UK's highest-rated Airbnbs analysed: The features behind five-star guest experiences

These are the bathroom features behind Britain's highest-rated holiday stays.

Luxury bathroom specialist Nôsa bathrooms analysed the UK's top-rated Airbnbs to reveal the design choices helping properties create five-star guest experiences.

"The bathroom is part of the stay and not just part of the room," says Neil Thompson, Showroom Manager at Nôsa. "It's where many guests relax after a day of travel, get ready for a night out or ease into the morning. The best hotels and holiday rentals know every room counts towards the guest experience, and the bathroom is no different. Thoughtful design, quality materials and a few standout details can take it from a functional space to one guests genuinely remember."

The 5 lessons for rental and hotel design:

1. Have a bath your guests won't forget:

60% of the highest-rated properties featured a freestanding bath

"Freestanding baths are a classic statement of luxury bathroom design, transforming a functional room into a space you want to linger in. Often, it's these statement pieces that give that immediate 'wow' moment to guests walking into a beautiful bathroom. A distinctive bathroom feature can become part of your property's marketing appeal, particularly for photography-led booking platforms."

2. Create a spa journey each day:

80% featured frameless glass showers, 65% had walk-in showers, and 55% included rainfall showers

"A real trend is developing for bathrooms to be more like a private spa than just a functional room. Frameless glass offers the feeling of openness, and rainfall showers offer a sense of relaxation and ritual. It's about making a space where guests can turn off and enjoy the experience, not just get ready.

"With only 5% of properties featuring a shower-over-bath combination, it's clear that premium accommodation is shifting away from small, purely functional bathrooms and towards hotel-style shower experiences. Guests increasingly associate spacious, spa-like bathrooms with premium stays."

3. Size isn't everything when it comes to creating luxury:

60% featured floating vanities and 65% used integrated sinks

"A bathroom doesn't have to be big to be luxurious. Smart design decisions in some of the most luxe spaces allow for a sense of spaciousness and serenity. Floating furniture and built-in basins create clean lines, remove visual clutter and give the room that polished, bespoke feel you'd expect in a luxury hotel.

"For smaller bathrooms in rentals, these design choices can make the space feel more luxe without any structural changes - smart design can make compact bathrooms feel premium."

4. Select materials that feel timeless:

95% featured large-format tiles, while stone-effect appeared in 50% and marble-effect in 45% of bathrooms

"With the help of the large-format tiles, you get an instantly more refined, architectural feel. Fewer grout lines allow the beauty of the material to show through, and stone-inspired finishes add warmth and texture. The luxury trend we're seeing now is less about making a bathroom look ostentatious and more about creating spaces that feel timeless and connected to natural materials. Durable materials that photograph well and feel premium are becoming essential for guest facing spaces

5. Lighting creates the mood

45% featured vanity lighting and 35% featured wall sconces

"Lighting is one of the easiest ways to change the feel of a bathroom. Harsh lights can make a room feel clinical while layered lights create warmth and atmosphere. Wall sconces and vanity lighting are the finishing touches that make a bathroom feel designed, not installed. Lighting is a relatively simple upgrade that can transform guest perception."