Make the bed or leave linens for guest?

[Jeff1586]

We host a small two bedroom condo unit in a beach resort town.  There is a queen bed, two twins, and a sleeper sofa.  Last year was our first for hosting and we sure learned a lot.  We have a three night minimum and most of our bookings are in the 3-5 day range.

We are still learning what works well for both us and the guests, and my question is this: do most of you make the beds for your guests, or do you leave clean linens and have them make the beds themselves?  Last year we made and stripped the beds, and found that to be time-consuming.  We are considering asking the guests to make and/or strip the bedding themselves.  I realize I can put bedding details in the listing, but I also don't want to have guests be disappointed because we're not meeting normal expectations, and I would not want to jeopardize our star rating.

For you folks with short term rentals, what do you do, what has been the response , and what insights would you care to offer?  Thanks!

[Anonymous]

@Jeff1586  As a traveler, if I choose to save money by staying at a backpacker hostel, I expect that I'll be handed some linens and expected to make my own bunk bed. But if I've spent $300 per night to have a relaxing vacation at a beach house, it would not sit well with me that the host couldn't be bothered to make and strip the bed because he found it too time-consuming. I'd kick myself for not booking one of the many nice hotels that have room rates lower than yours.

If you're a host who personally meets your guests at check-in, one thing you learn quickly is that very few people are feeling relaxed when they first arrive at their destination. They're tired, maybe stressed from traffic or whatever issues in their home life that they're trying to take a break from, they desperately want to have a smooth check-in and immediately feel at home and comfortable. If their first impression is "oh great, now I have to make the bed," they'll start to see everything else in a more negative light. This is especially problematic with a beach listing, since you're already at the mercy of the whims of the weather. The few minutes it takes to present a nicely-made bed pay off hugely in helping your guests unwind quickly and enjoy their short break from the daily grind. 

You've got an expensive listing with a $100 cleaning fee, the effort is well-compensated. But if you prefer to cut some corners with the changeovers, be sure that's reflected in prices that are well below those of your competitors.

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

Walking into the place they've rented and seeing a lovely, well-made bed is what most travelers would expect. It's basically the focal point of a rental, a place where most are going to spend a lot of time. No way I would leave the bed unmade and expect guests to do that. Nor do I expect guests to strip the bed. It's part of your hosting job. 

And most hosts prefer the bedding left on the bed so they can check for any marks they may have to pre-treat before washing, which is much easier to do when the bedding is still on the bed.

When I have guests who stay more than a week, I offer them clean bedding halfway through their stay (I have a 2 week maximum stay) and in that case, I will ask them if they would like me to remake the bed with the clean linens, or they'd prefer to do it themselves. All have said they will do it themselves, which tells me they want their privacy. But that's different than walking into a place for the first time and finding unmade beds.

@Jeff1586

[Jeff1586]

Andrew and Sarah,

Thank you for your advice.  You are basically confirming what I suspected.  Like I said, we are pretty new at this and still learning, so it is extremely helpful to hear from other hosts.

[Lorna170]

@Jeff1586 ,  Many traditional rentals at the New Jersey shore and into Delaware do not provide linens, and traditional shore goers expect to bring their own.  Managed properties will also provide a linen service for an extra fee where the linens are packaged up and placed at the end of each bed for the guest to use to make up the beds upon arrival.  With the introduction of AirBnB and more homeowners handling their own rentals, linens are more often included, which infers that the beds will be made up.

Bottom line; either make the beds, or put a linen service into play.  Choose whichever would be expected by your guests and puts your property above the neighbors.  

[Jeff1586]

Thank you, Lorna  Very helpful.

[Susan4034]

with covid is it better to provide bed linen etc or expect them to bring it?  Im a newbie at all this!

[Don-and-Sandy0]

When Covid hit, I started renting linens, towels, and duvets. I have been so pleased with the results, and the sheets have even been mentioned in reviews! Some in our area require guests to strip beds, wash and dry towels, and start a load of sheets so the cleaners can finish up, but guests may not use hot water and may dry and fold towels without washing them. Gross! I have never fully charged guests my full cleaning costs and I am considering asking guests to bring their own towels to cut expenses. I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences, does that sound reasonable? Guests often ask if linens are provided, so I am thinking it would be ok.

[Carol215]

I always make the beds up! 2 reasons:

They can't (too lazy) take off the mattress protectors which are a dream for a host

Some people don't put the sheets on the bed and use my blankets/quilts for sheets. It is easier to only wash sheets!

Lastly, I do not want beds stripped. They wrap wet towels in all the bedding. The blankets/quilts only get washed when needed. They go in a commercial dryer on high for 12 min between guests so they are freshened.