My wife and I tend to opt for longer sits and have pet/home sat over 400 days in the past 3 years. We’ve encountered all the things that can happen and generally those are the ‘fix it and move along’ kind of problems.
The one thing we can’t fix as a sitter is the uncomfortable sleeping accommodations. I wish that HOs would sleep a night or two in the beds offered for their sitters, so they would be able to judge if maybe that lumpy old mattress should be replaced or that pull out couch bed should be updated. Just sayin’.
13 Likes
We have just begun with THS, so we don’t have any experience yet. But we have decided to never take a sit that has a sofa sleeper. Being in our 60s with the associated joint issues, we also will only apply if the bed is at least a queen. I know this may stop us from an otherwise perfect sit, but if we cannot rest, then it is not perfect. The rest of the house can be in less than perfect shape. That’s the plan anyways, and we all know what happens to the best laid plans lol.
7 Likes
I agree. Most have been fine but one was a memory foam or something, where you sunk into it and it moulded around your body. It was the most uncomfortable ever. I just felt I had sunk into a pit and kept forever trying to clamber out. It just kept giving me that trapped in a hole feeling. Would have much preferred a firm hard one to this. I have a pocket sprung one at home and really do not think you can beat them for comfort. Much more comfy than all thr foam ones around, with fancy names.
2 Likes
@WaterJill If you’re doing sits outside of your home country, keep in mind that naming/sizing of mattresses varies between different countries.
For example, take note of the first column in this chart, when you look for ‘queen’ mattress e.g. a UK king is the same as a US queen. Confusing? Yep 
3 Likes
Disagree but only because I shopped around a lot and was responsible for our last mattress purchase. There are some very nice memory foam mattresses that conform to your body but are also supportive and firm.
2 Likes
Thank you. That is useful information.
1 Like
Couldn’t agree more but every country has differing sleeping preferences. Not just the mattress but also linens, blankets etc etc. We recently did a sit where the mattress was so soft we had to send a caving rescue team in to get out of one bed. I just wish I was young again where I could comfortably sleep anywhere (park bench, phone booth, gutter. Etc etc🤣)
10 Likes
Very wise. A lot of sitters refuse a sit with a sofa bed. I think it’s very disrespectful to be honest! Fortunately they are very rare but just scroll on by if you see one. The ho is unlikely to attract many potential sitters
3 Likes
Never been offered a sofa sleeper, just the bunk bed thing in FL. I think my big issue is that dogs always want to sleep with me, which I don’t have a problem, but sometimes they are big, want to lay part of them on me, which annoys me. My dogs have always respected my side of the bed. I want space. So if dogs are on the bed, they keep to their side.
2 Likes
Sounds reasonable but doesn’t quite work. Like everything else we all have our favourite mattress. Firm, soft, memory foam, hard, something inbetween.
Our personal experience. We renovated an apartment in a lovely seaside town. The idea was we would do short term rents till we decided to settle down. Then we would move in. So, everything was done for our old age comfort. We both love a memory foam mattress so we bought one. One year later, after so many complaints, we changed the king size mattress for a normal, everyone loves it, mattress. We found the memory foam mattress very comfortable and loved it but our guests didn’t. We still get complaints. Moral of the story, there is no mattress that fits all.
5 Likes
We definitely have tried sleeping in the beds offered to our sitters as they can choose between our main bedroom and the guest bedroom which have similar memory-foam mattresses, the one in the guest bedroom being even newer. 
We wouldn’t dream (pun intended) of leaving sitters in uncomfortable accommodations.
5 Likes
We couldn’t even agree on a bed between the two of us at home, so we got one with dual controls, so each of us could adjust firmness on our own side. We’ve had it for years and, the older we get, the firmer the bed gets. 
I used to be able to sleep on any kind of bed when young. Nowadays, soft beds are an actual pain for me.
2 Likes
I was super grateful to a recent host who, when responding to my application for a sit, first asked, Did you read every review of the bed? Please be sure you are comfortable with the bed option before we have a call. And so I did carefully review the photos of the bed, and the reviews - and withdrew the application! It was of a type that would be fine for some people but not all.
I love the idea of having the hosts sleep in the “sitter bed” for a few nights (and use the guest bathroom, too). They should also bring luggage in there and try to hang up their clothes! I’ve been in some houses where there is literally nowhere to put your suitcase or the water taps barely function in the guest bath, etc. The hosts had no idea as they’d never stayed in or used those rooms.
4 Likes
Interesting topic and an important concern when sitting. We also skip applying for a sit with a sofa bed, because NOPE! As we age our sleep is important and comfort a priority. That being said, we never truly know what the bed will be like in a hotel or airbnb, so it’s a crapshoot. 
I do make mention in my reviews if the guest room bed was super comfy, however I do realize my ‘comfy’ is not everyone’s ‘comfy’
As with most things, we take the good with the bad and hope for the best!
3 Likes
Agreed, we did a perfectly nice sit BUT discovered on arrival it was a sofa bed! It was only 2 nights so just about tolerable we’re 66… we gave 5* but mentioned it in the review “sitters are provided with a sofa bed in the children’s TV playroom which was perfectly tidy” so that other sitters would know and could decide if it was for them with full information.
1 Like
Didn’t they show a pic of your bed in the listing photos?
Yes but it looked like ‘a bed’ as covered up with a thick Quilt but was in fact a sofa bed ….they called it a guest room, which it was but it doubled as that. Tbh it was all very nice apart from the bed…. and they weren’t to know we’ve got dodgy backs.
What has not wanting to sleep on a sofa-bed to do with respect?
I meant it’s disrespectful of home owners to expect sitters to sleep on a sofa bed
2 Likes
I agree- especially if there are proper beds in the house they sre not offering!
1 Like