If you’re glamping…

[ZestofCoffee]

Do you expect the host to provide towels?

I have a glamping place at home. This is my third year and I am wondering if we should make changes to how we host.

YABU - provide towels, it’s standard for this sort of thing.
YANBU - I usually expect to bring towels.

I have two glamping sites. Yes I provide towels.

I see it as if I was providing Airbnb, B&B or a hotel room. No one wants to be carting damp towels around with them.

Towels are nice, but as long as it is made clear in your information and reflected in the price, not a deal breaker

For glamping I’d expect towels if bedding is provided. The two tend to go together.

A lot of glamping places offer the option of paying extra for a towels and toiletries pack rather than just including them, which I prefer. A towel is easy enough for me to bring from home so if the owner is going to be bumping up their accommodation prices significantly to include providing things like towels, I’d rather have the choice.

I provide towels for my shepherd's hut.

When I had my glamping yurts I took the view that it was “glamorous camping” and provided plenty of good towels, and proper beds too. I think if you’re taking more than your food drink and clothes it’s just camping! Give them towels, a lot of people will find it a reason to book somewhere else otherwise.

Thanks everyone 😊I have always given towels - the impending two machines of wash per change was making re consider. I will continue to do so.

Yes I agree the laundry is a burden! And the fancier the towels the longer to dry them! Sorry to imply you don’t leave them, I misunderstood. Hope you have a good summer x

If there is a self contained bathroom... yes.
If its communal shower block type thing... no.

We hire our towels and bed linen from a linen hire place. £1.20 each. No way I'm fannying around with washing drying and ironing.

Can you do that?

Linen hire is a good call actually & I think I might have done that if I’d continued. As it was I had two washing machines and two tumble dryers (if I line dried it the house martins shat on it)

I think the provision of towels and bedding is probably one of the things that separates glamping from camping, so yeah, I think most glampers would expect it.

I’ve heard of these services and couldn’t find one locally. Could you PM me who you use? Maybe it will help me find the right one! I have a nightmare finding cleaners willing to iron the sheets and end up doing it myself, which is fine but have FT commitments and children also so always looking to optimise.

Not at all - I always feel obliged to put the towels in the dryer too so they’re fluffy. With electricity bills rising I’m finding the costs making it less and less profitable. I reckon we are on £15 per night usage when factoring in the guests usage and the extra washing. Then cleaner is £30 if I can get one (I pay extra to incentivise them)…

It depends what you mean by glamping. If you are providing a high end experience, with bedding provided, welcome basket, etc. then yes. If you are one of those people renting out a bell tent in your field on Airbnb, maybe not necessarily depending on how you have marketed it (I personally wouldn't call this glamping, but other people do). I have been to Airbnbs that didn't provide towels and that was fine, as long as I knew in advance. I think it's a bit odd not to though if you are providing other bedding, why not towels?

Yes you’re right

Yes it's glamping I want it to be a hotel in a field.

Hang the towels then tumble, all the fluff and a fraction of the tumble.

I don't tumble dry my towels. I've never had anyone mention it.

Yes, definitely

Yes agree towels are needed.

We hired a cottage in North Yorkshire last year. The towels had obviously been line-dried and totally not fluffy - just how I like a clean towel to be!

But yes, do continue to provide towels, whether line or tumble dried. It's what I would expect.

It wouldn't be very glamorous if you had to bring your own towels would it?

I know what you’re saying and agree.

I do think we offer alot more than many places I have visited.

So my kitchen is really well equipped. I leave tea, coffee, sugar, salt and pepper. I used to
leave a few other bits (and family/friends use the space too) but one guest took offence and binned the lot citing it was unhygienic to have opened products - think oil for cooking, margarine. Nothing that would contaminate her own food. What I’ve learnt is that each guest offers constructive feedback about what they’d like to see but very few are consistent. So it’s very much personal taste.

Lots of guests have said the bed is too small so we’ve upgraded that this year.

Point taken though, the towels shall remain 😃

@ZestofCoffee I'd love to let you know the linen hire place but I live in NZ! Probably not helpful!

Try googling Airbnb linen hire. For example

https://www.airlinen.co.uk/pricing?gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwouexBhAuEiwAtWWZx6i4Buzg6et8nfj8XoYcQDGy5CdT8gceIuoQf9G99zsylDFtMdA3BoCp7gQAvDDBwE

Seriously I couldn't do it without the linen hire. The idea of laundering all those towels and sheets, drying...ironing. Faaark no!