Planning
How our Cincinnati houses fit groups of 20 to 74
Our three Cincinnati houses sleep 20, 22 and 32 guests. The two Francis houses sleep 42 together, and all three sleep 74. A group looking for a house for 30 people starts with the Victorian Estate, then checks the actual beds and shared sleeping areas against the people coming.
Our family owns and hosts these houses in East Walnut Hills. Each contains private apartments with separate kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces. One household can put children to bed while another keeps talking in its own apartment. The sleeping plan below shows where the capacity comes from, including the queen air mattresses in living areas.
Start with the headcount and the sleeping plan
The stays page compares the three houses. Count children in the headcount, then check who wants a bedroom, who can share a queen and who is comfortable using an air mattress. Our sleeps figures include queen air mattresses in living areas. The maximum headcount cannot tell you how much bedroom privacy each person will have.
| Your group | First house or combination to compare | Planning question |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Historic Gem, Blue House or Victorian Estate | Would two apartments or three suit your households? |
| 20 | Cincy Historic Gem | Can the group use its ground-floor and upstairs apartments? |
| 22 | The Whole 3-Unit Building | Does the 8, 4 and 10 split fit your families? |
| 32 | Victorian Estate | Who is comfortable with the hill, upper floors and shared sleeping spaces? |
| 42 | The two Francis houses together | How will you divide people between the neighboring houses? |
| 74 | All three houses | Who will coordinate room assignments across the three buildings? |
Availability and sleeping preferences still determine the choice. A group of 20 can compare the larger houses too if fewer people sharing a room matters to them.
Victorian Estate: our largest single house
The Victorian Estate sleeps 32, with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms across three private apartments off one grand foyer. Every apartment has its own kitchen and living space. The house also has an outdoor dining and seating area.
On the first floor, the two-bedroom apartment has two bathrooms. Bedroom one has two queen beds. The semi-private second bedroom has a queen bed and a full trundle. The living room has a queen air mattress. The semi-private room needs particular attention if someone expects complete bedroom privacy.
The second-floor apartment sleeps 12 and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Its first bedroom has two queens, its second has one queen and its semi-private third bedroom has a full futon. Two queen air mattresses in the living room account for four sleeping places.
The third-floor apartment has three bedrooms and one bathroom. The first bedroom has a queen and two twins, the second has two twins and the semi-private third bedroom has one twin. There is also a queen air mattress in the living room.
There are 22 steps from the street to the front door, plus interior stairs to the upper apartments. Everyone assigned here needs to be comfortable with that approach. The Estate is a short walk from the two Francis houses when a larger group uses the nearby buildings.
The Blue House: three apartments with a clear split
The Whole 3-Unit Building, which we call the Blue House, sleeps 22. Its five bedrooms and five bathrooms are spread across three apartments connected by interior stairs. There are nine steps from the street to the front door.
The first-floor apartment sleeps eight. One bedroom has two queens and its own bathroom, the other has one queen, and a queen air mattress goes in the common area. There are two bathrooms on this floor.
The second-floor apartment sleeps four, with one queen bedroom, one bathroom and a queen air mattress in the common area. A smaller household has its own kitchen and living space here. The living area becomes someone's bedroom when the air mattress is in use.
The third-floor apartment sleeps ten. Both bedrooms have two queens, and the first bedroom has its own bathroom. A queen air mattress in the common area adds the final two sleeping places. There are two bathrooms on this floor.
The 8, 4 and 10 apartment split can keep separate households in their own apartments. Check bed sharing and stair requirements for the people assigned to each floor.
Historic Gem: a smaller apartment and a larger upstairs home
The Cincy Historic Gem, our Green House, sleeps 20 across two apartments, with five bedrooms and three bathrooms overall. It is next door to the Blue House and has driveway parking plus street parking.
Its ground-floor apartment sleeps four, with a queen bedroom, one bathroom and a queen air mattress in the common area. The back entrance has a few exterior steps. Inside the apartment there are no stairs, an arrangement guests have appreciated for grandparents and families with babies.
The larger apartment spans the second and third floors and sleeps 16. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Bedroom one has two queens; bedroom two has one queen and its own bathroom; bedroom three has two queens; and bedroom four has a queen and a full bed. There is a queen air mattress in the common area.
The upstairs apartment is reached by a full flight at the front of the house. Guests have described the flight to the third floor as steep. These historic houses are not a fit for guests who cannot manage stairs. Our guide to grandparents, babies and stairs covers the entrances and family gear in more detail.
Two houses or three: organize by household
The two Francis houses together sleep 42, with ten bedrooms across five private apartments. The pairing includes the Historic Gem's driveway parking. All three houses sleep 74 in total. Check which couples need a private bedroom, and plan meals around the seating in the apartments they will use.
Dividing the group by household keeps the sleeping plan tied to real people. Put stair needs beside each name. A living-area mattress also affects where that apartment's occupants can have breakfast, so include it in the room assignment.
Sherri's public review of the Blue House speaks directly to the value of looking at beds and privacy together:
This home fit the needs of our family of 10 perfectly. We have 4 adult children and their spouses and we had plenty of room for everyone. We had the beds we needed and privacy for each couple and plenty of bathrooms and kitchen spaces. Dewey’s Pizza was recommended by Preston and did not disappoint. The location was great and close to many restaurants and other amenities. The neighborhood was really nice and felt very safe. We drove to Perfect North for 2 days of skiing and it was an easy drive. We did have a question after we arrived and Preston was very responsive. Highly recommend this home.
Parking, arrivals and the location
The Victorian Estate and Blue House have street parking. The Historic Gem has driveway parking plus street parking. A vehicle count, including vans or a bus, belongs with your booking request so we can discuss the approach. Parking arrangements need confirmation for the vehicles you bring.
Each apartment has its own entrance and self check-in. Check-in is 4 PM and checkout is 11 AM. Early check-in is often possible when nobody checks out that morning; a same-day departure makes it depend on turnover. The Victorian Estate allows luggage drop-off, with timing agreed in advance.
The Cincinnati Art Museum is about 5 minutes away by car, and Smale Riverfront Park is about 7 minutes away by car. These estimates are without traffic; rush hour, game days and events add time. Our guidebook has places to visit from East Walnut Hills.
Booking a group larger than the platform counter
Airbnb caps a single booking at 16 guests even though the houses sleep more. Larger groups, groups taking several houses and groups with special requests use the inquiry form on the stays page. Individual house pages link to Airbnb and VRBO.
Registered guests only, no parties or events, no pets and no smoking are the house rules. Quiet hours run from 10 PM to 9 AM. Extra daytime visitors need discussion before arrangements are made.
Questions we hear from groups
Does a large-group reservation include every apartment in the house?
Yes. Your group has the whole house and its private apartments. The Estate's apartments open off a grand foyer. The Blue House has connecting interior stairs, while the Historic Gem's apartments have separate entrances.
What does semi-private mean at the Victorian Estate?
The listing identifies several sleeping rooms as semi-private. Tell us which room you are considering so we can explain its arrangement before you assign it to someone who needs a fully private bedroom.
How do air mattresses affect the large-group sleeping plan?
Queen air mattresses in living areas count toward the published capacity. Assign those places by name so everyone knows which living rooms will be used overnight.
Why does Airbnb show 16 when a house sleeps 20, 22 or 32?
Its single-booking counter stops at 16. Our published capacities reflect the house layouts. Use the inquiry route for a headcount above the platform cap or several houses.
What arrival details matter when a group uses several apartments?
The apartment assignments, arrival time and vehicle types matter. Self check-in allows separate arrivals, while early check-in depends on the departure schedule. Parking differs by house, especially if the group brings larger vehicles.
Send us your dates, full headcount, draft sleeping list, stair needs and vehicle count. Include any extra daytime visitors or luggage-drop request in the same message so we can compare the complete plan.
Sources and current visitor information
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