More are my guests being unreasonable?

[stayathomegardener]

I run a holiday cottage in the UK, sleeps 4 and is next to our house.

Currently have two guests staying so provided the usual 4 bath sheets when they arrived yesterday.
I received this message this morning:

Hi T*,do you have some hand towels and face cloths that you could leave for us. We will leave bath towels outside for you after use for washing and return if that's ok as we use clean towels each night,thanks."

The hand towels and face cloths are not an issue I can give them some of ours and perhaps should consider providing them anyway but daily washing/drying two bath sheets is that reasonable?

For full disclosure the listing states that there is use of a washing machine next door (in our house) and I always say to guests just let me know if you would like me to put any washing on for you.
Tempted to say help yourself to it but really don't want to have to let them in here (tidy up!)
I have yet to respond...

They abu. If I rented a holiday cottage I would accept whatever is in it and would never think it came with a washing service
CF

I was going to say that they were being unreasonable until I got to the bit where you offer to do washing for them. If you offer, I think it's perfectly reasonable of them to ask for it to be done and it's not up to you to specify how much or how often.

Obviously it's completely unreasonable to have clean towels every day... but you may have to find a way...

Maybe offer to wash once, direct them to washing machine for further washes (gives you time to tidy then).

And yes I'd expect hand towels as standard.

Oh and, I would expect hand towels to be provided along with bath towels, but not face cloths.

One of my huge bugbears in staying in hotels / cottages is how inconsistently towels are given out. In some places, just one bath towel. In others, a full bath sheet plus hand towels and flannels etc.

Saying that, I wouldn’t expect new bath towels every day from a cottage but one bath towel per person and nothing else is a bit stingy

If there is no laundry facility within the property then you need to provide fresh towels daily. If there's two of them then obviously they're going to need two towels every day?!

Get yourself to B&M or Poundstretcher.

How long are they staying?

Hand towels are a must. You offered washing so I do feel there you can’t really call them U when you offered the washing service. They definitely don’t need clean towels every day though, waste of a wash.

Whilst I do think it's wasteful to want clean bath towels every day, I do think you've left yourself open to it by stating the use of a washing machine and offering to do some washing for them. Some people will clearly want to use this service more than others. So I don't actually think they are being unreasonable in this instance.

Because you've previously offered I would do it this once then direct them to the washing machine. But hereafter state on listing clean towels provided at start of let, washing machine available for use.

Also who changes all towels everyday!!

If there is no laundry facility within the property then you need to provide fresh towels daily. If there's two of them then obviously they're going to need two towels every day?! Why? Most self catering places don't, even if they don't have a washing machine.

Id just go along with it this time. Then going forward provide hand towels and put a sign up saying 'towels will be changed every 2 days' or something.

You need a notice like most hotels have in bathrooms these days. Something like "To save the environment and water only request clean towels if absolutely necessary. " No-one needs clean towels every day. After all you are clean after showering etc.

You need to change the info maybe saying bath towels will be washed every second day or something?

And yeah, I’d expect hand towels wherever I was staying!

That’s incredibly wasteful of them!

Maybe a sign about “be kind to the environment and reuse your towels” and give them an airing rack?

I think it is environmentally unsound to was bath towels everyday. In this instant I would carry out their request. But in future all marketing or contracts would state that for environmental reasons towels would be changed every second day unless in exeptional circumstances.

Change towels twice a week. Make it clear on your booking form. But you do need to provide a hand towel and a bath sheet per person. But not 4 bath sheets for two people

I’d expect hand towels. Not face clothes.

And certainly wouldn’t want fresh ones every day, what a bloody waste

Nobody needs clean towels every day or even every other day. How wasteful.

Exceptional reasons - sickness, diarrhoea, period, etc.

If there is no laundry facility within the property then you need to provide fresh towels daily.

Nonsense. You do not need fresh towels daily. Wash less, use more.

If there is no laundry facility within the property then you need to provide fresh towels daily. If there's two of them then obviously they're going to need two towels every day?!

Nobody needs a fresh towel every day. The world is heating up by the second, the ocean is filling with microplastics, production of cotton is a huge contributor to overuse of water (and the clothing and linen industry is a massive global polluter) and MN is telling us that we all have to stay fresh with a new daily bath sheet? I keep a clean house, but some of the product use and overwashing advocated on here really really annoys me. Almost all posters have kids, but many don't seem to give a toss what kind of world they pass on.

Anyway op, I do think hand towels and face washers are standard, daily washing of towels is silly but you might have to do it this time or.get a crappy review...

As a holiday cottage guest, I’d expect a bath towel and a hand towel per person. I’d rather have a bath sheet than a bath towel, and I’m always happy to have a face cloth (a small touch, but thoughtful) - but I wouldn’t expect them.

I wouldn’t expect daily towel change, that’s ridiculous (and massively wasteful), and I might appreciate access to a washing machine, but I probably wouldn’t use it to wash towels if I’m only staying a week.

For full disclosure the listing states that there is use of a washing machine next door (in our house) and I always say to guests just let me know if you would like me to put any washing on for you. Tempted to say help yourself to it but really don't want to have to let them in here (tidy up!)

You offered a washing service and now they want to make use of that service. You are not doing them a favour - just what you said you’d be prepared to do. YABU.