More and more homes are becoming “smart”. As defined on Smart Home USA, a smart home…
… is a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, and camera systems that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely by a time schedule, from any room in the home, as well as remotely from any location in the world by phone or internet.
Whilst these items may not fall into the category of 'home essentials', smart appliances are becoming increasingly standard expectations of young and discerning tech-savvy travelers. This category of travelers represents a large (and increasingly growing) share of Airbnb guests:
Smart appliances also provide benefits to the host. Owners of smart appliances are able to remotely monitor and manage key features of their home, including things such as...
In doing so, there are often associated cost savings achieved by being energy efficient and reducing electricity and water usage (as well as reducing the risk of theft and damage).
Many smart appliances provide the ability to link the device with personal accounts you may hold on digital platforms (e.g. Amazon.com) or with service providers (e.g. Uber). Ensure that guests do not have the ability to modify your account settings or utilize services that will be charged to you without your permission and/or consent.