Facecloths/washcloths ??

[mbb]

This question surfaced on another thread, and it's one I've often wondered myself...thanks, mareed

..."Having said that... Can any owners chime in and share what the deal is with not having adequate washcloths and hand towels? In most of the places we've stayed there are either few or no washcloths and hand towels. I just don't get it! I've added them to my packing list, but it sure seems like these should be part of the basic items included with the place!

Thanks for any insight, owners

 

[Sunresortvillas]

As an owner, I am happy to answer your question.

It doesn't matter HOW MANY washcloths or handtowels we put into our homes they almost always totally disappear which means that on a very regular basis we have to replenish with fresh supplies.

The rental market is also very different according to which part of the world you come from, my US guests for eg, expect washcloths, whereas I have never once been asked for washcloths by any of my UK guests.

 

[5mins2disney]

Regardless of whether or not guests use these....the Osceola County Hotel inspector has something to say about this....it's a LAW that you HAVE to have a minimum number of certain items in a rental home, and the LAW/CODE states that you MUST provide a certain mimimum number washcloths, bath towels, hand towels, per guest the unit can hold.

Occupancy codes allow 2 guests per bedroom plus 2 additional guests if you have a pullout sofa...so in the case of a 3 bedroom that means a max of 8 guests.

This means 16 towels, 16 washcloths, 16 hand towels, and they DO occasionally inspect and levy steep fines if a home is found to be in noncompliance with the hotel codes (homeowners are required to have a license).

The following note was recently posted on one of the homeowner's forums which was sent out by one of the mgmt companies to all of their owners, they had just had a home inspected by the county and been fined (not my MC or home by the way!). The other homeowner posted it to give the rest of us the heads up:

Yesterday we had a random inspection carried out at one of our Managed homes by Dee O'Bryan on behalf of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and as a result we need to ensure that all of your homes comply with the various codes.

Below are some of the violations that we found to be common in a number of homes. These need to be fixed before May 29th. I know there are a few of you over before then and will be more than happy to make the changes yourself, however, we will have to check the changes have been made, so please do not be offended.

Common Violations observed by Ms O'Bryan
a.. The Pool alarms need to be 85 decibels, and not as currently used a window alarm.
b.. Any ground floor windows facing onto the pool deck need to have window alarms
c.. Any other patio doors facing onto the pool pool deck need to either have a proper pool alarm or have a key locking bolt
d.. The pool area needs to have the depth markers either on the lanai or on the deck and have the correct pool signs
e.. We must put a note inside the guest book asking for the guest to put their name, address and telephone number
f.. No BBQs are allowed to be lit in the Lanai either gas or charcoal, the fire service issues fines of $1500 if caught
g.. Fire extinguishers - Your fire extinguishers need to be mounted at least 4 inches and less than 5ft off the ground
h.. Exits: obstructions, exit signs, emergency lights - your emergency light needs to be tested and fixed if necessary, if you do not have an emergency light one needs to be installed
i.. Proper locking devices: front door - you MUST have a secondary locking device on the front door.
j.. Bedding: bed linens, towels: You must have the following:
a.. Towels, 2 bath, 1 hand, 1 face cloth for each of the guests to the maximum occupancy (number of bedrooms x 2, plus 2 ONLY if you have a sofa or roll away bed). Plus 2 bath mats for each bathroom.
b.. Bed Linen, you must have mattress protectors on each bed, pillow protectors for each pillow and 2 sets of linens for each bed (including sofa/ roll away bed) k.. You MUST have a guest book
l.. Licenses and floor plans must be on the wall behind the front door.
m.. There are certain signs that must be put up on the wall next to the telephone - emergency numbers and details of surcharges if any, we will take care of these.
n.. Any unnecessary 'signs' should be removed and placed in the guest book if necessary, we will again take care of this.
This list is not exhaustive and there may well be more items we find when we do the individual inspections.

Of course I hear you all groan that this is going to cost you money and yes I am afraid it is however, we will recycle the window alarms currently used on the patio doors and use them on the window, and will keep the costs to a minimum. We will have completed our own inspections by early next week and you will all have an individual 'quote' on the total cost. Believe me this is the last thing we wish to be spending our time on.

Not to labour the point, these things are non-negotiable, your home will have it's license withdrawn if the code is not complied with and you will not be able to have any paying guests.

Please feel free to contact Ms Dee O'Bryan if you have any questions relating to the inspection and she will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

obryand@bellsouth.net

 

[isla bonita]

Mary Beth

All of the homes are owned individually. Even though there are laws not all will abide.

Sunresortvillas you mentioned that the towels disapear your man/co should charge the rentor who has decided they needed them. Most people take a deposit for just this reason.

George I am with you. I am down twice a year and go thu each peice of linen. It is a working vacation. Any towels stained or torn need to be removed. My guests pay a good price and they should expect what they paid for. I feel that is just regular wear and tear.

I can't imagine not having serviceable linens throughout the home. We have a pool and we provide pool towels. It just seems like the right thing to do.

 

[deejay-55]

Call the owner's management co and they (should) supply any missing items for you.

 

[mbb]

Thanks everyone

We've stayed in a number of homes, and always had pick up a $5 pack of facecloths on our "stock up" trip to WalMart or Target..laundry detergent, bathroom tissue, and facecloths

One home had none.
LOTS of towels and handtowels, but no facecloths.
We assumed the previous renters *really* liked them

For the first time, last Christmas, the home we stayed in had a ton of facecloths - even Mickey ones

Good suggestion on contacting the mc, deejay-55 I never thought of that.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Per the info listed by George from regulatory bureau: What is the restriction on the grills. Did I understand it correctly that they are not to be in the pool area? I believe the home we rented last time did have a gas grill in the lani area. It was very nice to have and of course we were very careful using it. Are these not allowed? If they are allowed, where do they have to be? TIA Grammy

 

[5mins2disney]

Per the info listed by George from regulatory bureau: What is the restriction on the grills. Did I understand it correctly that they are not to be in the pool area? I believe the home we rented last time did have a gas grill in the lani area. It was very nice to have and of course we were very careful using it. Are these not allowed? If they are allowed, where do they have to be? TIA Grammy

FL State law says you cannot use a grill inside a covered pool lanai. It's a HUGE fine if you get caught! They need to be moved outside of the lanai / pool area while you're grilling...makes sense, imagine the screens going up in flames.

I learned this after our last trip I'm embarrassed to say when I was grilling inside our lanai, woops!

 

[mareed]

Regardless of whether or not guests use these....the Osceola County Hotel inspector has something to say about this....it's a LAW that you HAVE to have a minimum number of certain items in a rental home, and the LAW/CODE states that you MUST provide a certain mimimum number washcloths, bath towels, hand towels, per guest the unit can hold.

j.. Bedding: bed linens, towels: You must have the following:
a.. Towels, 2 bath, 1 hand, 1 face cloth for each of the guests to the maximum occupancy (number of bedrooms x 2, plus 2 ONLY if you have a sofa or roll away bed). Plus 2 bath mats for each bathroom.
b.. Bed Linen, you must have mattress protectors on each bed, pillow protectors for each pillow and 2 sets of linens for each bed (including sofa/ roll away bed) [/I]

Thanks for posting this! Now I'll feel justified next time if/when I need to call the management company to ask for more towels. I've probably stayed in about 10 different individually owned homes/condos/townhomes and at the most we've had 1 bathmat for 3 bathrooms. Two per bathroom would be great! I usually end up putting a bath towel down for this purpose.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

George, DH said that he did use the grill outside of the pool area. I didn't remember that. I guess because he was doing the cooking and clean up! Thanks for the info. Grammy

 

[Echo queen]

I picked up wash cloths today for my trip