Good Airbnb towels should feel pleasant, dry guests properly and be ready for the next arrival. For a London flat, that means choosing around your bathroom, storage and laundry arrangements as well as the look of the listing photographs.
Start with a defined towel allocation for each booking, then test a small sample through your normal wash and drying process. This guide helps you choose sizes, plan spare stock and give the cleaner a clear standard to check.
How many towels should an Airbnb provide?
Airbnb’s essential amenities guidance strongly encourages hosts to provide one towel per guest, alongside the other essentials. If you select the Essentials amenity, you need to provide everything it covers. Airbnb also suggests considering greater quantities for larger groups and longer stays.
Use that as a starting point for your own specification. Decide whether each guest receives a bath towel or bath sheet, what hand towels are available at each basin and whether you supply face cloths. Count bath mats separately. A shared hand towel should not quietly replace an individual guest’s bathing towel.
For longer bookings, explain whether a towel change is included, when it happens and how guests request help. Make the arrangement clear before arrival rather than relying on guests to find spare stock in a locked cupboard.
Choose sizes guests can actually use
Check dimensions in centimetres before buying. Product names alone may not tell you whether a towel will suit your setup. A larger bath sheet might appeal to guests but take up more room on the rail and in the laundry bag.
- Bath towels or bath sheets: choose a consistent size and record the product dimensions so replacements match.
- Hand towels: allocate them by the basins guests use and make them easy to identify.
- Face cloths: decide whether you offer them, then include them in the preparation and laundry record.
- Bath mats: specify these as a separate item with their own washing instructions and replacement stock.
Check where guests can hang damp towels during the stay. Enough towels without usable hanging space leaves the bathroom setup unfinished. Inspect existing hooks and rails and agree any changes with the person responsible for the property.
Balance softness, weight and drying time
GSM means grams per square metre. The John Lewis towel buying guide explains that it indicates a towel’s weight and density: lighter towels generally dry faster, while heavier towels have a more luxurious feel. GSM is useful for comparing options, but it does not replace a practical trial.
Buy a sample before ordering the full quantity. Ask whoever handles the laundry to wash and dry it using the intended process, then check absorbency, feel, lint, seams and presentation. Record the time and space needed to return it to usable stock. A thick towel that misses the next changeover may be a poor choice for that particular flat.
Choose a colour you can replenish consistently. White makes a coordinated setup straightforward, but it still needs careful inspection and suitable laundering. Keep the supplier, range, colour and dimensions on file. Check whether individual pieces remain available, so a missing hand towel does not require a complete new bundle.
Work out spare stock by towel type
Count bath towels, hand towels and mats separately. Your stock plan needs to cover the booking being prepared, items unavailable during laundry turnaround and a reserve for delays or rejected pieces. Towels awaiting washing are part of total ownership, but they cannot support the next arrival.
Illustrative example: a flat hosting four people allocates four bath towels, two hand towels and one bath mat per changeover. If one complete change can still be at the laundry when the next is needed, the owner might hold one allocation in use, one clean replacement allocation and one reserve allocation. That would mean 12 bath towels, six hand towels and three mats.
This is a worked example, not a universal three-set requirement. Add any towel changes promised during a stay, then check the plan against collection days, delivery delays and available storage. With linen hire, ask what happens when an item is stained, unsuitable or substituted with a different size.
Use our Airbnb inventory checklist to record target quantities and replenishment responsibility. Keep the detailed towel specification alongside your bedding and linen plan.
Agree a washing and drying process
Follow each product’s care label and agree the process with your laundry provider. Christy’s towel-care guidance recommends washing new towels before use, avoiding fabric softener and dryer sheets, and ensuring towels are completely dry before storage. Check product instructions rather than applying one temperature or bleaching routine to every towel.
Make separate arrangements for items needing stain treatment or replacement. Keep them out of the clean allocation until they have been checked again. A washed towel with a persistent mark, unpleasant smell or damaged hem still needs a decision before it returns to guest use.
Store ready towels in a clean, dry place, separate from used laundry and cleaning materials. Keep the agreed reserve identifiable. If guests may use some spare towels, distinguish those from the stock needed for the next booking and explain how to request further supplies.
A towel check before each arrival
Airbnb’s ground rules for hosts require cleaning between stays and accurate descriptions of available amenities. Build a short towel check into the final room preparation:
- Confirm the incoming guest count and the towel allocation promised for that stay.
- Count the correct bathing towels, hand towels and mats in their intended locations.
- Check that each item is clean, fully dry and free from visible marks, damage or unwanted odour.
- Remove unsuitable pieces from ready stock and assign replacements before arrival.
- Record remaining clean stock and flag any shortage affecting the next turnover.
When a count does not match, check other rooms, laundry collections and previous records before assuming something has been lost. Give any unresolved shortage a named owner and a deadline. Our London cleaning and turnover guide explains how linen preparation fits into the wider handover.
Keep the promise simple and consistent
The most useful towel setup is one your team can prepare reliably and guests can understand. Define what is supplied, test how it launders, keep enough usable replacements and review recurring shortages before reordering.
StayinLondon coordinates housekeeping, guest communication and day-to-day property operations through its London Airbnb management service. Request a property assessment to discuss the setup and management of your flat.
Platform and supplier guidance checked on 24 October 2026. Quantities and the worked example are practical planning suggestions to adapt to your property, booking arrangements and laundry service.
