How many towels your vacation rental should have?
The vacation rental business is competitive, with every investor seeking to keep their guests highly impressed. To succeed, you have to ensure your vacation rental property has all the essential amenities and items your guests need for a comfortable stay. However, a good number of vacation rental owners and operators are often overwhelmed when deciding the number of towels a rental unit should have.
Typically, a vacation rental should have at least two sets of towels per guest for every two-night stay. A set of towels comprises a bath towel, hand towel, and washcloth. You should also stock extra towels in the closets for emergencies. Additionally, include at least two kitchen towels per unit.
If you’re confused about the number of towels you need in your vacation rental unit to offer guests a comfortable stay, you’re in the right place. This article will talk about everything you need to know about towels in a vacation rental based on guest count, so keep reading!
Remind Your Guests Why You Provide A 5-Star Experience
How Many Towels Does a Vacation Rental Need
While the number of towels that guests in vacation rentals use varies from one guest to another, the recommended minimum number of towels per guest for a two-night stay (the average stay for most guests) is two sets of towels.
A set of towels consists of a washcloth, hand, and bath towel.
So, ideally, if your Airbnb holds four people, you should have at least eight sets of towels for a two-night stay. However, if your guests rent your property for more days, you should add extra towels based on their length of stay.
For convenience, you should stock extra towel sets in the closets or cabinets within the rental unit for use in emergencies. However, avoid filling your shelves with extra towels because some guests may use them irresponsibly.
Having two sets of towels isn’t enough.
Consider including at least two make-up remover towels to avoid staining your luxurious white bath towels. Additionally, at least two kitchen towels are also essential in a holiday rental unit.
Finally, if your vacation unit is located by the beach, you should also provide at least two beach towels per guest.
How To Buy the Right Towels for Your Rental Unit
Generally, towels play a vital role in the quality of stay a traveler or guest gets from a vacation rental. Therefore, you should consider investing in quality towels that will give your guests a homely feeling.
For more in-depth info, check out our free guide on choosing the best towels for your Airbnb. However, here are a few guidelines that’ll come in handy when buying vacation rental towels:
Go for Light-Colored Towels
From your research, you may have realized that most hotels and Airbnbs use white towels. Why?
Because although white towels stain easily, they are easy to clean, especially with bleach leaving them as clean as new. You don’t need to go for white towels only—any light-colored towel is a perfect choice.
However, steer clear of dark colors like black, cranberry, and chocolate because they tend to bleed or fade when washed with bleach or stain removers.
If you’re considering including makeup-removal towels, you can go for colored ones and, if possible, have them marked with the label “make-up” for easy identification.
Consider the Fabric
When it comes to the material of a towel, look at its absorbency, stain resistance, drying time, durability, and softness. Most vacation rental towels are made of cotton, but their absorbency, softness, and durability show great variance.
The best quality vacation home towels are Egyptian cotton, Turkish cotton, and Bamboo (a blend of bamboo and cotton) towels.
Quality and Durability
Besides softness and absorbency, you’ll want to look for high-quality, durable towels. While high-quality towels may be a bit expensive, avoid settling for low-quality soft and absorbent towels because they wear out quickly and, in most cases, lose their softness after the second or third wash.
Consider the Size Of the Towels
This is especially important for bath towels and bath sheets. You should get big towels that can comfortably serve differently sized guests. In most cases, bath towels range between 20-30 inches (51-76 cm) wide and 30-58 inches (76-147 cm) long.
On the other hand, bath sheets are bigger than bath towels, with the most standard size being 35 by 60 inches (89 by 152 cm). The beauty of bath sheets is they can double as beach towels.
Price Might Be a Large Consideration
Price is also essential to consider when getting towels for your vacation home. Airbnb towels need replacement probably after every 3-6 months, so you’ll want towels that are a good value for your money. Remember to work within your budget.
Ease of Replacement
For uniformity purposes, you may want to invest in towels that are easy to replace—towels for which you’ll find a matching replacement. And for this reason, it’s good that you get your towels from a hospitality supplier rather than from retail stores.
Mismatched sets don’t paint a good image of your rental home!
How To Clean Your Vacation Rental Towels
Clean, spotless, soft, and freshly scented towels are a contributing factor towards getting a five-star review from your guests. Therefore, you should strive to give your towels a spotless look and soft feel by adopting proper cleaning practices.
Here are a few cleaning hacks for your Airbnb towels:
All new towels should be washed before use. While the first wash is likely to cause some initial color fading, you can reduce this by adding half of the normal amount of detergent and a cup of vinegar.
Most towels are manufactured with finishes that give them a fluffy look but block their absorbency until they are washed. Therefore, to improve the absorbency of your vacation rental towels, you should always wash them before use.
Avoid using a lot of detergents when cleaning your towels because it tends to stiffen them.
Avoid using lots of fabric softener in your towels. Fabric softener destroys the towel’s fiber, reduces absorbency, and leaves a waxy buildup on your luxurious towels.
If you have differently colored towels, wash the bright and dark colors separately. The best thing to do is to invest in uniformly colored towels for ease of wash.
Wash your vacation rental towels in a high-temperature setting for sterilization purposes. A temperature setting between 40 °C – 60 °C (104 °F – 140 °F) is ideal in most cases.
When it comes to drying, use a high temperature of between 150 °C – 160 °C (302 °F – 320 °F) for pure cotton towels. For synthetic fabric and cotton blend towels, use a slightly lower temperature between 140 °C – 150 °C (284 °F – 302 °F). Higher temperatures mean faster drying, which improves your towels' durability.
To ensure your towels remain soft, make it a habit of using half the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer and adding a cup of vinegar. Vinegar helps in removing excess detergent, reducing the stiffening up of towels.
How Often Should You Replace Your Vacation Rental Towels?
Different towels have different lifespans. However, here is a glimpse of how often you should replace them:
Bath towels: Consider replacing them every 3-6 months. Regular replacement ensures they retain their softness and absorbency.
Hand towels: These should be replaced at the same time as bath towels. But because they are smaller and may wear out faster, you can change them more often than bath or shower towels.
Washcloths: Washcloths should be replaced within 3-6 months of continuous use.
Make-up remover towels: These should be replaced alongside washcloths. However, if you notice they are stained or faded, you can change them more often. To reduce the expense of having to replace make-up removal towels now and then, you can opt for disposable make-up removal wipes.
Kitchen towels: Replace them as soon they get stained, burned, or worn out, mainly between 6-12 months, because they aren’t used as much as bath towels or washcloths.
Beach towels: You can replace them once every year, based on how quickly they fade or get worn out. Of course, if your guests use beach towels instead of bath towels after bathing, you might need to replace them sooner.
Basically, there isn’t a set timeframe within which you should replace your towels. Use your best judgment and replace them anytime you feel they need a change.
Avoid placing stained, torn, or worn-out towels in your vacation rentals, as this may be reflected in poor reviews.
Conclusion
Although they may seem like mere standard essentials in your vacation rental, towels go a long way in giving your guests a comfortable stay. They silently communicate how much you care about your guests’ satisfaction and paint the picture of how you take care of your property.
Therefore, consider investing in high-quality, highly absorbent towels and ensure they are clean, soft, spotless, and fresh.
Avoid placing stained and worn-out towels in your vacation rental, and ensure you replace them often.
