun for both kids and adults. And something as simple as board games was associated with about 3% more five-star reviews.

Bigger setups showed an even bigger signal: homes with a game room earned about 29% more rental income than similar homes without one, and game rooms were searched about 1.7 times more often in mountain markets.

Regional Differences in Most-Searched Amenities

Search filters are the clearest indicator of what guests won’t compromise on — and that shifts by destination. Here’s how searches in beach, lake, and mountain markets compare with evolve.com searches overall.

Beach and Coastal Markets

In coastal markets, “pets allowed” and “pool” were the top two filters — with pools searched about 1.2 times more often than overall. Coastal searchers were also more likely than average to filter for a community pool, beach chairs, and beach towels.

Lake Markets

Lake guests applied fewer amenity filters than average — but the ones they did use were telling. Boat docks were searched about 2.5 times as often as overall, and fire pits about 1.3 times as often. 17% of guests who filtered for a lakefront, lake-access, or lake-view home also wanted it to be pet-friendly.

Homes that listed kayaks or life vests were associated with slightly more five-star reviews than similar homes without these amenities.

Mountain Markets

Mountain searchers lean hardest on cozy, après-ski features. After “pets allowed,” a private hot tub was the top filter — searched about twice as often as overall. Fireplaces, fire pits, and game rooms were also searched more often.

In our data, homes with a fireplace notably earned about 21% more rental income on average than similar homes, though they didn’t book more nights — suggesting the payoff shows up more in rates than in occupancy.

In ski markets, walk-to-chair-lift and ski-in/ski-out filters were also quite popular among searchers.

For a fully winter-ready checklist, see the essential winter amenities for mountain rentals.

Amenities Linked to Five-Star Reviews

Search brings new guests in; reviews build trust with the next ones. To see which amenities translate to happier guests, we compared Evolve homes with at least three reviews in the past year, again matching each property against similar listings in its market.

The pattern is clear: everyday comfort and thoughtful stocking tend line up with better reviews more than headline features do. Compared with similar homes, those that listed these amenities earned five-star ratings more often:

• Hair dryer
• Full dishware and flatware
• Central air conditioning
• Washer and dryer
• Slow cooker or crock pot
• Board games
• Pantry and supply basics like spices and laundry detergent
• Baby gear
• Gas grill

These are associations, not proof that a hair dryer automatically earns a five-star review. Homes stocked with thoughtful extras may also be better maintained overall — though the patterns held even when we compared homes with a similar number of listed amenities.

Amenities That Raise Expectations

Some amenities were associated with fewer five-star reviews. That doesn’t make them bad investments — several of them are still linked to higher bookings — but they may raise guest expectations or add friction you’ll want to manage for the best ratings:

• Pet-friendly policy (likely tied to cleanliness expectations)
• Window A/C units (compared with central air’s impact)
• Shared or resort-style amenities (coin laundry, community game rooms, community hot tubs)
• Beachfront and oceanfront locations (premium locations may come with premium expectations)

For more ways to protect your rating, see our guide to getting great guest reviews.

Amenities Linked to Higher Occupancy and Income

Finally, we compared how homes with each amenity performed against similar homes on occupancy and income in Evolve’s 20 highest-earning markets.

Location details show the largest gaps — but they’re usually tied to the property you buy, not something you can add yourself. Filters like a beachfront, lakefront, or beach/ocean view are among these.

When isolating amenities you can add yourself, the following top the list:

• Private pool
• Private hot tub
• Fireplace
• Game room
• Dishwasher
• Washer
• Beach gear
• Pet-friendly policy

As with every insight in this article, these amenities are correlated with more bookings and revenue — not direct cause and effect. Homes with premium amenities often differ in other ways, from size and finishes to photos and pricing. Use them to prioritize ideas, then evaluate what makes sense for your home and market.

Your Vacation Rental Amenities Checklist

Use this vacation rental amenities checklist to see where your home stands. Start with the must-haves, then look at the review boosters and upgrades that fit your market.

Vacation Rental Amenities Are Just the Beginning

Amenities are only one piece of the vacation rental puzzle. As an owner, there’s a lot more to manage if you want to earn more revenue — from getting on the best vacation rental sites to figuring out your listing, dynamic pricing, and more.

Those are the pieces Evolve does expertly. See if you qualify to chat with our team today.