‘How many guests can my home fit?’

The question of how many guests can a home fit comes up all the time when we’re planning out a new listing with our homeowner clients. We use beds as the deciding factor here at Berkshire Vacation Rental. The key note here is to be as transparent as possible with your guests. Saying that the fold out futon sleeps three is only going to hurt you in the long run. Guests will be unhappy, leave a bad review, and you’ll get pushed down in the search algorythym.

A few baseline rules we abide by. Any bed smaller than a queen only counts towards one person. Queens and kings count towards two people. A fold out futon, if in a room that allows for some privacy, counts towards one person. For example, two queens, two twins, and a futon in a private room would comfortably host seven people.

Two more quick tips. We like to provide the size of every bed as part of the description for any photos that include the bed. This will cut down on questions from guests. And lastly, in our confirmation message, we make it very clear that we do not allow any overnight guests outside those outlined in the booking and anything over the maximum guest count. If any guest has any issues with this, they can happily cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

Now what to do about that futon hanging out in the den? From time to time guests will ask about a spot for their friend to sleep. You can be clear, there’s a futon in the den, but it isn’t super private. Provide plenty of bedding for this guest. If they’re happy with that setup, it’s all theirs. A situation that could have caused some disappointment from a guest is now your opportunity to add a little hospitality.

Problem solved.

As promised, value in under a minute.

If you’re interested in our services for your own Short Term Rental, we’re taking on new clients until April 1, 2026. Hit the link below to set up an intro call.

- Jaryn