The Hospitality Linen Buying Guide

If you are furnishing a property for the first time, the number of decisions is the hard part, not the money. Here they are in the order that actually works.

Step 1 — Count beds, bathrooms and guests

Beds, not bedrooms. A room with two twins is two beds. A sofa bed you genuinely let guests use is a bed. Write down how many of each size, how many bathrooms, and the maximum guests you advertise.

Everything else is arithmetic on these three numbers.

Step 2 — Choose a par level

Two par if you have on-site laundry and a gap between bookings. Three par for almost everyone. Four par for off-site laundry, back-to-back peak seasons, or remote properties.

See Par levels explained if this is a new idea.

Step 3 — Choose one colour and one weave, for the whole property

This is the decision people revisit most and regret most. Pick one and apply it everywhere:

• White percale — the hotel standard. Bleachable, replaceable forever, reads as clean.
• White or neutral sateen — softer, photographs better, sleeps warmer.
• Washed linen in a warm neutral — relaxed, for retreats and cabins.

Before you commit, ask how long the supplier holds that colour. If the answer is less than three years, choose something else.

Step 4 — Buy in this order

1. Mattress protectors. Two per bed. Cheapest item, protects the most expensive one.
2. Sheet sets. Beds × par.
3. Pillowcases. At a higher par than sheets. Beds × pillows per bed × par.
4. Duvet covers and inserts. Covers at full par, one insert per bed.
5. Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, mats.
6. Pillows. Enough to dress every bed, plus spares.
7. Blankets or coverlets. One per bed.
8. Guest room extras. Hangers, luggage rack, tray, carafe.

If the budget runs out, it should run out at the bottom of that list, not the top.

Step 5 — Set a replacement schedule now

Write it down on the day you buy, because you will not notice the gradual decline later.

ItemBusy propertyQuieter property Pillowcases12–18 months2 years Sheets2–3 years4 years Bath towels2 years3 years Bath mats18 months2 years Pillows18–24 months2–3 years Duvet inserts3–5 years5+ years Protectors2 years3 years

Stagger replacements so a room never has one obviously newer sheet on the bed.

Step 6 — Keep an owner's closet

One extra set per bed size and half a par of towels, stored separately and not used in normal rotation. It exists for the emergency on a Saturday afternoon. If you are dipping into it monthly, your real par level is one higher than you thought.

Step 7 — Write the laundry rules down

Whoever cleans your property will not guess these:

• No fabric softener on towels, ever.
• Wash white separately, and use bleach only on white cotton.
• Do not overload — linen needs room for detergent to rinse out.
• Dry on low and take it out slightly damp.
• Fold and store by room, not by item type.

A laminated card in the laundry room is worth more than the next grade up of sheets.

Shortcuts

The Property Linen Calculator does steps 1 through 4 in about a minute and lets you buy the result. For larger or unusual properties, request a quote and we will build it around your actual room mix.