Refilling coffee & supplies for guests

Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 6 votes

Hi, I'm a soon-to-be host and I am wondering how others deal with refills on items that were stocked when the guest arrived. Things like coffee, tea, bottled water (our tap water is really hard and tastes gross), as well as items like toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, dish soap, etc. My property is ideal for longer term guests, up to 6 months, so refilling will come up.

Do you all wait for guests to ask for this service? Or do you proactively refill, sending a message weekly? I live on the same lot, so it's not too much trouble to drop off the supplies.

Thanks in advance.

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Conner Olsen

Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 941 votes

I have a MTR in Austin as well and I supply them with about a week's worth of good like TP, paper towels, laundry pods, dishwasher pods, etc. After that it's up to them to get those items.

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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
4y
Our cleaners handle refilling these items. We buy in bulk from Sam's Club or Amazon and keep the bulk items in the locked owner's closet.
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
6 months is not really a STR. Our STRs are either a week or weekends, so restocking is easy. You could just keep a closet stocked and let the guests know where it is......of course you might have some theft, but that has gotta be rare with a typical STR guest.....
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Dominic A.
Property Manager · Nova Scotia · Member since 2021 · 78 posts · 52 votes
4y
We load up the rental prior to arrival and wait for the guest to request anything additional they need. They usually don't ask, most staying that long have an expectation that they'll need to pick up supplies at some point. It's nice to have extra items close by just in case though.

Good idea to make it clear the communication channel is open throughout the stay as well. Most guests staying more than 7 days become pretty self-sufficient but as with any type of property management you'll want to have a plan in place just in case.
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Aaron Poling
Realtor · WV · Member since 2018 · 454 posts · 310 votes
4y
If it is a STR, you should supply those things and have a system for how they can be refilled (a few good ideas above) If it is a longer term rental, I would require the tenants supply their own. You could stipulate that anything under a certain amount of days they will be provided, and over is the responsibility of the tenant.
Good Luck!
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Scott E.
Contractor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2010 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
4y
With my short term rentals, I always provided a "base set" of supplies which was enough coffee, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, propane to get anybody through any average stay.
Nobody ever asked for additional supplies (and I had 3 homes that I ran for 3 years on airbnb).
And even more importantly, never had a review that complained about the stock of these items.
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Dan Maciejewski
Realtor · PInellas County Largo, FL · Member since 2016 · 902 posts · 810 votes
4y
Around here for STRs, usually owners/managers will have it stocked at arrival and let the guests fill up after that. 6 months and a day is long enough to establish residence in our state, so I would not be grocery delivery service for a long term guest. Even mid-term 30-60 day stays should be able to take care of their own toilet paper and coffee!
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Conner Olsen
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 941 votes
4y
I have a MTR in Austin as well and I supply them with about a week's worth of good like TP, paper towels, laundry pods, dishwasher pods, etc. After that it's up to them to get those items.
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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
I tell all my renters that the places are stocked with starting supplies (soap, detergent, cleaning supplies, condoms, condiments, towels, linens, tp, paper towels, etc.). When they run out, they need to purchase their own. They are free to take the supplies they bought when they leave. I figure most people have a particular brand of tp that they like to wipe their butt with.
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Julian S.:

Hi, I'm a soon-to-be host and I am wondering how others deal with refills on items that were stocked when the guest arrived. Things like coffee, tea, bottled water (our tap water is really hard and tastes gross), as well as items like toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, dish soap, etc. My property is ideal for longer term guests, up to 6 months, so refilling will come up.
Do you all wait for guests to ask for this service? Or do you proactively refill, sending a message weekly? I live on the same lot, so it's not too much trouble to drop off the supplies.
Thanks in advance.

We provide certain amenities fresh for every guest. A small amount of coffee to get them through 1-2 days. TP, paper towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. We go above-and-beyond by leaving a box of noodles and some canned spaghetti sauce for a quick meal, some chocolates on the counter, etc. Many guests are driving all day and don't have time to go to the store that first night, so this little step provides a warmer welcome.
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Julian S.
OP
Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 6 votes
4y
Great, thanks everyone for the input. It looks like most people are doing what I had in mind, which is to only provide the initial supply stock.
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Melissa Kirk
Realtor · Portage WI · Member since 2020 · 14 posts · 26 votes
4y
Our cleaners are in charge of restocking those items. I keep a nice stock of everything in a locked closet at each property and they let me know when the stock room needs to be refilled. For a mid-term guest, I give them what I call a "starter pack" with several rolls of toilet paper, paper towels, bags of coffee, tea, tiny laundry soap container, etc. After that, they are purchasing what they need. Not a chance I'm suppling people with toilet paper for months on end!
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Julian S.:

Great, thanks everyone for the input. It looks like most people are doing what I had in mind, which is to only provide the initial supply stock.

For a long(er) term rental like yours, yes. For those of us who turn them over weekly or bi-weekly, they should be fully stocked for each guest when they arrive.....
Yours is not really a Short Term Rental as we think of them, more a Medium Term Rental....
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Robin SimonBusiness Member
Lender · Austin, TX · Member since 2022 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Quote from @Julian S.:

Great, thanks everyone for the input. It looks like most people are doing what I had in mind, which is to only provide the initial supply stock.

For a long(er) term rental like yours, yes. For those of us who turn them over weekly or bi-weekly, they should be fully stocked for each guest when they arrive.....
Yours is not really a Short Term Rental as we think of them, more a Medium Term Rental....

Yup - always important to differentiate between STRs and MTRS - answers to these types of questions will differ a lot between the two!
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Kevin Escobar
Investor · Member since 2021 · 65 posts · 33 votes
4y
If you have a guest staying for a few months it would be considered a MTR and I would not be restocking constantly. I would initially have it set up with everything they need and once they run out of TP, Coffee Etc they can pick up their supplies. STR is a different story, we provide everything they need for their stay and never want to have a guest say they ran out of toilet paper etc.
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