Mid-August, Saturday. Seven check-outs, the laundry brought back only half of Thursday's sheets, and four clean sets are left in the store room. The cleaner makes up the last room with pillowcases of a different colour. The guest notices.
Linen is one of those things nobody thinks about in March and that runs out all at once in August. The calculation is simple, though. You need three numbers: how many beds you have, how long the laundry takes, and how many departures you have on your busiest days. The third comes from your reservations, and below we show where you see it in the Bookmatrix.com housekeeping app.
What counts as "one set"
Before you count, decide what a set is at your property. For a double bed, usually:
- 1 bottom sheet (fitted or flat)
- 1 top sheet or 1 duvet cover
- 2 pillowcases (or 4, if you give two pillows per person)
And for the bathroom, per guest:
- 1 bath towel
- 1 hand towel
- 1 bath mat per room
Beach or pool towels are counted separately. They go out faster, get dirtier and get lost more often.
The three-set rule
Many hotels work with the three sets per bed rule:
- one on the bed,
- one in the laundry,
- one clean in the store room, ready for the next change.
That is the minimum when you wash yourself and the linen comes back the same or the next day. If you use an outside laundry that returns in two or three days, three sets are not enough. Plan for four, because one set is always "on the road".
On top of that, keep a margin for wear: stains that will not come out, tears, pieces that never come back from the laundry. Ten percent is a sensible starting point. After one season you will know your own figure.
A worked example
Say 10 rooms with a double bed and an outside laundry that returns in two days:
- 10 beds × 4 sets = 40 sheet sets
- +10% for wear = 44 sets
- Towels: 10 rooms × 2 guests × 4 = 80 bath towels and 80 hand towels, +10%
This is your target for the start of the season. It is not exact for every property. It is a base that you correct with your own figures.
Check it against your departures
The per-bed rule says nothing about the "bad" days. If on Saturday you have 9 check-outs and Thursday's linen has not come back, you need 9 clean sets in the store room at that moment.
So before you order, do this check:
- Find the days with the most departures last season, or in this year's calendar if you already have bookings.
- Add the sheet changes for stay-overs on those days.
- Compare with how many sets you will have clean, based on when the laundry returns.
If the numbers do not work, either buy more sets or agree an extra pick-up with the laundry on peak days.
In Bookmatrix.com you do not dig for these numbers in notebooks. The reports show arrivals and departures for any period, and the daily housekeeping sheet marks which rooms have a general clean today and which have a linen change. For stays of three nights or more, a sheet change comes up every third day.
How to count during the season
The calculation happens once. The counting has to happen regularly, or pieces disappear without you noticing.
Where every piece is
Every set is in one of four places: on a bed, in the store room, at the laundry, or lost. When you count, count the first three. The difference from the total you bought is your loss.
How often
- Every week: a short count in the store room, one minute per item.
- Every month: a full count, store room + laundry + rooms in use.
- At the end of the season: a full count and a sort. Anything stained, frayed or greyed comes out of the rooms.
A simple count sheet
One sheet with a row for each item (bottom sheet, top sheet, pillowcase, bath towel, hand towel, bath mat, beach towel) and columns for store room, laundry, in use, total, and the difference from the last count. That is all you need.
Laundry slips
If you send linen out, count what leaves and what comes back, on a written slip. Most losses happen here, and they are the hardest to trace later.
What the cleaner does
The housekeeping team is the first to see when something is missing or damaged. In the Bookmatrix.com housekeeping app every room has notes. When a towel comes out stained or a pillowcase is missing, the cleaner writes it there and you see it from the office. More about the app in "The cleaner has no email. She has a PIN.".
Bookmatrix.com does not do your store-room inventory. It does give you the two numbers you cannot guess: how many changes are coming, and when.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheet sets does each room need?
At least three per bed if you wash yourself, four if you use an outside laundry. Add about 10% for wear and check it against your busiest departure days.
How often are sheets changed on a longer stay?
That is your policy. Many properties change every third day. The Bookmatrix.com daily sheet marks a linen change every third day on stays of three nights or more.
How many towels per guest?
One bath towel and one hand towel per guest in the room, with the same three- or four-set rule. Beach towels are counted separately.
When should I buy new linen?
At the end of the season, after the count and the sort. That way you know how much was lost and how much wore out, and you order with the number in hand.
Want to know in advance how many changes are coming each day? Try Bookmatrix.com free for 14 days, with your own rooms and no card, at bookmatrix.com/demo. Or leave your details at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. You can also call us at +30 2351 151525.