Barefoot Technologies Blog- Vacation Rental Industry News

The price of linens is going UP UP UP - Why, and what can you do.

Posted by Adam Zippin on Mar 31, 2011 8:30:00 AM

You may be aware of the fact that the price of linens has recently risen dramatically. Steve Craig of VRHP has the answer to why:



 



“It is a combination of monsoons in Pakistan and India, hail in the panhandle of Texas, gas costs affecting shipping in containers to the USA, riots in Egypt and Libya, and China buying up cotton futures at an alarming rate.” In addition, major shipping companies in the US have just announced a 15% increase to the cost of shipping via truck that will start to take effect in the next few months.



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Can you imagine being a hotel with a $150 a night hotel room rate and providing linens daily, in comparison to the $6,000 a week vacation rental where linens are provided one time?  However, hotels have done this to themselves by providing unlimited linens when clients ask. That is why many hotels have started green programs. Not only is it good for the environment, it is also a way to control costs.  As Vacation Rentals grow and we take hotel clients into our houses we need to really look at our linen programs. While we don’t provide daily linens, it is probably a good idea to start your own green programs because many renters are using the laundry facilities on those linens often with little else in the washer and then baking the linen in the dryer which cuts down on the lifespan of those linens. By reminding clients to be green, you are assisting the owner in keeping his electric cost lower, the wear and tear on the linens and showing that you care about the environment, which is all on our mind recently with the nuclear issues in Japan.



 



As a provider of property management software we are not directly affected by this increase in the price of linens. However, we are concerned for our clients and those in the industry. If you have any additional tips or thoughts on how you have controlled your linen costs, please share them. We also highly recommend the VRHP association. Steve Craig is a wealth of information.