Home Staging for Holiday Rentals: What to Change to Let Your Property Better

When guests look for somewhere to stay in Marbella, they make up their minds in seconds — and usually on the strength of the first photo. That's why home staging for holiday rentals is one of the investments that pays off most visibly. It isn't about renovating; it's about getting the property ready to look (and feel) like a small boutique hotel.

At ERA we do this with every home before it goes live. Here's what we change, why, and where to start if you'd like to have a go yourself.

What home staging means for a holiday let

Home staging comes from the sales market: styling and decluttering a house so buyers can picture themselves living there. For holiday rentals the idea is the same, with two important differences:

• The home has to work, not just look good. Guests will cook, shower and sleep there, so everything needs to be practical, hard-wearing and easy to clean.
• It's competing in a shop window. On Airbnb or Booking.com your listing sits next to dozens of similar ones, and Airbnb itself says photo quality is one of the biggest factors in a guest's decision to book.

So the aim is twofold: stand out in the listing, and make sure the real stay lives up to the photos. Otherwise, the poor reviews follow.

Before you style: what the rules in Andalusia require

Before buying a single cushion, check the basics are covered. Andalusia's Decree 28/2016, as amended by Decree 31/2024, requires among other things:

Room	Minimum requirements
Kitchen	Hob with at least two rings, oven or microwave, fridge, and enough crockery and utensils for the number of guests
Bathroom	Towels for each guest, non-slip surfaces, good lighting and a mirror
Bedrooms	Single beds at least 80 × 190 cm and doubles 135 × 190 cm, mattresses of 18 cm or more, spare bedding and wardrobe space
Safety	First-aid kit, smoke detector near the kitchen and a fire extinguisher
Comfort	Cooling if you let in summer and heating if you let in winter

If you don't have your licence yet, our guide to the tourist rental licence in Andalusia walks you through it.

Room by room: what to change

Living room: less stuff, more light

This is the cover shot on most listings. What works best:

• Clear out personal items — family photos, souvenirs, piles of books. Guests should feel the place is theirs for the week.
• A warm, neutral palette — whites, sand tones and natural wood, with one or two accent colours. On the Costa del Sol, shades that echo the sea and the Mediterranean light work beautifully.
• A comfortable sofa in good condition, ideally with washable covers.
• Layered lighting — a ceiling light, a floor lamp and a couple of table lamps. Warm-white bulbs completely change how a room feels in the evening.

Bedrooms: the bed comes first

The bed is what guests remember most. Invest in a good mattress, two pillows per person, white hotel-style linen and a throw for texture. Add bedside tables with sockets or USB ports on both sides, blackout curtains (the summer sun rises early here) and plenty of hangers in the wardrobe.

Kitchen: complete and tidy

You don't need a new kitchen, but nothing should be missing. Matching crockery and glassware, decent pans, a coffee maker, kettle and toaster — British and Nordic guests will certainly notice if the kettle is absent. For the photos, keep worktops clear: a fruit bowl or a wooden board is plenty.

Bathroom: that hotel feeling

Clean grout, limescale-free taps, matching white towels and refillable soap and shower-gel dispensers rather than half-used bottles. A well-lit mirror and a good-quality bath mat finish the job.

Terrace: your biggest selling point

In Marbella and along the Costa del Sol, the terrace is often the most important room in the house. A table for eating outdoors, sun loungers or an outdoor sofa with sun-resistant cushions, some greenery and lighting for the evenings. If there's a sea view, a shot of the terrace at sunset is usually the best cover photo you can have.

Mistakes we often see

• Furnishing to the owner's taste rather than for the typical guest (families, couples, golfing groups…).
• Mismatched hand-me-down furniture. A few pieces that go together beat a houseful without a style.
• Taking photos on a phone without preparing the home first. Staging really pays off when it's paired with a professional photographer.
• Forgetting the details that drive reviews — fast Wi-Fi, air conditioning, sockets by the bed, clear house instructions.
• Spending on décor instead of the bed. Guests will forgive a picture on the wall; they won't forgive a bad night's sleep.

What guests search for most

According to Airbnb, guests often filter by specific amenities such as a pool, Wi-Fi, free parking, a kitchen, air conditioning, a washing machine or self check-in. If your home has them, make sure they show in the photos and are ticked in the listing. If it doesn't, think about which ones you could add — an electronic lock or a better internet connection are usually simple upgrades.

How we do it at ERA

Our process with every new home is the same:

1. Visit and assessment — we look at the property through a guest's eyes and tell you what to keep, change and add.
2. A sensible budget — we prioritise the changes that make the biggest difference in photos and reviews.
3. Getting it ready — styling, kitchenware, linen and small repairs.
4. Professional photo shoot and a listing written in several languages.

You can see real before-and-after examples in our home staging section for owners. And if you'd like to know what our management includes and what it costs, we explain it in holiday rental management fees in Marbella.

Get your free assessment

Own a home in Marbella or elsewhere on the Costa del Sol and want it to stand out? We'll visit, tell you what we'd change and send you a realistic estimate along with our management proposal — no strings attached. Request your free assessment.