What are the best towels for Airbnb? Towel guide for vacation rentals (2024)

The best towels for Airbnb, a complete guide to towels for your vacation rental! Choosing Airbnb towels can be one of the most decisions for stocking your vacation rental. As you know, the towels at your Airbnb will be used by almost every guest that comes through. There are a lot of options out there as far as quality, size, and color. You want to make sure you are buying the right towels for your Airbnb so they last!

If you are a new Airbnb host or have been a Rockstar host for a while, one thing to know if that the towels will get stained at some point. It is important to have backups of everything but especially the towels for your vacation rental. You always want to make sure that your guests have enough towels while they are on vacation at your property!

In this post, I’m going to be talking all things related to Airbnb towels. I’ve gone through my fair share of purchasing towels for my beach bungalow Airbnb rental and have found the best options out there. Buy quality towels in the right size and color the first time and you’ll save money in the long run!

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Do all Airbnb hosts provide towels?

There are certain areas that are not expected to provide towels or linens. The vast majority of Airbnb owners will 100% need to provide towels. Although there are some areas around the jersey shore that don’t leave towels or bed linens for guests but everywhere else I have stayed or hosted, towels are provided.

Just like a hotel, there should be enough towels for every guest. My rule of thumb as a Superhost is 2 towels per guest!

Don’t leave all of your towels out for every guest. Your cleaning company should be aware of how many guests are staying and how many towels to leave out. I have made this mistake in the past and have gotten towels stolen or guests have ruined all of them at once.

What color towels are best for Airbnb rentals?

I will say the same thing about towels that I did in my post about Airbnb sheets…. white towels are 100% the best color.

Using white towels give you the option to bleach them if there are stains. If you buy towels that are stiped or another color, bleach will probably stain them. That’s why I always recommend getting white towels to at least give the chance to bleach.

Bleach will not work 100% of the time but more often than not, it does help remove the stains. Having backup towels in case the stain is not fixable is essential to running an Airbnb remotely.

I started doing this last year (yes, managing an Airbnb from another state) and have had several instances where my cleaners needed to use my backup towels! I was so happy that I stocked up on extra supplies so we were not in a pinch during the turnover.

Where can I buy towels in bulk for my vacation rental?

Whether you are doing your initial stock of your Airbnb bathroom or just purchasing backups, buying in larger quantities can help save you time and money.

TIP: Look at the price per item when trying to buy a bunch at a time. Sometimes the “bulk” prices aren’t as good as you think. If you’re doing an online order, just add multiple items to your order.

Here are my go-to online marketplaces to buy bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths in bulk.

• Amazon
• Wayfair
• Serena & Lily (for luxury towels)
• Home Depot

What size towels are best for Airbnb?

There are several different bath towel sizes to choose from. It’s important to understand how many of each size you will need to stock in your Airbnb.

Standard towel sizes that you can find at almost any retailer or online store like Amazon.

• Wash cloths – 12″ x 12″
• Hand towels – 17 x 30″
• Bath towels – 27″ x 54″
• Bath sheets – 35″ x 70″
• Extra large bath sheets – 40″ x 80″

Wash cloths are used by guests to bathe in the shower or to remove makeup from your face

Hand towels can be supplied in each bathroom to use after guests wash their hands

Bath towels are the standard in any hotel or vacation rental. 28″ x 54″ is a normal size.

Bath sheets are a little larger and a premium option. I personally use bath sheets in my own home.

For a more luxurious feel in your Airbnb bathroom, provide guests with bath sheets and a eucalyptus shower spray – they will feel like they’re at the spa!

My Airbnb towel recommendations! (the towels I actually buy)

Should I provide a towel rack for my guests?

You should definitely provide a towel rack for your guests to use. If you don’t they will be leaving their wet towels all over the floor or hanging them on your wood doors. This will lead to damages.

Provide a simple solution for them to hang their bath towels and hand towels once they’re done in the shower and bathroom. Depending on your specific bathroom layout, you can use a mounted towel rack or an over the door towel rack.

If there is truly not enough space in your Airbnb bathroom, you can also put towel racks in the bedrooms.

How can I avoid getting makeup stains on the towels I provide to guests?

Yes, the ladies will probably want to remove their makeup before bed. If they forgot to pack their own makeup remover wipes, the next best option is using the wash cloths in the bathroom.

To avoid getting stains on your white washcloths, provide separate black makeup washcloths that can be just for removing makeup!

This is the only scenario that I would recommend getting black washcloths for. There are even black washcloths that say MAKEUP on them so guests will know what they’re for.

Another way to let guests know what washcloths to use for removing makeup is to put a cute makeup sign in the bathroom! Guests will appreciate the thoughtful touches and be more inclined to not ruin all of your white washcloths.

Do I need to provide hand towels for guests?

I would recommend providing at least 2 hand towels for guests to use in your Airbnb bathroom. I have gotten feedback before on wanting even more hand towels. By leaving extras in the kitchen and the bathroom at my Airbnb, I haven’t had anyone else ask for more.