Requirement to wash towels?

[sjanus]

I would have expected the owner to bring a supply of freshly laundered towels to the unit, instead of having to stay there and wash them all.

As a maid at a ski resort, we drove all around with a van filled with towels. We'd go in, strip the beds, take out all the dirty linen, and stock the bathrooms with the ones we'd brought.

Duffy,

A ski resort is not the same as a short term rental property. In a resort such as the one you mention, you have a central cleaning service, laundry service and daily cleaning is included. Short-term rentals are privately owned self-catering properties. There's not a central laundry service or a daily cleaning service included. Your rental cost includes exit cleaning, sometimes for a weekly rental or more owner covers the exit clean, for shorter rentals guest covers it, at least that is the usual. However, as others have mentioned, not to say you cannot hire from the management company a daily maid service or a mid-stay clean where they would launder the towels for you, change your sheets, etc. Some do opt for this additional service while others don't mind straightening up, dishes, washing some towels, etc.

You don't have to stay there and wash towels all day long....not the expectation at all. As the previous poster has mentioned, you should have at least 2 sets of towels per person, 16 sets for a unit that has a maximum of 8 persons. Some will have more than that. It is your choice how often you want to wash the towels. It is just the expectation that you don't dirty every towel in the unit (all 16 sets in a maximum 8 bed, or 24 sets if they have 3 per person for instance). This could incur an extra charge for excessive laundry. Most people just wash some in the middle of the week or wash a load or two the night before they leave.

You may want to stay in a condo hotel rather than a short term rental resort. Here they change your towels daily and have daily housekeeping included. Short term rentals aren't for everybody and that's okay, too! There is a certain amount of upkeep when you rent a private self-catering home. You are expected to take care of it as you would your own. At least keep it tidy, wash some towels during your stay, and run the dishwasher daily.
None of this takes a lot of time, and I personally don't mind as I like the privacy and individuality of a short-term rental rather than a condo hotel resort where everything is uniform and much the same.

Sandy

 

[duffy]

Yes, I agree. I don't think a short-term rental resort is for us. I really appreciate the input, though!!

 

[tiggerbaby]

In the home we stayed in, we were not expected to wash the towels (at least I don't think so) and I did not get a bill after charging me for not washing them.

We had tons of towels in the home and at the end of our stay, we just threw all the dirty towels into the tub.

So looks like it just depends on the homeowner and/ or management company.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I see that vacationcentralflorida.com has updated their website and now states that guests are not required to wash any towels before leaving, let alone wash all towels because they pay a cleaning fee and that's what it's for. So happylittlefamily's suffering may have spared the rest of us from a similar fate.

I don't mind starting a load when I leave, but the requirement to wash and dry all towels prior to leaving is extreme as was required by Southern Style Property Management. I'm glad the owners and/or Dave Robinson have made an official statement on this as it had me quite worried. They've also added a 100% cleanliness satisfaction policy on their website that eases my mind a bit.

 

[duffy]

Yay!

 

[happylittlefamily]

I am actually getting ready to post an update thread regarding my WH rental situation and it discusses both the new laundry policy and the cleanliness guarantee. To avoid posting duplicate info, you might want to check it out...

Erica