When I started sourcing bed sheets for my own Vacation Rental property, I believed, as many do, that thread count was the gold standard for quality. I thought the best sheets for vacation rental use would need to have a high thread count.
Was I wrong?
A sure way to get a super high thread count (without increasing the price) is by weaving in little bits of short (picks) thread. Many low cost sheet manufacturers and sellers, when targeting the typical consumers, sorry to say, have been using shady marketing tactics.
Why? It’s profitable!
Don’t be tricked into buying what you think are the best sheets, only to learn you’ve been duped.
Not to dismiss superior sheets. Best of the best… are made from fabric woven in Milan Italy, and if they boast Authentic Egyptian Cotton, it will have been cultivated in Egypt. Not always a practical choice for your vacation rental due to the higher price point. Truly authentic Egyptian sheets retail for between $500 and $800 a set.
Be wary of cheats. As with the many ways to boast misleading thread count claims. There are as many touting fake Egyptian cotton sheets.
Guests can be very hard on sheets and you can’t charge the guest’s damage deposit for stained or damaged sheets… well you can I suppose, but be prepared for negative reviews.
Time to start thinking like a hotelier! Damaged sheets are simply a cost of doing business.
Speaking for myself, now after many years as a ‘micro-hotelier’. I retire pillowcases the most, roughly after 10-20 sleeps, next fitted sheets (35-65), and finally the top sheet (75-100). Hence why durability, a decent price, and ease of replenishment are KEY to running a successful Vacation Rental.
More important than thread count is the thread itself. Regardless of price.
A quality 250 thread-count sheet has 125 vertical (warp) threads and 125 horizontal (weft) threads (single ply long staple) woven together within every inch of fabric. In order to triple this number to 750, without increasing the price, some manufacturers twist in short (picks) threads three at a time. This results in a heavier, multi-ply, less breathable sheet that will eventually pill. Not to mention take long to dry.
Best sheets for vacation rental are…
A quality 250 thread count sheet will be single ply and made with long staples. That is durable yet lightweight, quick drying, breathable and won’t pill.
So rather than thread count, look for SINGLE PLY and LONG STAPLES.
Commercial hotel sheets are typically a cotton poly blend. The poly adds durability and reduces shrinkage. They will still wrinkle somewhat, but you can get away without ironing if taken out of the dryer warm.
“We just iron the pillowcases.”
Here’s what most hotels and/or wholesale buyers work with:
180T – 200T Motels, dorms and camps (2-3 star)
250T – 300T Hotels and Resorts (3-5 Stars) “The Sweet Spot”
Any more than 300T does not necessarily offer more of anything except for more fabric. In effect more expensive to buy, replenish and wash.
So if you’re provisioning for your vacation rental property, your best bet is a commercial (what hotels use) grade all white T250 crisp percale sheet.
Do note: Commercial grade hotel industry linens are sold piecemeal by case lots through wholesalers that sell direct to hotels. If you want access to this supply chain without needing to buy in bulk.
Please visit the online shopping store we set up just for VR property owners/managers just like us.
In the USA please visit this link Hotel Bedding USA
CANADIAN’S look HERE Hotel Bedding Canada
Written by:
Lynne Arbuthnot, currently owner at VR Supplies®, Co-owner of Quail’s Inn, and a former supply chain manager and cost controller at WaterPlay®