Hi fellow hosts. Has anyone gotten so brave and reckless as to purchase real linen bedding and how do you manage it so guests don’t think wrinkles = previously used? I’ve been thinking recently that I would like to update my listing to reflect all natural, high-quality bedding and linens. Please don’t judge, but I’ve been a fan of the rare TJMaxx, HomeGoods, etc. European percale sheets since I first listed in 2018. The sheets last forever, don’t pill or get dingy, and have that “crisp” feeling I love even though I know not everyone agrees. Earlier this season, I thought I might try and upgrade my listing and property by advertising these European linens and the overall quality of all of the bedding and linens. At that time, I was probably 80% natural bedding with a couple of synthetic quilts and pillows. Then I found (I kid you not) a US$30 King, sky blue 100% flax linen duvet cover on Amazon. It arrived and has been washed and is lovely but, as is often the case with linen, comes out wrinkly. I also found a high-end King linen/cotton duvet cover on clearance for US$20 at a local department store and it’s also wrinkly. Same with the TJMaxx sheets - nice and crisp but often a little wrinkly because of percale. So anyhow, I’m talking about two different things here but I plan to promote the high-end linens in my listing and am thinking I’ll leave a little hand-written card in the cabin or near the beds saying that everything is 100% natural and wrinkles are just nature’s way of reminding us that not everything comes out perfect all the time…or something along those lines. Has anyone else had to manage guest expectations with bedding and linens that don’t always look perfect? Any other advice on making the move to “luxury” linens? Does it make a difference with your bookings? By the way, my Colorado cabin is off-grid with a river a stone’s throw away and snow-capped peaks offering all kinds of outdoor adventures. The luxury part seems a little self-defeating when guests are running around the forest and mountains catching fish or hiking or whatever, but almost 100% of my guests come from major metropolitan areas in the southwest (U.S.) and they do like their comforts.
Hello, I did put some lovely high-end linen sheets on the queen bed in one of my listings. As much as I would have noticed and enjoyed and commented on the luxury of it all–guests did not seem to notice. Because it was trouble that wasn’t really appreciated, I went back to my regular sheets for the STR and now enjoy summers in the luxurious comfort of linen sheets on my own bed at home. Just my 2 cents worth 
I use cotton sheets, some have about 30% polyester, which, like yours, don’t pill and still feel like cotton. I don’t have a dryer- I use a clothesline, and while if I get them out of the washer right away, and shake them out well before hanging, they aren’t very wrinkly, I don’t always manage that, and even if they aren’t wrinkly, they don’t look crisply ironed.
I mentioned to one guest that I hope she doesn’t mind, but I don’t iron sheets, and she looked at me like I was nuts and said, “Are you kidding? I’ve never ironed a sheet in my life.” 
I think it’s a matter of setting expectations beforehand- write about your linen bedding in your listing info, making it clear that it is natural for linen to appear wrinkly.
Alternatively, a trick I learned from hosting forums is to iron sheets on the bed. It’s so much faster and easier than on an ironing board. Put on the bottom sheet, run the iron over it, then I fold the top sheet in half, lay it on the bed, flip it over and iron the other half, then finish making the bed. It doesn’t have to be perfect, I just try to get major wrinkles out.
Another thought is to give guests a choice when they book- naturally wrinkled linen bedding, or crisp percale.
1000 thread count Egyptian cotton high end sheets
4 listings
17 beds
6 Years
Never ironed a sheet, a pillow case, absolutely nothing.
Never had a comment yet!
I’d be surprised if guests read far enough to hear about your bedding.
I did have linen duvet covers for a while, but I didn’t like the look of it on the king-sized bed. The expanse of it just looked bleak. I switched it out for cotton with a bit more colour.
I have been slowly using up that gorgeous linen fabric for things like quilt backs and book binding.
I LOVE linen sheets and only use those on my bed. I would love to sleep in them at a rental! So maybe you can offer it as an upcharge and see what happens…whether you get any takers. I would pay extra. How much, hmmmm, an extra $10-20 night to have those. Which means your breakeven is gonna take awhile.
But that’s me. So consider this…I use 100% cotton and include in my listing, ironed, all-cotton scent-free linens. I iron the pillowcases and top sheet as I like the way the cotton fibers lay down. The trick to get out the wrinkles in the bottom sheet is to mist it with water.
Many hosts on this forum, would snark at me, as my husband does, because no one has ever mentioned ironed sheets. What I think is guests feel a difference but don’t consciously SEE it at our property. Your guests might be the same unless you make a point of showcasing the added value.
For me, we charge a premium and so those kinds of details, along with others, are noticed. Consistently I get “you’ve thought of everything…the details here are amazing.” So I believe it all adds up and that’s why I get loads of repeats and the comments we do.
I would say you do what is right for your “brand” you are trying to create. I have a high-touch, high-service approach so what we do is consistent all throughout.
Okay well that’s a fantastic idea and one that crossed my mind too. Hard to lose if the worst case scenario is that we sleep in the fluffy linen cloud ourselves. Ha! Okay maybe worst case is that the guests ruin the nice linens after limited use, but I think I’ll tackle that by only buying the linens that are a super bargain. Enjoy your luxurious sleep!
Well and to make this even crazier @muddy, my cabin is off-grid so I don’t have a washer and dryer and ironing is somewhat out of the question. I don’t think my fantastic housecleaner and her crew are going to like this whole idea but I do feel like people who know linen know that it should be wrinkly or it’s not really linen. I’ll be sure and mention it in the listing and maybe in a note at the cabin. Oh and my friend ironed my European TJMaxx sheets and I told him he was nuts! Ha ha. @mica555 you sure are handy. I’m thinking I’ll add a blanket or two to 1) protect the duvet and 2) add a little color. And @Atlnative that’s exactly how my place is. I’m obsessed with small details and the guests notice, which is nice for them and very rewarding for me. I don’t think I’d put in a linen duvet or sheets and then have second-hand cookware or mix-and-match silverware. I think the linen and other luxury linens will work because it will go with the overall experience I’m trying to give the guests.
Never. It bothered me more than it bothered them. And in this case a comforter/quilt/duvet/doona is your friend. If you do wish to iron them so they look crisp just steam above the seam and the rest is hidden and the weight of the heavy cover will go some way to removing or reducing wrinkles.
Please post the link to that $30 king size duvet cover on amazon.
I adore 100% linen sheets and don’t sleep on anything else if I can help it. But sheet preferences are individual and some people would think linen feels awful, they prefer percale. I’d suggest using ‘regular’ sheets (my regulars are Target Performance 400 thread count 100% cotton and they’re wonderful) and offering 100% linen sheets as an extra upgrade.
I love high-quality cotton percale sheets and, yes, they are wrinkly - as are my cotton duvet covers. I “decorate” with garden flowers and fresh fruit, have lots of fresh air circulating and a chemical-free, scent-free environment… it all goes together to create the fresh feeling and “nice vibes” guests comment on.
i think there are going to be some people who LOVE the idea of quality linens. I’m going to do it in my next listing which will be modern boho, i think that whole relaxed vibe will allow me to have “wrinkly” bedding. wish i could find bargains at tkmaxx like that, the linen section isn’t that great in australia (cushions are great though).
I’d like to upgrade to better linens also - I wonder where in Canada one might find a quality sheet, I always hesitate to buy sheets from Amazon because it’s easy to get junk by mistake. My neighbour just opened 2 rooms in her house for ABB and her prices are not as high as mine - and I’m noticing my bookings have slowed down- coincidence? - I have to do something to stand out and quality hopefully will make a difference!
I have found some good quality, brand name sheets at Winners. I also found some good sheets years ago on an Army/Navy sale table in Vancouver years ago, believe it or not. Of course Winners stock is last season’s colors, stuff from stores that went out of business, seconds (the flaws are normally super minor and not anything anyone would notice), so it’s a crap shoot what you’ll find on any given day, but it’s worth checking out from time to time if you have a Winners nearby.
I agree about ordering online- it’s fine as long as you already have experience with what you are ordering. Otherwise you never know what it’ll be like.
@shinylizard here’s the link to the duvet cover. I got the duvet for the same price a few weeks ago but used a coupon. It looks like it’s a prime deal so you might want to act fast. Though honestly, I think Prime Day is a hoax - many things are either cheaper outright or cheaper with a coupon without the whole deadline-driven marketing hoopla. I was suspicious of this duvet cover when I ordered it (the name kind of sounds like an elementary school gym class or something) but it’s genuine flax linen and, though a little scratchy, the quality is really nice. I loved the blue color and there was a grey option at one time but it seems to be out of stock. Might come back later?
THANK YOU!!! Not my favorite color, but it’s my husband’s favorite so I’ll deal.
Prime Day is kind of a joke. It’s all either Amazon’s stuff, cheap imported knock-offs, or decent prices from companies that Amazon has strong-armed into participating. That being said, I got cheap rug pads and rugs for under my hammocks based on feedback from people here, as well as finally buying security cameras. So I’ll call it good this year for me.
As an upholsterer, I have noticed a curious thing. When I show clients the fabric sample book, there is no telling what color a woman or a gay man might choose. But 99% of heterosexual men will pick blue.
I don’t know if it’s in their DNA, or because people paint little boys’ rooms blue and dress them in blue, so that is the color that they subconciously feel most comfortable with.