Skip to content
Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions

User Stats

13
Posts
9
Votes

What consumable do you provide your guests, in you short term rentals?

Aaron Washington
Posted Apr 30 2024, 17:16

What consumables do you provide your guests in your short-term rentals? Obviously, TP and hand soap are a must. Shampoo and Conditioner seem to be pretty common. I've seen some that provide coffee. What else do you provide? 

What about salt, pepper, hot sauce, other long life or nonperishable condiments? I feel these are basics, though I've seen mixed opinions elsewhere about salt and pepper. Some seem to think people will tamper with them, if they are not individually packed, like you would get at a fast-food restaurant.

Thanks in advance,

Aaron

User Stats

9,216
Posts
14,731
Votes
JD Martin
  • Rock Star Extraordinaire
  • Northeast, TN
14,731
Votes |
9,216
Posts
JD Martin
  • Rock Star Extraordinaire
  • Northeast, TN
ModeratorReplied Apr 30 2024, 17:18
Quote from @Aaron Washington:

What consumable do you provide your guests in you short term rentals? Obviously, TP and hand soap are a must. Shampoo and Conditioner seem to be pretty common. I've seen some that provide coffee. What else do you provide? 

What about salt, pepper, hot sauce, other long life or nonperishable condiments? I feel these are basics, though I've seen mixed opinions elsewhere about salt and pepper. Some seem to think people will tamper with them, if they are not individually packed, like you would get at a fast-food restaurant.

Thanks in advance,

Aaron


 No food items that aren't sealed and individually packaged. That includes salt and pepper shakers. Guests have definitely gotten more against it since COVID.

User Stats

275
Posts
289
Votes
Lisa Graesser
  • Rental Property Investor
  • The Villages, FL
289
Votes |
275
Posts
Lisa Graesser
  • Rental Property Investor
  • The Villages, FL
Replied Apr 30 2024, 18:06

Spices, sugar, oils, cooking sprays, teas, all left by previous guests. I supply paper products, coffee, hand soap and cleaning products. And guest are informed that they can leave any non perishables that were never opened.

BiggerPockets logo
BiggerPockets
|
Sponsored
Find an investor-friendly agent in your market TODAY Get matched with our network of trusted, local, investor friendly agents in under 2 minutes

User Stats

7,094
Posts
5,582
Votes
Michael Baum
Pro Member
#2 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Olympia, WA
5,582
Votes |
7,094
Posts
Michael Baum
Pro Member
#2 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Olympia, WA
Replied Apr 30 2024, 18:06

Hey @Aaron Washington. Good question.

I am the opposite of @JD Martin. Our kitchen is fully stocked with about 50 spices and seasonings. Salt and pepper grinders. Bag of flour and sugar. Bulk salt, oils, vinegars and tons more.

TP, paper towels, small soaps and shampoos, coffee pods, tea, creamers, Splenda and sugar packets, disposable cups, inexpensive food containers to take food home, Ziplocs, aluminum foil, parchment paper, plastic wrap....on and on.

I believe is providing a lot of stuff like that for guests. Mainly to be a good host but also because our home is way out of town so it isn't easy to just go get something.

I have never had a guest comment on the open spices or anything like that other than happy to have a great selection to cook with.

I am sure there are some folks that just don't use them but I put the info in the listing so folks don't need to pack a ton of kitchen stuff for a 5 day stay.

User Stats

10,940
Posts
12,366
Votes
Bruce Woodruff
Pro Member
#1 Contractors Contributor
  • Contractor/Investor/Consultant
  • West Valley Phoenix
12,366
Votes |
10,940
Posts
Bruce Woodruff
Pro Member
#1 Contractors Contributor
  • Contractor/Investor/Consultant
  • West Valley Phoenix
Replied Apr 30 2024, 18:36
Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Aaron Washington. Good question.

I am the opposite of @JD Martin. Our kitchen is fully stocked with about 50 spices and seasonings. Salt and pepper grinders. Bag of flour and sugar. Bulk salt, oils, vinegars and tons more.

TP, paper towels, small soaps and shampoos, coffee pods, tea, creamers, Splenda and sugar packets, disposable cups, inexpensive food containers to take food home, Ziplocs, aluminum foil, parchment paper, plastic wrap....on and on.

I believe is providing a lot of stuff like that for guests. Mainly to be a good host but also because our home is way out of town so it isn't easy to just go get something.

I have never had a guest comment on the open spices or anything like that other than happy to have a great selection to cook with.

I am sure there are some folks that just don't use them but I put the info in the listing so folks don't need to pack a ton of kitchen stuff for a 5 day stay.


 Yep, I do it like Mike...

User Stats

704
Posts
758
Votes
Lauren Kormylo
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Phoenix, AZ
758
Votes |
704
Posts
Lauren Kormylo
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Phoenix, AZ
Replied Apr 30 2024, 18:42

I supply toilet paper, paper towels, liquid hand soap at all sinks, dish
detergent, dishwasher pods, one new dishwashing sponge, spray oil, salt
& pepper (I buy the plastic disposable ones for picnics so they can't be refilled) and a few other spices, trash bags, some cleaning supplies such as Simple Green and microfiber cloths, coffee filters, plastic wrap, ziploc baggies, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets.

Guests are asked to bring their own shampoo, conditioner, personal soap for showers, sugar, creamer and coffee.  I don't supply shampoo etc because most women have their own they prefer, and it's wasteful for little bottles and much more work for the cleaners to refill the big dispensers, and they break.  I am in an area that traditionally makes guests bring EVERYTHING I just mentioned in both paragraphs above, including sheets and towels, so they are happy with what I provide.  

I don't leave any liquid type food things like ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, mayo or anything like that.  I wouldn't want to see open containers of those if I were a guest. 



User Stats

9,216
Posts
14,731
Votes
JD Martin
  • Rock Star Extraordinaire
  • Northeast, TN
14,731
Votes |
9,216
Posts
JD Martin
  • Rock Star Extraordinaire
  • Northeast, TN
ModeratorReplied Apr 30 2024, 19:34
Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Aaron Washington. Good question.

I am the opposite of @JD Martin. Our kitchen is fully stocked with about 50 spices and seasonings. Salt and pepper grinders. Bag of flour and sugar. Bulk salt, oils, vinegars and tons more.

TP, paper towels, small soaps and shampoos, coffee pods, tea, creamers, Splenda and sugar packets, disposable cups, inexpensive food containers to take food home, Ziplocs, aluminum foil, parchment paper, plastic wrap....on and on.

I believe is providing a lot of stuff like that for guests. Mainly to be a good host but also because our home is way out of town so it isn't easy to just go get something.

I have never had a guest comment on the open spices or anything like that other than happy to have a great selection to cook with.

I am sure there are some folks that just don't use them but I put the info in the listing so folks don't need to pack a ton of kitchen stuff for a 5 day stay.


 I think because we're in the Disney area we get a lot of foreigners that aren't comfortable with opened anything. Having been in the Navy and to some places where hygiene and food safety is more of a suggestion than a rule, I think it's something of a cultural thing. Also, we are 1/2 mile from 2 major grocery stores and all of the home delivery you could want, whereas I'm guessing that's not the case up at the lake. I imagine it would probably be a royal PITA to drag everything you might need up there!

User Stats

783
Posts
653
Votes
Replied Apr 30 2024, 20:56

I wouldn't bother with condiments. Those jars/bottles can still get gross, and it ends up another item in a long list that you have to keep up with. For coffee I have 2.5 oz packets of ground coffee, sugar packets and creamer pods. Food wise I just do olive oil, spice rack, table salt, black peppercorns with grinder, baking soda & powder, and microwave popcorn. 

Think about the basic items you need to make a few meals that you wouldn't want to buy for a short stay because you would never finish them. I don't do large containers of flour or sugar because I know that someone will make a cake and wipe it out, leaving me with yet another item to worry about. Someone used a ton of creamer pods a few weeks ago and my only explanation was that they used it for Alfredo sauce or something. If they want it that bad they have to earn it!

User Stats

1,461
Posts
1,105
Votes
Andrew Steffens
Pro Member
#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Tampa, FL
1,105
Votes |
1,461
Posts
Andrew Steffens
Pro Member
#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
  • Tampa, FL
Replied May 1 2024, 10:18

2x roll of TP per bathroom

2x Paper Towel

2x Dishwasher Pod

2x Laundry Pod

Filled hand soap as well as filled shampoo and bodywash dispensers in each bath

Sponge

2X Kitchen Trash bags 1x in each bath

1x small dish soap

User Stats

748
Posts
432
Votes
January Johnson
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Emerald Coast, FL
432
Votes |
748
Posts
January Johnson
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Emerald Coast, FL
Replied May 1 2024, 12:46

Coffee pods, powdered creamers, a variety of sugars/substitutes

Plus all the expected tp, paper towels, dishwasher and laundry pods, basic spices, etc.

User Stats

301
Posts
188
Votes
Nathan M kiefer
  • Rental Property Investor
  • south carolina and michigan
188
Votes |
301
Posts
Nathan M kiefer
  • Rental Property Investor
  • south carolina and michigan
Replied May 1 2024, 13:51

We leave tp and spices, we purge all spices yearly and and provide a few and at the end of the year there is always a good blend. We repeat this cycle every year when we do a deep clean and seems to work great