The Best Mini Fridge For Any Airbnb

The best mini fridge for your Airbnb is one that serves your guests and you. There are three primary uses for a mini fridge: to provide consumables for your guests, to provide storage for your guests, and to sell to your guests.

Your goals will determine which type of fridge best suits you. I want to talk about my Airbnb experiences that have demonstrated each of these three uses, then we’ll look at some mini fridges that can help support them.

Our Airbnb Mini Fridge Experiences

We have a full sized refrigerator in two of our three Airbnbs, and in the third we have a mini fridge. Of course, we also stay in Airbnbs when we travel so we’ve used quite a few mini fridges while traveling.

Havana, Cuba

I traveled to Havana, Cuba with family and friends for my 30th birthday. Being from the U.S. we were advised against drinking the tap water while visiting.

Our hosts kept bottled water in a mini fridge in our bedroom and asks a small fee if we drank the water. They definitely made some extra money off us during that trip.

So if your guests potentially have a need (like bottled water), you can use your mini fridge as source of extra cash.

Midwest, U.S.

We have a mini fridge in one of our listings. After getting back from Cuba, we actually tried stocking it with various beverages and charging guests a fee.

It actually worked, but it was a decent amount of work for maybe $30 extra income per month. So we stopped charging people and just kept a few things in the fridge that our guests might need.

We kept bottled water, creamer, and ice. Occasionally we might stock some ketchup, too.

Bali, Indonesia

Kate and I took our honeymoon in Bali, and it came in handy for another reason.

On our first day we actually walked the wrong way and found ourselves out near some sort of local farmer’s market. We decided to purchase some eggs and produce and brought them back to our Airbnb.

The mini fridge allowed us to store the eggs and eat them during our trip.

So a mini fridge can accomplish a few different things:

Sell things to your guests
Provide things for your guests
Guests can store things

When making any choice for your Airbnb it’s always important to think first and foremost how it will benefit or affect your guests.

Best Value: TACKLIFE Compact Refrigerator

Larger capacity
Includes small mini freezer
Built in storage for beverage cans/bottles
Adjustable thermostat

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This TACKLIFE mini fridge is what we have in our Airbnb. It’s what you might think of as a classic mini fridge. It has enough space for a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, some beverages, and it even has a small freezer space.

If we want to provide our guests with drinks (or charge them) then we can stock several bottles of water and sodas and alcoholic beverages. You can fit nearly 20 drinks in the door of this fridge and still have space for your guests to store any food they want in the main area.

I believe this mini fridge provides everything your guests could need, which is why it’s what we use in our Airbnb. Even if your guests are staying for more than a week, there should be sufficient storage space in this TACKLIFE appliance.

Best For Beverages: hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator

Perfect for showing off beverages
Clean, sharp look
No freezer
Adjustable shelves

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If we decided to start selling beverages again and take it seriously, this is the mini fridge I would be purchasing.

You can show off the drinks you have for sale through the transparent door, and you can adjust the shelves. That means whether you’re selling water bottles (big or small), soda or beer cans, or even bottles of wine, you can make this fridge fit what you’re selling.

Honestly, it reminds me of those refrigerators in the back of the gas station with all the drinks stacked up. If it works for them, it could work for you too.

Best For Small Spaces: Cooluli 20 Liter Compact Cooler

Very small storage space
Adjustable temperature with clear and simple interface
Very quiet and efficient (eco-friendly)
No freezer

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If your listing has limited space to add a mini fridge, you may need something that can fit on a countertop or squeeze into a tight space. The dimensions on this Cooluli refrigerator are 16.25 inches high (41.25 cm), 11.25 inches wide (28.5 cm) and 13.75 inches deep (35 cm).

If you have the space I recommend a larger fridge like the TACKLIFE I recommended above, but if you don’t, your guests can still get a huge value out of a smaller fridge.

You’ll miss out on the freezer, but this Cooluli model has enough space for some beverages and food as well. It’s a high quality appliance that is quiet, reliable, and efficient.

Low Cost: AstroAI Mini Fridge

Low cost and low capacity
No freezer
Can be cold or warm
Reasonably reliable
Super small

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This AstroAI cooler is like a miniature mini fridge. It fits only 6 cans. It’s a very low cost option, and it could do a great job of providing your guests with the minimum needed out of a refrigerator. Which is basically to provide guests with some beverages.

However, you’re not going to fit a dozen eggs in this fridge. There just isn’t enough space.

This fridge is unique in that it can also heat up. Generally, I like to keep my Airbnb appliances as simple as possible so guests never get confused. I would personally ignore the heating feature, but you might find a use for it.

The bottom line is you won’t get the full value of a mini fridge from this AstroAI cooler, but if your budget is low, then you can still provide value to your guests by offering some cold beverages.

Conclusion

Keeping a mini fridge in your Airbnb allows you to provide essentials to your guests, usually in the form of beverages, and give them a place to store food during their visit. But you can also use the mini fridge as a way to make some extra cash from your guests by charging them to use items your store in there.

We use a well rounded mini fridge in our listing, but for those with less space or who want to sell to their guests, there are better options.

When making your choice, just remember to think of your guests first!

Happy investing.