I’ve come across several sits recently that don’t show the sitter accommodations or mention them in the narrative. After learning about the animals that is a potential deal breaker for us. I like to know the bed size and see pictures of the room. Other than that I’m not too picky. Night tables on both sides is nice, but not a deal breaker. For us a sleeper sofa, unless it’s an undated model with no springs, are deal breakers. I would encourage all listings to post pictures of the sitter accommodations and state the bed size so we can decide before applying whether the sit would work for us. And as others have mentioned, sleep in the sitter room to see if it would be acceptable to you.
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Good point, our main issue with recent sits is the poor standard of mattress, ur current sit is 7 nights (3 to go) and dips in middle. My back is suffering!
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The bedroom, bathroom and living space are supposed to be obligatory pics @sailorgirl & as we understand it there’s a minimum no of images needed for all new listings. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be policed by THS support so you have to report them yourself. #annoyingbuttrue
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I’m on a 3 week sit now with a mattress that is not great. Foam pad on top of mattress with nothing between the foam and bottom sheet. I put a second sheet on and although I’m getting a full night’s sleep I wake up about 3 am and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, all the pictures can’t tell you how good the mattress will be 
. But too soft is maybe better than too hard that I’ve encountered at AirBnBs in Japan.
I really appreciate the HOs who tell what kind of mattress it is in the description!
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I was just considering creating a query about HO’s bed and mattresses. We do month plus sits and for the last few months the quality of the bed provided has been shocking. I am convinced the HO’s are just putting an old mattress into their spare room instead of binning them. They clearly haven’t tried sleeping on them themselves. It’s a real pity as the homes have been beautiful and locations great but we will not return because of the beds. We had to buy Decathlon memory foam travel mattresses that we now travel with and are being used in the current sit in a large manor house! Please can HO’s look at the quality of the mattresses when they are expecting people to stay for whether it’s one night or thirty nights.
That’s exactly the problem I’ve found, I roll into the dip and feel like I’m laying on a hill, the body becomes so tense and muscles sore. Or else all you feel are the springs digging into your side. I feel your pain!
I’ve been really fortunate so far, with good mattresses (apart from one stained one - bleah).
I shall begin to include the mattress in my reviews. I’ll also comment on the bedding - I tend to get luxurious feather duvets and pillows, but I’m allergic to feathers so travel with my own when I’m driving to a sit.
Currently on a sit with a good mattress — staying in the master suite.
My hosts warned me that their dog is a bed hog, in case I opted to sleep with him vs. having him sleep in his kennel, which is his usual spot, next to the bed.
I’ve discovered that he’s not actually a bed hog. It’s just that their bed is small for two adults and a sizable dog. Since I always sit solo, there’s room for me and him, happily.
I haven’t encountered any old or crummy mattresses while sitting, but a couple have been softer than I like. Separately, I’ve noticed that some listings include references to the mattress they’ve got in guest rooms. Like some hosts specify that they have one of these, which is an American invention: https://purple.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoplMsdXRutnH-pOQJEubbTk0pQxP_L06a7gl4cZ_IHRhDK5idbt
At home, we have a bed that allows you to adjust mattress firmness on each side. Love that, because not only is that good for individual comfort, it allows you to switch over time, if you end up needing more support. We’ve had that mattress for years and it’s been aging with our backs. And with recliners and car seats, I’ve come to appreciate lumbar support and controls as I age.
Thank you @Maggie8K , the purple collection looks great, something I’ll keep in mind for the next purchase! Emma range in the UK is particularly comfy too. Your own mattress sounds fantastic.
I don’t know why it’s such an issue for us these days, thirty years ago I could sleep anywhere but we seem to be less bed tolerant as we are ageing. We absolutely adore house-sitting and the opportunities it gives but the one downside right now in the sleep inconsistency.
I’ve been living out of airbnbs and furnished rentals for over 15 years with a new place every month or two. It’s absolutely done a number on my back and with my new house purchase next year, the first thing on my to do list is buying a good mattress.
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Yup, we fall apart as we age, unfortunately. But it’s better than the alternative of not getting to age.
On Facebook, there are groups where people our age or so share nostalgia and joke about things like injuring yourself by sleeping or putting your socks on or by doing nothing. At least we’re not alone.
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Buying a good mattress is definitely worth it, IMO. I’m really glad we did years ago. Ours is nearing its typical life expectancy. I’m going to see if I can do a sit with one of those Purple mattresses I mentioned above, try one out before replacing our mattress.
I don’t use a foam pad, but… what would one expect between that and a bottom sheet? I thought the foam pad WAS the padding.
I’m someone who vastly prefers a firm mattress over anything soft, so I can’t imagine what else would be needed.
I was in an Airbnb during COVID and the mattress was awful. basically like sleeping in a bowl. I was going to be there a while so I contacted the host to let them know the issue and said if they couldn’t fix it I would just by a cheap Ikea mattress, which would be better. 2 days later I had a new mattress and it was AMAZING. I slept so well and so comfortably. It still sagged though and turns out the bed frame was sagging. I shoved the cardboard from the mattress into the dip and it was perfect - at least during my stay.
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I’ve had an AirBNB experience similar with a twist.
The bed/mattress was the most comfortable I had ever been on, soft like I like it but definitely not saggy.
Had the best night’s sleep ever.
I duly photographed the mattress brand name and model, tracked down the manufacturer (here in Queensland), ordered and paid, expensive delivery.
Set up the mattress, hard as a rock!
So disappointed.
I’ve resorted to putting Ikea memory foam toppers onto it.
Still can’t recreate that wonderful soft cosiness.
Bah humbug!
On this topic I think it would also be helpful if THS advised HO not to use photos of a property / building on the listing if it’s not where the sitter is staying.
If the sitter is staying in an annexe on the grounds or similar, do not post a photo of the big house which is out of bounds.
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It would also be helpful for HOs to not post photos of rooms sitters won’t have use of. I did a sit with a photo of a nice workout room only to find out it was locked during sits, not for sitter use. Not sure why they posted the photo. HOs should be aware that purpose of the photos is to show sitters where they’ll be staying and what amenities they will have access to.
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Thank you for all the thoughtful and useful responses. Hopefully, the HO’s will read the forum and take the suggestions.
So it wasn’t a double-sided that is soft when you turn it?
No. It was a hybrid spring/foam mattress so only one side up. I don’t see many double sided mattresses these days unless they’re really old or they’re like a summer side/winter side.
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