How Many Towels Per Guest?

Two bath towels per guest, per par. That is the working standard across hospitality, and it is one of the numbers most often got wrong by new properties.

The full standard

ItemPer whatHow many Bath towelsPer guest2 WashclothsPer guest2 Hand towelsPer bathroom2 Bath matsPer bathroom1 Pool towelsPer guest1 (if you have a pool or hot tub)

Then multiply everything by your par level. A property sleeping eight at three par needs 48 bath towels. That number surprises people, and it is why so many properties run short in their first busy month.

Why two towels and not one

One towel per guest is what a household does. A guest is not a household. They shower, they use the pool, they wash their hair, and they will absolutely use a bath towel to dry their hands if there is no hand towel. Giving each guest two is the difference between a property that feels generous and one that feels rationed.

Weight matters more than count

Towels are measured in grams per square metre — gsm. It is the only towel specification worth reading.

• Under 450 gsm — thin. Fine for a gym, wrong for a luxury property.
• 600 to 700 gsm — the hospitality sweet spot. Feels substantial, still dries between guests.
• Over 900 gsm — feels magnificent in the shop and never dries in a windowless bathroom. Avoid unless your property has excellent ventilation and a long turnaround.

The mistakes that cost the most

Fabric softener. It coats the cotton fibre, and a coated fibre cannot absorb. Properties that use softener on towels are actively paying to make them worse. Use none at all; if towels feel stiff, add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse instead.

Mixed colours. White towels can be bleached and replaced individually forever. Coloured towels cannot, and a faded one next to a new one looks worse than a plain white one that has been washed two hundred times.

Using bath towels as pool towels. Sun cream stains permanently and chlorine breaks down cotton. Buy visibly different pool towels — striped, oversized, obviously not for the bathroom — and the problem stops on its own.

Work out your own number

Guests × 2 × par, plus bathrooms × 2 hand towels × par, plus bathrooms × 1 mat × par. The Property Linen Calculator does it for you and shows the arithmetic for every line.