Whatever the reason for their visit, there’s one factor all your Airbnb guests have in common: they expect a great night’s sleep during their stay. And next to a great mattress, comfy pillows are the key to your guests getting a restful sleep (and that guarantees YOU their five-star review!)
We evaluated the most popular products on the market to find the best pillows for Airbnb and other vacation rental properties.
- Best Value – Utopia Bedding Pillows
- Premium Option – Sweet Night Original Pillow (Amazon)
Update: Sweet Night is currently running a sale. You can also use code FLOORSPACE for an additional 5% off your purchase at the Sweet Night website.
What to Look for When Buying Pillows for a Vacation Rental
Each of us has unique tastes when it comes to sleep preferences. Luckily, there are some pillows that are all-around crowd-pleasers. Here’s what to look for to keep all of your guests happy.
Long-Lasting – If you know the disappointment of a beloved soft, fluffy pillow going flat after just a year’s use, you know what we’re talking about here. We evaluated our pillow picks for maintaining their quality over time, so you won’t need to replace your pillows so often.
Easy to Clean – Your guests deserve to rest easy knowing that the fabric they’re laying their heads on is freshly laundered and stain-free. But some bulky pillows take ages to dry, and that’s time you don’t have in a quick turnaround between guests. When making your selection, consider the time you can invest in spot cleaning and handwashing pillows, versus machine washing and drying.
Sleeper Comfort – That crick in your neck or that twinge in your shoulder might come from sleeping on a pillow that’s not suited to your bodily alignment. A pillow that provides even support to the head and neck throughout the night allows muscles and joints to relax and recover so you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for what the day brings.
But how can you accommodate a variety of body types when you’re choosing a pillow that so many heads will sleep on? And on top of that, what about sleep styles? Whether you’re a side sleeper, back sleeper, or stomach sleeper, the ingenious solution offered by our top pillow pick makes it easy to customize the loft and firmness of the pillow.
Temperature – Pillow preferences go well beyond soft or firm. While all of us experience a drop in body temperature while we rest, some naturally ‘sleep hot’ or ‘sleep cold’—conditions that can rob of us restorative sleep. So how can you accommodate a variety of preferences and offer comfort to every guest?
To start, choose breathable materials that won’t limit air flow. If you want to take it a step further, check out these temperature-regulating gel fillings that don’t build up heat.
Hypoallergenic – No one wants their vacation ruined by a sleepless night of coughing and sneezing. A hypoallergenic pillow doesn’t collect allergens like other pillows do, thanks to materials that block out dust mites, pollen, and pet dander. Plus, they cut down on the accumulation of germs and microbes, leading to a healthier experience for everyone who sleeps on them.
Price – While not every guest will make use of a vacation property’s smart TV or coffee maker, there’s no doubt that everyone will use the bed and pillows. This is one area where you’re guaranteed to get a good return on your investment if you make your choice wisely.
Fortunately, high-quality, comfortable pillows won’t blow your budget, even with added perks like integrated protective covers. Read on for our recommendation for luxurious comfort at an affordable price point.
How Many Pillows Should You Provide Your Airbnb Guests?
For Airbnb hosts who want to give their guests a hotel-like experience, providing a variety of pillows is one way to offer that. This way, guests can choose the pillow—or combination of pillows—that’s most to their liking.
But if you’re just starting out, providing just two pillows per full-, queen-, or king-size bed is perfectly all right, especially if you choose pillows that are pleasing to a variety of sleeping preferences.
The Best Pillows for Your Vacation Rental
There are numerous options for comfortable and affordable pillows for your vacation property, but in our experience as hosts and travelers, there’s a clear winner: the Original Pillow by Sweet Night.
Note: This pillow is available on Amazon, but you may find a lower price by ordering directly from the Sweet Night website.
And if you don’t take our word for it, here’s the consensus from those who own this ingenious pillow: 100% of the reviewers of the Original Pillow would recommend it! (Our favorite review? The one that calls this the “holy grail” of pillows 🙂 )
The Original Pillow by Sweet Night checks all the boxes and will get stellar reviews from guests. Here’s why:
Customizable Sleep Experience – Memory foam isn’t new to the world of pillows, but this might be the first time you’ve seen it in this form. The fill of this pillow is comprised of cubes of foam, rather than one large molded piece, ensuring that the pillow won’t go flat over time.
And remember the importance of back and neck support? The filling in this pillow is adjustable—you can add and remove it as you please to personalize the amount of loft and the level of firmness under your neck and head.
Keeps You Cool – Nothing ruins a good night’s sleep more than waking up in a sweat. The cooling gel particles of the Original Pillow’s filling adjust to the body’s temperature so your guests can sleep peacefully and comfortably.
Easy to Clean and Hygienic – As the perfect balance between quick-cleaning and hygienic, this combo is key: the outer bamboo pillowcase can be removed and machine washed and dried, so getting ready for your next guests is a breeze. The inner pillowcase that holds the cut foam inside never comes in contact with skin, so it stays nice and clean.
Hypoallergenic and Comfortable – The outer pillowcase is made of a combination of 35% bamboo rayon and 65% polyester that wicks moisture, making it soft to the touch and breathable.
Love It, Or Your Money Back – Sweet Night has a 30-Day money-back guarantee, so you’ve got plenty of time to try out the pillow for yourself before making it a part of your rental property. Plus, Sweet Night offers a 3-year warranty that backs their quality workmanship and the integrity of the product.
Other Airbnb Pillow Alternatives
If you’d like to keep shopping around to be sure you make the right choice, or if you’re looking for more budget-friendly options, we’ll leave you a couple of comparable alternatives here:
The Utopia Bedding pillows have the hotel look with a striped satin shell and promise to not go flat or slide around if you toss and turn. And the COZSINOOR pillow design also guarantees to hold its shape, and the whole pillow can be thrown in the washer and then tumble-dried. But we recommend using pillow protectors if you go with these options, for easier laundering and to extend the life of your pillow..
Another great option would be the Beckham Hotel Collection pillows. It has a 250 thread count that ensures breathability and comfort and just like the pillows mentioned above, it’s also easy to clean and maintain. Beckham Hotel Collection also boasts a “no shift design” for its pillows so they can accommodate back, side, or stomach sleepers for superior comfort.
Final Thoughts
Despite these solid contenders, we’re standing behind our recommendation for the Sweet Night Original Pillow (also available on Amazon) for its unique filling, removable outer bamboo pillowcase protector, and excellent value for the price.
If you go with the Sweet Night pillows, make sure to use code FLOORSPACE for an additional 5% off your purchase at the Sweet Night website.
