This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I’ve noticed that guests have used our shams as pillows. It’s beyond me why they would want to do that. Just like @yecatsr said…I wouldn’t do that even in a five star hotel!
In the instance of shams… since they are meant for decorative purposes only, I used old, worn, lumpy pillows that I’ve had for awhile. Pillows that I certainly wouldn’t want to sleep on.
We provide a mix of soft and firm, nice, new pillows for guests with a few extras in the closet in case they don’t like the ones we have out. Yet I’ve still had guests here and there using the shams
Okay, everyone knows that I don’t understand American bedding and how it’s supposed to work but am I right in thinking that shams are another name for decorative pillows? It does seem to be an American thing (please tell me if I’m wrong) and I don’t understand having non-sleeping pillows on beds.
Yes and no. Shams specifically are decorative pillows for the bed and often match the comforter/quilt/duvet cover on the bed. When I think ‘decorative’ pillows I think more along the lines of throw pillows for a couch or something of the like.
I don’t even know if all Americans use the word ‘sham’…haha. I love how this site opens discussions for different terms/words used for things. Thanks for asking me to clarify!
@jaquo, @lauren_g is spot-on. For a visual, attached is a picture of my listing’s bed which has a total of 5 pillows
(1) decorative pillow (yellow) … Don’t Judge Me!
(2) pillows in pillow cases (in front of the shams)
(2) pillows in pillow SHAMs which match / are part of a set with the Duvet cover
Both the shams and duvet cover are zippered to enclose the pillow or duvet.
I have several sets of sheets, shams, duvet covers so all are laundered between guests.
BTW: ‘tis the season → I just purchased 2 new sets of everything at MACY’s January sale. … their ‘Hotel Collection’. Great sale: 55% off minus another 15%.
First purchased 3 years ago when I started this AirBNB gig … they’ve held up very well.
I bought these exactly 3 years ago, specifically for the AirBNB. I’ve had several guests comment on their comfort and ask me for the details. They are still in good shape and I’m currently using them, but I did notice yesterday one of the fitted sheets has a couple of small pin size holes, so that’s what motivated me to check out finding some replacements.
The sheets are the Hotel Collection 525 Thread Count set. I did some screen prints of the online pricing. They list at $250 but with the main sale and all the individual mind boggling additional bonus sales, my price yesterday (in store) was about $98 per set.
The Duvet cover and shams are sold individually and are the 680 thread count. Unfortunately they are pricier than the sheets, and I had to order them online because there was only one sham in store.
Caveat: While they may be pricier for some AirBnb’s they do fit into my market segment.
While I’m not in the “market segment” you are I have found value in investing in a good quality sheet. I’m using a Peru Pima sheet (on Amazon and their own website) and they have a guarantee in the small print about “lifetime” against rips or tears. I posted here recently about finding a hole in a pillowcase and they sent me a new set of pillowcases free. They are comparable in price so I’ll probably stick with them.
All that to say…these Macy sheets look like a fair value and I think your recommendation for the Airbnb business is valuable. After buying cheaper sheets and more expensive sheets I’m finding the more expensive to be worth it.
I’ll bet my ___ that @HH_AZ does wash them. And I think the majority of hosts on this forum would (at least among active posters.) There are a few hosts who don’t but they generally reveal themselves quickly.
Well, @jaquo, I think you may call them something else (envelope closure? oxford pillow case?) but you definitely have them in the UK. Instead of the pillow case being open at the end, they have a closure in the back or an envelope type end - where the pillow couldn’t be seen without opening some kind of closure. They usually match or coordinate with the duvet or quilt as opposed to matching the sheets.
I think some people do as you do @lauren_g and use them as decorative pillows but it’s not how I am most familiar with them. I’m also in the US. We use shams exactly the same way as we would use pillowcases. I used to wonder why some pillows at bnbs seemed less clean or kind of lumpy until someone else told me that they use them over old pillows for decoration. I didn’t know that before. We just always used them as sort of fancier pillow cases. My mom liked them because the pillow was more protected in them or something.
Yes; the sheets, pillowcases, duvet cover, and shams are washed (and ironed) between every guest. There’s been only one time when I didn’t launder … and it was a guest who was leaving on Friday, and returning on Monday. I didn’t have any guests over the weekend. She had asked, and insisted that I not launder them. As uncomfortable as I felt about it, I complied but I did refund the cleaning fee.
I’m behind the times. I absolutely hate the phrase ‘in my day’ but ‘in my day’ I don’t think they existed? Mind you I’ve not lived there for 25 years so who knows what strange standards they have now I’m not there to keep my beady eye on them?
I dont see any problem with using a sham as a pillow as long as it is washed between each guests. I always assumed that a sham that matches a duvet and was made of pillow material, would be washed each time.
It is the reason every decorative pillow is tossed on the floor.
so shams that wash = good
decorative pillows and shams that are for presentation only = bad
