Guests wants fresh towels

[Christine_Shirtcliff]

I have a few extras in the bathroom and I offer fresh ones after 3-4 days. When it is really humid towels dry poorly so I pay attention to that. Women with long locks appreciate a second bath towel for their hair. I offer use of the laundry to longer stays and they tend to just throw in their towels. I offer sheet changes weekly.

[zillacop]

I’ve probably done the opposite of most here in the 3+ years from my former STR, I put out one bath, one hand, one washcloth per person and probably had an extra large stationed in the bath.
Never got any complaints about this. It wasn’t that I was being a tight host, it’s what I do for myself.
In this rental, I’ve added an extra bath/hand towel.
I would gladly give extra towels if guests asked.

[KKC]

This conversation reminds me of one we had over toilet paper. Many hosts are stingy with that as well. I certainly understand being annoyed if a couple for two nights makes off with a 12 pack of TP. But then rationing every guest thereafter makes no sense.

@zillacop

it’s what I do for myself.

This works in some situations but not in others. I don’t want to admit how long I go on one towel. But I live in a dry climate and have short hair. I wouldn’t expect families with children, or who are going to the beach or walking around all day in a humid climate to do the same.

@georgygirlofairbnb

terrific reviews and a 4.9 average.

Even at that low price he’s getting dinged on the value metric though.

No we aren’t hotels, nor are we prisons or hospitals.

[georgygirlofairbnb]

I saw that…but I held back.

[dpfromva]

I’ll see your facecloths and raise you 1 guest, 8 large bathtowels in 3 days.

[Debthecat]

And I raise you
2 guests, 3 nights, 4 robes, TWENTY bath towels plus pool towels!

[KKC]

Man, I’m really missing out on all the “fun.” In addition to having travelers rather than tourists I’m going to attribute that to my dry climate.

[zillacop]

@KKC

going to attribute that to my dry climate

Yep, and that’s where my former rental was, SE AZ, and dry except during the monsoons, but didn’t have many guests that time of year.

[rubychix]

In drought-ridden Cali, I put little water-conservation placards in both bathrooms, and trust that guests want to help. They do.

Personally, I like the feeling of abundance (the threat of scarcity brings out latent hoarding tendencies in the best of us ) so guests have access to extra everything) without having to ask. Of course, I home-host and run a tight (not tight-wad) ship

So far, (1/125 guests took advantage: she left with 2 rolls of t.p.
I’m still grieving the loss - not only of the generous-sized rolls, but of my faith in humanity.

[Flipflops]

Put it in house rules… towels replenished every 3 days or whenever you want to wash them

[lawre]

It evens out, as some here have already said. I have a very basic listing, but guests get all the towels they want. There are backups available, so they don’t need to ask. Most use one or two, or zero…, and others use hotel quantities, but I would hate to do all the prepping I do just to get dinged for too few towels.

[Debster]

I’ve only ever given one towel per guest and never been asked for more.

[casailinglady]

@islandnest

Also yes towels are checked off, but refreshing towels isn’t offered in my post. So not really sure why they think they should get fresh towels. Don’t want to be doing this every day for them.

Your name is islandnest. If you’re somewhere tropical or hot and humid, towels go rank quickly, even for a 4 day stay.

@HudsonNY

We always leave 2 large bath towels per person + a stack of washcloths, hand towels in the bathroom and extras in the closet even for long weekend stays. I wouldn’t make a big deal of it- it’s not worth the hassle or negative review. (Edit: as someone with long hair I like to use a towel on my head and one wrapped around me when getting out of the shower. Having only one towel for 4 days would seem stingy tbh)

This. Per person in the bathroom: 1 large towel, 1 hand towel, 1 facecloth, 2 black makeup cloths, 2 hand towels for the sink, 1 large beach towel. Extras are in the linen closet in the guest’s room.

@islandnest

Like I mentioned before, never had anyone request more or a refresh, even long term.

Do your long-term guests have access to the washer/dryer? Towels can get stinky, especially in the tropics or if the bathroom doesn’t get a lot of air ventilation. Just because they didn’t say anything doesn’t mean they didn’t notice.

Ask your guests if they have everything they need, including towels… It’s our job.

@KKC

Omg. Raise your prices $2 a day so you don’t have to be such a cheap…

This. Charging $10-$20 to refresh towels or provide extras would annoy me and I’d leave a review reflecting the lack of something as basic as towels. I refresh and clean the entire bathroom (rugs, towels, shower curtains) every 5 days for longer term guests. It’s worth it. I get consistent “sparkling clean” and “over and above” reviews due to something that takes next to no time to provide. They’re paying to not do the work themselves. It’s not a hostel.

@Brian_R170

I think it’s important to understand that while you aren’t a hotel, whether you like it or not, you are in the hospitality business

This.

@georgygirlofairbnb

. This is not good provisioning. A woman can not (happily ) wrap her wet hair, plus dry her body, at the same time, with just one towel. I truly detest the “this isn’t a hotel” standard justificatiion for being stingy. If you are getting 5 star reviews, then I have to assume that your rates are incredibly low, a bargain, and probably underpriced. If you are not getting 5 star reviews, then it is worth analyzing your amenity provisioning. In summation, you are not being sensible about this.

[muddy]

@islandnest I have a budget-friendly private room/private bath listing. 1 towel per person I consider chintzy. I give guests 2 bath towels, a hand towel and a washcloth. If they stay longer than a week, I offer clean ones at the halfway mark ( my max stay is 2 weeks). Most guests say they are fine with what they have when I offer the clean ones. Some appreciate a clean wash cloth or hand towel. Sometimes I find one of the bath towels hasn’t been used at all.

As a woman, I use 2 bath towels when I wash my hair.

For those saying the towels get funky in the tropics, mine don’t- my guests tend to hang them over the balcony railing outside their room to dry. Not something I ever requesteed, I just notice they do that.

[vintagegreen]

I definitely wouldn’t charge for say, one extra set of fresh towels.
We have a heated towel rail which seems to keep people happy with the one set.
There’ll always be people who use everything I.e. all the beds, robes, beach towels etc etc.

[randomoid]

Include in your house rules that typically one more set of towels over the number of guests is provided, but towel changes during a stay are not included for stays under X days. For stays over X days, intermediate cleaning is offered [/required] once every Y days for $Z.

[jaquo]

Adding items to house rules could result in conflict with the guest or, at best, a negative review.

Guest: Could I please have fresh towels?
Host: No. It’s against house rules.

Guest: Could I please have fresh towels?
Host: Certainly. I’ll bring them to your apartment / room / suite in five minutes.

Which is the happier guest?

[RebeccaF]

Exactly so.

Very simple “puzzle” to solve: Guest wants fresh towels. Give guest fresh towels.

[randomoid]

@jaquo

Adding items to house rules could result in conflict with the guest or, at best, a negative review.

Guest: Could I please have fresh towels?
Host: No. It’s against house rules.

Including towel protocol and charge if any in the house rules has a value in and of itself and does not imply refusing towel requests or even necessarily enforcing said charge for reasonable requests. For some hosts, something as simple as extra towels incurs a cost to dispatch someone because the host may not be nearby. Clear and upfront disclosure is generally in the host’s best interests, but does not preclude being nice and generous.

[mica555]

@randomoid

Including… [anything] …in the house rules has a value in and of itself

I think it sets a tone, and the host just needs to be aware of that. I read excessive rules as an indication that the host pinches every penny and doesn’t really like their guests very much.