How many towels do you provide for your guests?

[Karen-and-Brian0]

I thought I was doing well by providing 2 bath towels, 1 hand towel and 1 facecloth per guest for a 2 day stay. However, this past week-end I hosted 7 guests at our cabin & they used ALL 14 bath towels provided plus got into the cupboard with our family towels and used an additional 8. This is excessive, am I right?

I'm now considering adding yet another sign - this one to the effect of "We invite you to join with us to conserve water and energy by using your towels more than once". Anybody have any advice, or luck with this?

Thanks in advance, Karen

[Bob39]

I probably would not put a sign.

For a 1-night stay, I leave 1 bath and 1 hand per guest. I also have 3 washcloths laid out in each bathroom. If they are staying more than one night I will put out double. But often the extras are never used.

if there are family towels you don't want them to touch, I would remove those from the house before they arrive.

[Karen-and-Brian0]

@Bob39 Well yes, I certainly could do that. My question was more to - what is the standard number provided and is there a way to get these types of energy hogs directed to behaving in a more energy conservative manner? If you had hosted my last guests, they probably would have complained about not enough towels. Seriously, they were out of control.

[Jane148]

I had a couple rent my off-the-grid property for a month. I reviewed everything with them about water conservation. Needless to say they drained my 2500 gallon cistern!!
There are just some unconscious people out there.
Your towel disbursement sounds right.
I think an artistic sign is a great idea. Every top hotel does‼️

[Karen77]

Interesting!   My guests never have wanted a fresh towel each day.   More than once a couple has shared a towel!   I always invite people to use as many towels as they like, too.  

[Karen-and-Brian0]

@Karen77 Yes, I've found that usually 2 bath towels per guest is ample. I'm just wondering about ways to encourage these excessive types of guests into some form of environmental awareness. 

[Karen77]

I'd wait on making a sign.   If this problem becomes a trend, then go ahead.  

I tell folks old's to use as many towels as they like, and they always use one-- for days 

[Helen56]

I only host one guest at a time and leave out one bath towel, one hand towel and one wash cloth.  I fold them and put them on the end of the bed, and they have a towel bar in the bathroom to hang them on.  No one has ever asked for more towels.  You should consider putting away the towels you don't want them to use - towel rationing...... 🙂

[Karen-and-Brian0]

@Helen56 I'm not all that bothered that they used our family towels, just wondering more as to why they felt the need to use so many and how to maybe curb this behaviour in the future. Maybe they were a rarity among guests & I don't need to worry about it. I have no idea.

[Annette33]

Yes, it certainly was excessive, and as you said above, out of control. I certainly would be bothered about it! I don't think the remedy is making up "nice" signs, inconsiderate people like them will not pay any attention to it and you will only get more frustrated.

Clear rules are best.... and by all means, don't lead anybody into temptation by even having more towels accessible.

I have an extra linen/towel closet I point to where my guests can take more if they need to, but the extra supply is limited! and like a lot of other hosts said here, usually people Re very considerate re the use of towels. I would write it off as an abnormality.  But it also seems to be true that the more people are in a rental space, the more potential trouble ensues.

[Bernard-and-Kim0]

Maybe the guests didn’t know where to put their towels and ended up forgetting which towel belonged to who? I can easily imagine a situation where I’d use multiple towels myself if I can’t figure out which one was mine... This kind of situation seems more likely once you have more guests.

[Sarah2067]

Towel reuse is unhygienic Guests shoukd have fresh towels for easy day they stay, at least two bath towels per day, one for  face/hair, and one for body.  Build  the  average cost into the stay price. If you are where water is in short supply, ymmv, but being stingy with towels will make them dirtier, harder to sanitize thoroughly, and they will get musty.

[Sarah977]

@Sarah2067  There is nothing unhygenic about one person using the same towel more than once. When you dry off after a shower, you are presumably clean. Same goes for drying your hands and face after you wash them. As long as the towels are hung up afterwards, not dropped on the floor or left wadded up somewhere, that towel is still clean. Personally, I use the same bath towel for a week or more, and that is what my guests do as well.  Each guest is provided with 2 bath towels, one hand towel, and a facecloth for a one week stay. I find that most of my guests have only made use of one of the bath towels in a week.

Using a towel only one time before throwing it in the wash is quite environmentally unconscious. Huge waste of water and energy.

[Carmen802]

I have never had fresh towels everyday in any sort of bnb,  In an hotel but even then, sometimes, only if I leave the old one in the bath to indicate that I would like a new one.

When I have stayed in big hotel resorts, yes, they change the towels daily.

[Heather108]

I used to leave all of the towels in a stack and guests could use what they wanted. But then I found that some guests would use all of the towels and throw them around the room. Now I just give each guest one bath towel and one hand towel only.