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462: Hosting Hotline

Introduction and Welcome

Sarah Karakaian: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] Hello, welcome back to another great episode. My name is Sarah Karakaian.

I’m Annette Grant, and together we are

Annette Grant: Thanks

Sarah Karakaian: for Visiting

and this is the hosting hotline. If you wanna get your hosting question answered here on the hosting hotline, go to hosting hosting hotline.com. Ask here on the podcast every Tuesday, and so fun.

Listener Question: Bedding Recommendations

Sarah Karakaian: Today we have a question from Sarah.

Hosting Hotline Caller: This is Sarah with Redwood Cabins. We opened up our Airbnb in October 2024.

In the past six months, we’ve had over 30 guests stay. I would like to know what kind of bedding sheets y’all recommend. We have washed two to three sets of sheets, and I notice they get snagged, and dingy looking. We’ve tried cotton, we’ve tried polyester, we’ve tried bamboo. Wanna find bedding that when I put it on, it doesn’t look [00:02:00] wrinkled and I don’t have to get the sticky thing to remove the little lint off of it. So I’d like to know what kind of bedding y’all recommend that holds up several washes. Thanks so much. I love listening to you guys when I’m working in Redwood cabins. We’re located in Redwood, Mississippi, the first airbnb in this location. Thanks so much.

Sarah Karakaian: I I loved Sarah’s little, little marketing pitch the end. That was so good.

Annette Grant: Yeah, and the first. the first in her area. I like that because we have so that like since there isn’t one, there’s no demand it,

Sarah Karakaian: and clearly 30. In 60

Annette Grant: You got that. So like or six months, I’m like, wow. Oh my a half stay.

Sarah Karakaian: Six, six months.

Annette Grant: Wow. She’s crushing it.

Sarah Karakaian: And um, this topic, Sarah.

Annette Grant: Sticky thing. I love the sticky thing. The lint roller, the lin roller. We’re gonna talk about the lint roller.

Analyzing the Problem: Washer, Dryer, and Water Quality

Annette Grant: Let’s, [00:03:00] actually gonna start not with the sheets. Okay. I am going to start with. Where you are washing and what you are washing them in. Um, sometimes it’s like taking a look at the washer dryer that you’re using, um, age of it, you know what’s going on there. So I always look at the equipment that you’re using for anything. So, um, this is kind of a TFV pro tip if you like, see your cleaners aren’t getting certain things as clean as you want, like. A look at the tools they’re using to clean, like take a look at the vacuum, like, oh was a a hand-me-down. We gave them the vacuum from our house and it’s X years old. Look at the, any, any tools that they’re using, even the, um, the towels, the rags, things like that. Like you really need to inspect, um, the tools and sometimes that can be a culprit.

So [00:04:00] that’s the first thing, Sarah is, um. Your washer dryer that you’re using and then also just, you know, the water in that. I’m not sure in the area, uh, if that has anything to do with, uh, ’cause the word dingy kind of is concerning to me, especially you’ve had.

You know, some guests, but you haven’t been that many changing of beds and for them to get dingy. So I wanna kind of clue in on, try to figure out, pinpoint what um, might be causing, might be causing that.

Sarah Karakaian: And you didn’t share with us what sheets you’re using, which you might not wanna, uh. Put them down or, blast their name to a negative review. So I get that too, but just not sure. I know you said you’ve tried both cotton and, um, uh, the poly blends.

Recommended Bedding Brands and Products

Sarah Karakaian: So Sarah, I’m going to give you two suggestions for betting to try next. But again, like said, the, if the water that you’re washing it and the that you’re using and the

Annette Grant: oh, the detergent. Thanks Sarah. I forgot about that

Sarah Karakaian: [00:05:00] think you kind of mentioned it. And the machines that they’re going if those aren’t going well either, then no matter what cheat you get, it’s gonna, it may not go well. Um, I’ve always, not always, since, uh, I’ve been able to access. Standard textile through host GPO, I’ve used standard textile. It is a company that services Hilton, uh, Marriott Brands. They are built and. Made for hospitality. And so the cool thing, Sarah, is they have both poly blends and cotton. So you could, and they will send you samples and you, so you can try, both of their, their, um, different makes and they are built to withstand a lot of use and a lot of washing and drying. So they have a, they have more of a commercial. to them and they’ve served me quite well. I would get a They have different grades They’ve got, you know, um, [00:06:00] basic, they’ve got a mid brandand and they have a luxury brand too. So depending on what rate you demand for your rental, what your are expecting, I use the middle of the road from mine. Uh, we have, uh. I would say we have middle of the road, short term rentals terms of, you know, um, the value there for the, for the property. But they’re not super highend is guess is what I’m saying. Love them and for years and they come washed, which is super fun. And I will tell you, Sarah, it says very specifically when they send it to me and they’re washed, says Washed with Tide. So I don’t know if you Tide, but I can tell you the standard textile before they send it to their customers, they wash

them for you. At, so they, their bed, they’re ready to put the bed, they wash ’em in Tide

Annette Grant: and then.

Pro Tips for Maintaining Bedding Quality

Annette Grant: We do have an upcoming episode. Please be, um, have your ears open for this one.

And it is with the founder of California designed in, and they are also another sheet supplier. And he goes in depth. I [00:07:00] mean it, the whole episode is about sheets, the care,

Sarah Karakaian: And, um, he had Yeah, it, his and his product is awesome too.

Annette Grant: Sarah, you can also get samples and. Um, sign up for their program.

That’s VIP for short-term rental hosts. And so I would check them out also. And the one thing I really want to just with everyone is there no, like magic bullet.

You are to have to use a lint roller. You’re not gonna just not magically have sheets that you shouldn’t belin rolling. Um, uh, after you make the bed, you’re, there’s going to be, uh.

go over this in the episode a little bit of the, the wrinkling of the sheets. You know, unless you are ironing the sheets. Like my mom, yes, my mom iron sheets and there is nothing alike going bed on sheets the first night after they’ve been ironed. But I just wanna, I think there’s so many hosts, whether it’s the sheets, whether it’s the cleaning, [00:08:00] whether it’s the pricing. Everybody wants this like easy button. I wish, and I get I wish Staples would’ve never made that. Commercial. I, if, if I could take passive income and staples. Uh,

Sarah Karakaian: easy button.

Annette Grant: Easy button,

Sarah Karakaian: because it doesn’t sell. And we’re we’ll just be, and it, and I talk about marketing all like, all the time. And we get it. Like, can’t sell work. No one wants to work. Everyone wants the easy button. So Sarah, we’re not, I’m not shaming you, we’re, we’re blaming you for wanting easier. But we do wanna be very honest with you. And so, Sarah, before we recorded episode, all three of us, so Annette, myself, and our operating Officer Colleen, who worked at Hilton and Marriott Brands for over a decade. And I used to work at a hotel, a high-end luxury hotel, we were going over the process of what we did with our laundry and our, and our bedding. And I can tell you, Sarah, that I. Even high-end luxury hotel with money for days to on all the things. And we had the machines that would, that would iron the sheets. they’re these giant machines that you put sheets and [00:09:00] get them really flat and crispy, but by the time you take them up to the room, the first thing that our, our housekeepers did was vacuum the room.

Annette Grant: This is a this is a huge TFV pro tip right now and explain why you do that.

I was like, whoa.

Sarah Karakaian: ’cause there’s

a lot of, um, dust and hair from the guests that just checked out. And so if you can do before you start cleaning and making the bed and doing all those things, if you can just do a real good vacuum first. Um, if the guest has been in there for a while, you might wanna dust first and then vacuum. But we do that first and then we do vacuum at the end as well. And of course, you never wanna put, not you are Sarah, but never wanna, A lot of people like to throw their bedding on the floor. We try not to do that. Here, because again, it can pick up anything on the floor. If have a throw rug, of that nature. It can pick up those things.

So we wouldn’t do that. And then Sarah, too, another reason why, and if, if you’ve cracked the code and you don’t have to lint roll, and you’ve never gotten a complaint about hair or a

lint on your bed, please, please, please let us know. I still hold out hope. But there are vents in rooms and so if the [00:10:00] vent ever goes off and there is a dust or a hair that is being blown around by the vent that can on, you know what I’m saying? So,

Annette Grant: because even if, I mean, Sarah and I tie our hair, you know, wear our hair back when we make beds, but I’m telling you, I’ve never seen. A cleaner, a turnover pro. Wear a hair net. I know I’m not gonna wear a hairnet when I make the beds,

Sarah Karakaian: but didn, even with my hair, the guest a hair net.

Annette Grant: Yeah, my, even with my hair tied back, it still happens.

Sarah Karakaian: And the guest wear it. One who just checked out.

So anyway, Sarah. I also wanna talk about the, the, the wrinkling. said, we’re gonna talk about it, so it’s not this Thursday’s episode, but following Thursday is when we have, uh, this the founder california Design Den. But if you go to California design and scroll down the page just a little bit. Where they have a, a until rental, VIP program. If sign up for that, Sarah, it’s completely free. Um, you can order a sample of their bedding, so could order that and you could order, um, a few other samples and, and try ’em out like full on, like full on sheets [00:11:00] and fitted and, and wash ’em a few times and see what you like.

But if do cotton. You’re just listen to his episode. It’s really good. But if you do cotton, the trick is take it outta the dryer, before it’s fully dry. Mm. Like just a little bit. You could also put a steamer to the bed once it’s on and try to get the wrinkles out.

Annette Grant: Oh, there you go.

Sarah Karakaian: You could use a poly blend too. And poly blends don’t wrinkle as much, but listen to the episode next Thursday. Science. Yeah, and you might have a change of when it comes to blends.

Annette Grant: Congratulations on your success. If we’re ever in the area, we’ll have to swing

Track2-Mic 4: by. Well,

Final Thoughts and Listener Engagement

Track2-Mic 4: Sarah, email us too. hi@thanksforvisiting.com. Let know what sheets you decided on

and how it’s going.

Annette Grant: And we just love this is, uh, listeners. We do wish we could like meet all of you in person

because I have a feeling that like you’re all the same and like care so much about the guests, that you want them to have super clean sheets [00:12:00] without wrinkles. And so I just love how much you care Oh yeah. About that guest experience.

Sarah Karakaian: Yeah. And once again, you know of a hack or trick could help Sarah, annette, and myself Yeah. Let us know. We are, I am always. One thing I told Annette I wanna do is

Annette Grant: all ears

Sarah Karakaian: go. Just spend like a couple months and just tour a few different housekeeping. Companies or, uh, that, that service, short term rentals to see what tips and tricks they use, ’cause not everything is on youTube Instagram or or TikTok.

Annette Grant: So if you got, you got ’em, let us know.

Sarah Karakaian: Let us know. With that, I am sarah Karakaian.

Annette Grant: I’m Annette grant, and together we are Thanks for Visiting. Talk to you next time. [00:13:00]