It’s tough to meet a traveler who doesn’t have a favorite Airbnb. A memorable rental can be enough to send you into a Superhost dream sequence—Sunday afternoons spent scrolling reviews over coffee, putting together the perfect guidebook for guests, Pinterest board after Pinterest board of interior inspiration. The allure is not lost on Bobby Berk—interior designer and king of aesthetic transformations on Netflix’s hit series Queer Eye. The star is making the jump into hosting by listing his own Palm Desert, California home on Airbnb for lucky guests to experience for two weekends this summer (June 6-7 and June 9-10). Better yet, those who score the two stays will get to book Berk's home for a special price of $22 per night.
We spent some time talking to Berk about his own Superhost-worthy amenities leading up to his hosting gig. “In the Palm Desert, you're all about vacation,” he says. “And I wanted people to instantly feel that way. For me, it was all about putting things into this home that I would want to be there on vacation.” Read on to find out exactly what those things are.
Get the bedding right
You could visit a lifetime of Airbnbs and never sleep on the same type of sheets more than once. “One of the first things that you notice—and one of the most important things—is bedding,” Berk says. “We really went out of our way to go get something really luxurious. The kind where you put your feet in and you're like, ‘This is nice; I love this. I feel like I'm on vacation.’” For his Airbnb home, Berk is a particular fan of the Sweet Blanket from the Mexico-based company Nana Manos Artesanas.
Lean into repetitive art themes
Guests in Berk's space will get a firsthand look at his attention to detail, which is especially evident in the art. Stepping into the living room, you’ll find yourself drawn to one wall in particular. “We had these hand-woven pendants done in this little village in Tunisia,” Berk says. “Be repetitive about the items that you use—we have something like 15 of these pendants in the living room. The moment you walk in, you’re faced with a really dramatic design impact. It’s like walking into a hotel lobby.” Anchor art that has a big stage presence with subtly textured decor (like this Cilindro Vase by Glossar Studio) and a minimal rug. Berk's recs? This handmade rug from Colombia-based Tejido Primal or one of his own designs from the Karastan rug line—each one is made with recycled water bottles.
You can never have enough ice
While some Airbnbs overlook the importance of multiple lounge spaces, Berk's home was made for entertaining. When preparing the home, he took extra care to consider the needs of a good time when curating the bar spaces. “If I'm down here at the pool, do I want to go all the way up the hill to get more drinks? No, I don't, and I want there to be a bar with refrigerators,” he says. “And if I'm throwing a little get together at the 25-seat al fresco dining area that we created, I want there to be another bar right next to that.” It may not seem like an obvious amenity, but these are the moments Bobby gets a little giddy about. “I'm excited for people to think, Oh, I wish we had… Oh, wait, there it is. I don't have to go up to the house to get more drinks because there's a wine refrigerator and a drink refrigerator right here.”
The other thing on his mind? Ice. Particularly the JennAir icemakers he has sprinkled around the Airbnb rental. “There’s never enough ice—you have the main ice maker in the freezer and the refrigerator in the kitchen and those are usually empty within an hour or two,” he says. “As a host, I don't want my guests to have to leave to go get ice, I want to make sure there's three ice makers on the property that are pretty well set.” And if the ice does run out, put one of Bobby’s favorite bar essentials—Atico 35's marble mezcalero set—to good use.
