Stocking up on linen, how much to buy?

[Sarah3478]

Im buying a house in Scotland and taking over the airbnb. Im buying all my own laundry to save on costs on using a local linen contractor (for now anyway). But not sure how much to buy. The property is 4 bedrooms.  In terms of bedding, Im currently thinking of 3 of everything, 1 for the property, 1 in the cupboard as spares and 1 being washed. Im also allowing for this with towels, (on the basis of 1x bath towel, 1x hand towel and 1x wash cloth per guest). Does this sound about right? And does anyone have any recommendations for wholesale linen companies in the UK?

[Sarah977]

@Sarah3478  Sounds about right to me on the bedding, you might want more towels. But be aware that if you leave piles of towels for guests, they might just use one once and throw it on the floor, an use up 3 towels in 2 days. Best to let guests know in your listing, and also reiterated in the house manual, how often you supply clean towels. I was looking after my neighbor's place while they were gone for a month and they had rented out a bedroom before, while they were in residence,  but never the whole place. So she had just left an entire shelf full of towels in both bathrooms, just as it is when they are there. The 2 guys who were renting managed to go through 17 bath towels in one week! There wasn't one clean towel left in the house.

When you say you're buying a house and "taking over the Airbnb", you are aware, I hope, that listings can't be transferred, nor can already booked guests. You have to start from scratch with a new listing under your account, the current reviews stay with the previous owner's account, and the present host needs to contact any booked guests to explain that the place is changing hands and see if they want to cancel or keep the reservation. Then you'd need Airbnb to assist with transferring the bookings to your account.

[Sarah3478]

Hi Sarah, 

Thanks for the advice, a good idea not to leave an abundance of spares, as you say, they will go through them when not necessary. 

No Im not taking over the account, what I meant was Im continuing it as an airbnb rental. Ive made my own new listing that will go live when the sale is finalised. Airbnb advised the existing owner to contact bookings after that and get them to rebook onto the new site. Whether that is easier than trusting airbnb to do it, I don't know. 

[Sarah977]

@Sarah3478  If the previous owner is responsible about it and does that, I don't see a problem, and easier, really, than dealing with Airbnb, whose customer service is almost non-existent at the moment. The only issue might be that guests would have to pay the Airbnb service fee again. The owner should close his calendar and stop taking more bookings at this point and if it's a pretty sure thing that the sale will go through, he really should let the already booked guests know about this now- it isn't fair to them to let them know at the last minute. There may be some guests who don't want to take a chance on a new host with no reviews, and would want to look for another place rather than rebook with you. They should be given that choice, not told about this a week before their check-in.

[Sarah3478]

It's a tricky one really. Ideally thats what I would like, but the current owner is concerned that if he blocks his calendar from future bookings, and the sale doesn't go through, then he has lost revenue. Its a catch 22 situation at the moment!  The only thing I will say about the existing bookings is that the house and everything in it remains the same, so will be exactly as it was when they booked. So I cant see any deviation from what they've been doing already. 

[Sarah977]

@Sarah3478  I'm sure you'll be a great host, you sound very responsible and savvy. But one of the reasons that listings and reviews can't be transferred is that the listing is really all about the host, rather than the place itself. Even if the house remains the same, if someone took over who wasn't a good host, just in it for the money, guests might find that it was dirty, or that things weren't working properly, or the host wasn't responsive to messages, or rude, anything really that could turn a good listing into a bad one. 

There are nice, large, even luxury places that have the potential to be 5* across the board, but in fact don't have good ratings because the host doesn't pay attention to the cleanliness or the upkeep and has poor communication style. And then there are very simple, small, basic places that get consistent 5* ratings because it's super clean, well-looked after and the host is personable and attentive. 

The guests will probably be fine with there being a new owner/host, I just don't think it's something that should be sprung on them at the last minute. I know that house sales can sometimes drag on for awhile, so I can sort of understand the current owner's attitude, to not miss out on bookings, but it could backfire for him with upset guests if he waits too long to let them know.

[Sarah3478]

Hi Sarah, Yes I see what you are saying. Unfortunately my hands are tied at the moment. Neither of us can action anything until that house contract is signed.  I'm sure once thats done and everything is finalised, he will contact the existing bookings and advise them of new ownership. I guess it would be in his best interest to do so anyway, in case Im the one that stuffs up and he wont want that! Im sure it will all work out. Thank you for your help and advice. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah3478 It depends on the typical length of your stays. If you get weekly bookings then 2 sets of linen could work.

We manage with 2 sets BUT do all our own washing/ironing and don't allow stays of less than 3 nights.

For linen providers Out of Eden seem reasonable and also supply toiletries etc. They are based in Cumbria (I think). The big question is what quality to go for. We went for 300 thread count but its expensive and we do worry about stains. It might have been better to go for 180 thread count and expect to replace more often. I'd love to know what others think.

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Most of mine are 400 count and they weren't expensive at all. 100% cotton- I have no idea what stores there are where you live, but I found some decent ones at Walmart, believe it or not, and I've also gotten some at a store in Canada called Winners- they sell brand name stuff that's just last year's stock or seconds- might have some tiny flaw that no one would ever notice. I managed to happen on a set of Ralph Lauren's for my single bed that are really nice- I think it was $40 for a set- fitted, flat and one pillowcase in the package.

180 counts just look too cheap to me. But in fact, stains seem to come out of lower thread count sheets easier than high thread counts. Those thread counts are a little misleading, too. The number of threads can be high, but the threads are thinner.

[Sarah3478]

Thank you, I'll check them out. I was wondering about thread count, I might go middle of the road and see how I go. All depends on price really!  I don't yet know what the average length of stay is yet, but I don't think there are many week-long bookings. That will be trial and error I think. 

[Roberta2]

HI @Sarah3478 

I have 3 of everything   - but I rent a room in my flat, so it is easier to keep an eye on things.

I bought linen and towels from Primark. They have a "premium" range, that you find in the large stores. The towels stay fully for a long time, come in a variety of colours, but they are not so expensive that it is a massive issue if you get a stain. They have 300 cotton bed sheets in white and grey as well.

And I got an extra set of fitted sheets (white high cotton ) from TK Maxx at a nice price.

[Sarah3478]

Thanks Roberta, I didn't think of Primark or TKMaxx, thats a good idea! 

[Huma0]

@Sarah3478 

I don't know how many sets of linens I have for my guest rooms, but it's a lot! However, I would say that three sounds like a good plan. You could get away with two though if you are hosting shorter stays and have the time to do the laundry in between.

I would also recommend TK Maxx/Homesense. I've bought a lot of beautiful, designer linen from there for the same prices as high street brands. Most recently, I got a high thread count Calvin Klein Superking duvet cover, which normally retails at £hundreds for £20 because the packaging was damaged, but the item itself was flawless.

As for thread count, higher feels nicer of course, but I also find it is more fragile. I do have some more basic, cheaper linens to and guests never seem bothered either way.

If you have not already thought about it, make sure you also buy mattress and pillow protectors as these will be much cheaper to replace than mattresses should there be any accidents. I don't know what quality mattresses you will have but another thing to consider is mattress toppers. I bought the thickest ones I could find from a company called Groundlevel (you often see these on discount on voucher sites too) and ever since, my guests always tell me the beds are super comfy. They were definitely worth the investment.

[Sarah3478]

Thank you for that advice. Luckily there are mattress protectors and pillow protectors already there, as thats certainly a useful tip to keep replacement costs low. Once Im over Ill check out TKMax, as Im hearing they do a great homewares section. And a good idea for the mattress toppers too, Im not sure there are any there, but certainly worth thinking about. Thanks again!

[Ann72]

@Sarah3478  Excited for you!  I'm a complete sheet freak, so here's my spiel:  thread count once meant something but became a marketing ploy.  1,000 thread count sheets that are inexpensive aren't nicer - they're just made from cheap cotton that has a shorter staple.  Good sheets made from long-staple cotton are what you're after.  They only need to have a thread count of 300 to be good.  They will wear like iron and get better over time.

My other sheet strategy is to put the really good sheets on the bed in the master bedroom, because that's where the people who write the reviews usually sleep.  🙂  Whenever I see Frette or Sferra sheets on sale I buy them.

Your plan to have three sets of everything is excellent.  Double the quantity of hand towels because of make-up stains.  They get dingy over time.  Lots of washcloths - some people loathe them, some can't live without them.  Bath mats - those towel things you put on the floor when you're taking a bath or shower - definitely at least 3 for each bathroom.  If you also have a bathroom rug it will need to be replaced every year.

Sounds like you're good to go, though!  Fingers crossed for you!