This has probably been asked and answered, but there are so many “towel” posts, that I didnt find one that specifically answers my question. I’ve been a successful host of a popular 3 bedroom house for almost 4 years. What I’ve learned is that towels wear out, get taken, get stained or get ruined in one way or another. I put out 6 sets of matching towels (bath, hand and wash, 6 ea.) I keep extra towels in dresser drawers that don’t match the ones I put out in case guests need additional towels. There is no reason other than I have a limited number of matching towels. When it’s time to buy new towels, I buy at least 12 sets (36 towels total) or more. This way when a towel is ruined, I replace it with a new towel from the extra ones. I’ve found that towels with fancy stitching/patterns at one end shrink where the stitch is over time, making the towels impossible to fold properly. Other than the shrinkage, the towels are still in good shape. So, my question is, have you found a towel brand and style that you love, that holds up, is everything a guest would want, at a decent price. I like beige colors. PS, I leave out black wash clothes for makeup, which works out well. Thanks!!
I don’t know if they come in beige, they have limited colors and I use all white with occasional gray washcloths or hand towels, rugs, shower curtains.
I like Costco’s Charisma line.
You might want to look at the recent discussion here on towels: So tired of crappy Airbnbs getting good ratings - #76 by JJD
@JJD
I purchased mine at Kohls. Waited till sale day plus used coupons. Paid about $4 per bath towel, $2.50 for hand towels, $1.50 each for wash cloths. I noticed that the lighter blue did better after frequent washing. Whereas the same towel in different colors did poorly. The brand is Sonoma Goods.
Thanks, I like Costco’s towels, but they are a little expensive. Maybe they’re worth it in the long run. In general, I like Costco/Kirkland quality and value. How long have you had yours, abd how are they holding up?
Thanks for the link. I think I want thick towels.
I buy the bulk Costco white towels - and not even the expensive ones. People like them as the big towel is a nice size and they clean up well and wear well.
I also use the Amazon black makeup towels and people like them.
Any colored towel can get toothpaste stains, so my sheets and bedding are all white as well.
We get all of our regular (e.g. thick) towels and other linens from these guys, they’re awesome. And you get a great deal for buying cases. I don’t know if they have beige towels or not but it’s worth having a look.
Yes, that always happens with bordered towels if you wash them in hot water. If you wash in cool water, and use a medium, not hot, dryer setting, or hang them on the line to dry, they don’t shrink like that. If you’re concerned about them being steriized, you can always turn the dryer heat up for 5 or 10 minutes after they are mostly dry. Washing in cool water also helps to remove any stains, as hot water sets stains in.
I don’t use a dryer at all and I still have a lot of the same towels I started out with years ago- they are still in fine condition.
I don’t personally think that towels have to be matched sets. If you choose a color theme, for instance beige and brown, you could have various shades of those colors that you mix and match and still have it look purposeful, rather than a hodgepodge. Sort of depends on your decor, too- if it’s eclectic or more formal and modern.
So because I mix and match, I just buy towels wherever I find them on sale in the color schemes I use.
Probably everyone will think this is totally extravagant, but I use Garnet Hill for towels, sheets both cotton and flannel. My first sets I bought on sale and used for 3 years and nothing needed to be replaced. I moved and these became my linens which 4 years later I’m still using.
I bought the next sets on sale when I moved East and haven’t been nearly as busy as in AZ but all the sheets and towels are still going strong.
I love colors so Garnet was a good place to find colored sheets and towels.
I had never heard of Garnet Hill. I found their website, but as much as I love my guests, I don’t love them That much 
If I wasnt concerned with damage or theft, I would consider them based on you endorsement.
I guess I’m looking for middle of the road towels, but thank you for the recommendation. Maybe for MY towels 
Yep, we use Charisma. They’re a little spendier but the gunmetal grey is the go-to here since they’re cozy, thick, and can be washed a ton before showing any wear & tear! Love them!!
Thanks for the advice. Sometimes I wash hot, sometimes warm, sometimes cold (no rhyme or reason). I did wonder if cold water would keep them from shrinking, good to know and makes perfect sense. I usually shop by price, and reviews. I bought a set of 36 towels at Home Depot online for like $120. The towels were great until “I” shrunk them with hot water and a hot dryer. Maybe I’ll try looking there again.
As to color, I’ve been thinking of going to different colors so that guests can keep track of which towels are their’s, but I would like the styles to match (I think).
I’ll take a look, thatnks!
I’m just starting out so I’m very interested in this subject!
I’ve been using Target Performance Threshold pattern towels and they’ve been great so far. I supplement with white Target Threshold towels but they shed so I’m looking for something to replace them. I’m using grey washcloths.
I wasn’t sure how much to invest in linens and I’ve never had good luck bleaching things. I have a small downtown single family home (2 bedroom/1bath) so not a budget stay but not luxury either.
So far no one has commented good or otherwise about the towels so I’ll just keep going with what I have set up now while researching for when I replace.
PS - I love Garnet Hill but from afar. I’m glad to know they hold up.
Now that I think of it, about 20 years ago I stayed in a traditional B&B with my mom. We loved the bath towels and hunted them down after we got home. The brand is Christy and I still use them!
I find that you can un-shrink the towel edges if you pull them taut while they’re still damp and then hang them to finish drying!
I bought a bunch of different textured white towels from IKEA. I like having different towels, not matched sets, in my own home because then when there are several people using the same bathroom, you can always remember which towel is yours. But having non-matching towels means I don’t need to worry about lost/ stolen / irreparably stained ones. (Vacationers who use self-tanner and then use white towels on themselves, even though I provide navy towels as well, are the worst!)
I just pulled the trigger on a 2 sets of 24 towels for $61.99 each at Wayfair. Maybe too good to be true, but I have a second STR in the desert that only goes for $89.00 a night. If the quality isnt up to par, they’ll be going there
As to tugging on the towels while they are still wet, I’ll give that a try. I have tried that with dry towels but that does little or nothing.
I’ve had them quite a while, probably since before the pandemic. However, I’ve cut way back on Airbnb and am only doing a few nights a month. Throw in friends/family staying and they are used an average of 6 times a month. But using them before the pandemic I probably replaced them once a year with bookings averaging about 150 nights a year.
That’s subjective. Last time I bought them they were $8 for a bath towel but Costco runs promotions on them for $6.50 or so. Maybe they are no longer competitively priced but I always felt they were good value for money compared to similar towels.
We used to use big fluffy towels in both our houses. But that meant in the larger house there would be a dryer load of 6 bath towels, 6 hand towel, 6 wash clothes and maybe a pool towel or two. Those loads would take forever to dry.
Now we still have soft towels, but not near as fluffy. We have gotten a complaint that they aren’t as nice, so I’m rethinking again for next year when we replace them all.
A factor for me is that I can dry stuff on the line outside. If I had to run multiple long loads in a dryer I might choose a different towel. I line dry and finish on low heat in the dryer to make them soft.