Do Bunk Beds in Vacation Rentals Make Cents?

A topic that has come up a lot recently with prospective owners is bunk beds in vacation rentals. Many people think having bunk beds in their vacation rental at the Lake of the Ozarks is going to allow them to sleep more people and therefore make more money. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Consider Your Guests

Typically, we advise our owners to stay away from bunk beds. Why is that? According to Lake of the Ozarks Lodging Association visitor studies, 50% of visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks area are NOT families with children. Adults don’t like sleeping on bunk beds. In fact, many of them will write your property off immediately if you have them. This means that you just eliminated half of your prospective guests.

Now, you say, well what about those families that are bringing children? Do most children love bunk beds? Absolutely! Can they sleep in other types of beds? Most definitely! By replacing your bunk beds with a queen bed and a queen air mattress, you have now increased your prospective guest rental pool from 50% to 100%. And you still have two separate sleeping areas just in case you have guests that can’t, or don’t want to, share a bed.

Consider Local Regulations

In addition, you must consider local fire codes. Just because you have enough beds to sleep 10 people in a 2-bedroom condo, does not mean you can or should. Due to the local fire code, you cannot sleep more than 6 people in a 2-bedroom condo and 8 people in a 3-bedroom condo. Therefore, bunk beds are not going to allow you to sleep more people, they’re just going to reduce the number of prospective renters to which you will appeal.

Something else to think about, stuffing as many people as physically possible into an Osage Beach rental home or condo puts a strain on the property itself. More people are using the plumbing, there is less space to move around and therefore, there’s a potential for more damage. In the end, you might incur expenses that exceed the extra amount of money you thought you would make by allowing too many people to stay in your space.

Consider the Size of Your Property

When DO bunk beds in vacation rentals make sense? If you have a larger home, let’s say 4-bedrooms or larger, then you could consider using bunk beds to optimize sleeping space. Keep in mind that you need to have enough bathrooms to accommodate the number of people you are sleeping as well.

You will also want to consider the aspect of safety. Some parents, especially those with smaller children, might not want them using bunk beds for fear of them getting hurt. If you do choose to put bunk beds in your Lake of the Ozarks vacation rental, please be sure to find ones with good railings and an easy to climb, sturdy ladder.

If you have further questions about how to make your second home at the Lake of the Ozarks a great rental, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’ve been in this business for a long time, and are happy to share our insight. For all your Lake of the Ozarks vacation rental management needs, choose Your Lake Vacation!