Amenities
Amenities describe what a property offers -- from a fully equipped kitchen to a private pool to high-speed WiFi. A complete amenity list helps guests choose the right property and improves your ranking on distribution channels.
Overview
Argonautas uses a structured amenity taxonomy with categories and standardized names. When you select amenities for a property, those selections sync automatically to connected OTA channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo) using channel-specific mapping tables. This means you configure amenities once and they translate correctly across every platform.
Amenity Categories
Amenities are organized into categories to make selection fast and intuitive. Here are the main categories and examples of what each contains:
| Category | Example Amenities |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Full kitchen, dishwasher, coffee maker, blender, toaster, microwave, oven |
| Bathroom | Hair dryer, toiletries, bathtub, walk-in shower, bidet |
| Living Areas | Smart TV, streaming services, board games, books, fireplace |
| Bedroom | Air conditioning, ceiling fan, blackout curtains, safe, iron and ironing board |
| Outdoor | Private pool, BBQ grill, outdoor dining, garden, terrace, hammock |
| Parking & Access | Free parking, garage, elevator, wheelchair accessible |
| Services & Safety | WiFi, washer/dryer, security cameras (exterior), fire extinguisher, first aid kit, smoke detector |
| Family | Crib, high chair, playpen, baby monitor, pool fence |
| Pool & Spa | Heated pool, hot tub, pool towels, outdoor shower |
The taxonomy includes over 130 standardized amenities covering the most common items guests search for.
[Screenshot: Amenity selection panel on the Property tab showing categories and checkboxes]
Mapping Amenities to a Property
How to Add Amenities
- Open the property you want to edit.
- Open the Amenities tab.
- Browse categories or use the search bar to find specific amenities.
- Check the box next to each amenity the property offers.
- Save the property to confirm your selections.
You can add or remove amenities at any time. Changes sync to connected channels automatically.
Search and Filtering
The amenity panel includes a search bar at the top. Type a keyword -- such as "pool," "WiFi," or "dryer" -- to instantly filter the list across all categories. This is especially useful when the property has a long amenity list and you need to verify whether a specific item is already selected.
[Screenshot: Amenity search bar with "pool" typed showing filtered results across categories]
Bulk Selection
Each category header has a visual indicator showing how many amenities in that category are selected (e.g., "Kitchen -- 8 of 12 selected"). You can expand or collapse categories to focus on the ones you are working on.
How Amenities Sync to Channels
When a property is connected to a distribution channel, Argonautas maps your selected amenities to the equivalent amenity codes on that platform. This mapping is maintained internally -- you do not need to configure it per channel.
Mapping Details
| Aspect | How It Works |
|---|---|
| One-to-one mapping | Most amenities map directly. "WiFi" in Argonautas becomes "Wifi" on Airbnb, "Internet/Wifi" on Booking.com, etc. |
| One-to-many mapping | Some amenities map to multiple channel-specific items. "Full kitchen" may set both "Kitchen" and "Cooking basics" on Airbnb. |
| Unmapped amenities | If an amenity has no equivalent on a particular channel, it is skipped during sync. The amenity still displays on your direct booking site. |
| Channel-specific extras | Some channels have amenities that Argonautas does not track. These can be managed directly on the channel if needed. |
Mapping updates happen automatically when the channel provider updates their amenity catalog. You do not need to re-map existing properties.
Sync Timing
Amenity changes sync to connected channels within a few minutes of saving the property. There is no manual sync step required.
Pets, Children, and Maid Service
Pets and children are not amenity checkboxes. They are configured as property policies on the Policies tab:
- Pets allowed -- set via the pets policy (allowed, not allowed, or case-by-case).
- Children welcome -- set via the children policy.
These fields were previously available as amenity checkboxes. They were moved to Policies to give you more control (approval conditions, restrictions, fees) and to sync correctly with OTA channel policy fields rather than amenity fields.
Housekeeping / maid service is also no longer an amenity checkbox. If you offer daily housekeeping or housekeeping on request, include it in the property description and configure it as a service fee where applicable.
If your property previously had these checkboxes selected, they were automatically removed when the taxonomy was updated. Review your Policies tab to confirm pets and children settings are configured correctly.
Custom Amenities
If your property offers something that is not in the standard taxonomy -- for example, a specific piece of equipment or a unique feature -- you may still want to mention it.
Custom amenities can be added to the property description rather than the amenity checklist. The description syncs to all channels and supports multilingual input, so guests will see it regardless of the platform they book through.
The standardized taxonomy is intentionally curated to match what OTA channels support. Adding items to the description ensures they are visible to guests without creating mapping issues on distribution channels.
Amenities and Certification
OTA channels consider amenity completeness when evaluating your listing. A property with a thorough amenity list ranks higher in search results and appears more trustworthy to potential guests.
For channel certification, the key amenities to prioritize are:
- WiFi -- the single most searched amenity
- Air conditioning -- essential for tropical destinations like Costa Rica
- Pool -- a top filter on most vacation rental platforms
- Parking -- especially important for villa properties
- Kitchen -- guests expect this for longer stays
- Washer/dryer -- increasingly expected for week-long bookings
If your property has these and they are not selected, your certification score and search ranking will be lower than they should be.
Key Concepts
Taxonomy, not free text. Amenities use a fixed, structured list rather than free-text entry. This ensures consistent mapping to OTA channels and reliable search filtering across your portfolio.
Category organization. Categories group related amenities together. This makes it easy to do a "room-by-room" review when setting up a property -- check the Kitchen category while reviewing the kitchen, the Outdoor category while reviewing the grounds, and so on.
Channel mapping is automatic. You never need to think about how "Private pool" translates to Airbnb's amenity system or Booking.com's facility codes. The system handles this mapping behind the scenes.
Common Questions
How do I know if an amenity maps to a specific channel? All standard amenities in the taxonomy have been mapped to major channels. If an amenity does not have a mapping for a particular channel, it simply will not appear on that channel's listing -- but it will still display on your direct booking site.
Can I add amenities that are not in the list? Not as structured amenities. Include unique features in the property description instead. If you believe a common amenity is missing from the taxonomy, contact support to request it be added.
Do amenities affect search rankings on OTAs? Yes. OTA channels use amenities as search filters. If your property has a pool but "Pool" is not selected, guests filtering by pool will not see your listing.
How many amenities should I select? Select every amenity that accurately describes your property. There is no penalty for having a long list. Properties in the system typically have 30--60 amenities selected. Thoroughness improves both certification scores and guest confidence.
What happens if I remove an amenity? It is removed from connected channel listings on the next sync. Guests who previously booked based on that amenity will not be affected, but future listings will reflect the change.