Vacation rental guests often ask about the differences between vacation rentals and hotels. Plenty of differences exist. Some deal with services and other with supplies found inside the unit. Will you get new towels each day? What supplies are available? What is the quality of the items in the unit? How old are the sofas, beds, and towels?

We looked up a large number of references but could not find any official standard as to when to replace a mattress, a set of towels, or other items found in vacation rentals or hotels. It seems the standards are left up to the individual rental businesses or hotels.

We poked around some more just to see what was going on in the industry. Rental management for vacation rentals and hotels usually replaces the mattresses every 3-7 years on average, based on how often the units rent and the condition of the mattress. Good news for mattresses is that the industry has found some nice ways to keep the mattresses cleaner and safer with new improved covers.  Materials get replaced regularly based on their durability. According to Royal Hospitality Services, blankets see 36 uses on average, bath mats 40, mattress pads 52, and sheets 60. A major part of the wear and tear on those items comes from washing them, rather than guest use.

One seemingly invisible trouble in the vacation rental industry is the unnecessary loss of materials. For example, replacement towels appear in rentals at no cost to guests, causing many people to assign those towels little to no value. In actual fact, hotels and especially independent rental owners are putting a lot of money into those items. Regardless, guests still use them to soak up hair dye, remove makeup, or even polish shoes, oblivious to the financial struggle created to keep up with supplies.

Mattresses, more than any other item, receive high scrutiny. No one wants to sleep in a dirty space. Most of the information on cleanliness we located on the rental industry suggests that the neglected places are often those where guests frequently put their hands. Knobs, switches, and remotes top the list. When those are clean, you are in good shape. Following on that is mattress comfort. Subjectivity plays a major role in the evaluation of comfortable mattresses. Does a mattress need to be replaced because one guest found it uncomfortable? That would be foolish of the rental owner. However, if multiple guests comment about a rock-hard mattress or one with a sag, then it’s time to take action. The best way to handle both cleanliness and comfort is to replace the mattresses sooner rather than later.

It might seem brave for us to boldly face this issue, Florida Beach Rentals being a renter of properties, but we’re feel secure in our position on this one. We want you to feel safe and clean when you stay at any of our units. We have a professional cleaning staff that works seven days a week to ensure our units are up to the highest standards. We hire only licensed cleaners and, when those professionals are done, our cleaning managers follow up with an inspection. Any flaws found during inspection are cleaned and the cleaning crew involved receives correction on how to improve the cleaning next time. We’re tough on them, but the result is an ethically run cleaning department that gets the job done right.

We also stay in constant contact with our rental owners, advising them when items like mattresses and sofas need to go. It can be frustrating for a rental owner to learn a mattress only a few years old must be replaced, but sometimes that’s what needed.

We apply the same standards to our linens for bed and bathroom. When stains won’t wash out or cloth begins to fray, it’s time for new ones. Unlike hotel rooms, we make sure the kitchens are stocked with utensils and cookware. Whether or not a rental has all the necessary cookware extends into the realm of subjectivity. A vacation rental will rarely have all the cookware that a lived-in home will have. Cooking basics are covered, however, even if those specialty items like woks or waffle irons are not.

While hotels and vacation rentals vary greatly, the need for material upkeep and cleanliness will never diminish. When added to personal, friendly service, they are cornerstones to the industry.

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