Guide
Amenity inventory control that doesn't need software
You can control amenity stock with a clipboard, a pen and a weekly habit. Software helps later, but the discipline comes first.
Four sheets are enough
Most hotels can run amenity stock with four documents: a stock card for each item, a daily issue sheet, a receiving note and a weekly count sheet. Print them, keep them in a folder in the store, and make sure every movement leaves a trace.
- Stock card: item, unit, opening balance, receipts, issues, balance.
- Issue sheet: date, floor, quantity, who took it, who signed.
- Receiving note: date, supplier, quantity, condition.
- Count sheet: physical count against the card balance.
Keep the sheets simple enough for the store keeper to fill in during a busy morning. If a form takes five minutes per issue, it will be skipped. Pre-print item names, leave space for only the fields you actually use, and keep a stack of blank copies beside the folder.
Set a par level for every item
A par is the quantity you want on hand. Work it out from daily use and delivery time. For example, if a hotel uses 120 soaps a day and a delivery takes 10 days, with a safety buffer of 4 days, the par is 120 x 14 = 1,680 soaps. The reorder point could be the quantity needed for lead time plus buffer. Replace these illustrative numbers with yours, and review them each season.
Review pars each quarter against actual usage. A par set in a low season will be too small in a high one, and an old par for a discontinued item wastes space. Mark changes with a date and the reason on the stock card.
The weekly count
Choose one day and one time, say Tuesday after the morning issue. Two people count together: the store keeper and a supervisor. Compare the count with the stock card balance. Differences go on the sheet with a short reason.
Do not hide small differences. A handful of units gives you a baseline for normal variation. A sudden jump tells you to look closer.
Rotate the counters occasionally. Fresh eyes spot problems a regular pair may overlook, and rotation protects the people doing the counting from any suggestion of covering for each other. Sign and date every count sheet, and file them in date order so an audit takes minutes.
Separate the store from the floors
Floor pantries should hold only the quantity for a day or two. Large amounts on floors invite loss and make counts messy. Issue from the main store against a signed sheet, and recount floor stock on the weekly day too.
Seal the main store when it is unattended and limit keys to named people. Record who holds each key. This is less about suspicion than about being able to answer questions afterwards with confidence.
Simple red flags
- Issues rising while occupancy is flat.
- One floor consistently using more than others.
- Receiving notes without a matching invoice.
- Stock cards with corrections but no initials.
Look at these every month. Our article on shrinkage covers causes in more detail.
Compare your figures with what you purchased. If the cards show 1,000 units received but the invoices say 1,200, you have either a receiving problem or a paperwork problem. Either way, you now know where to look.
When to move to software
If you have several stores, multiple properties or hundreds of items, a spreadsheet or an inventory app is worth the effort. The paper discipline then carries over: the same fields, the same weekly count, the same signatures. Start with the method; software only speeds it up.
When you do move to software, test it alongside the paper system for a month. If the two disagree, you will find out whether the fault lies in the software set-up or in the habit, before you retire the sheets.
Link inventory to ordering
Use the stock card to set reorder points and send an order when the balance reaches them. Our guide to products and pack sizes shows carton quantities you can use to round orders sensibly. If you want to confirm a pack size before ordering, request samples.
Review the system once a year: which sheets are really used, which fields are always blank, and what questions you could not answer from them.
Questions on this topic
How often should we count amenities?
Weekly for fast-moving items and monthly for slow movers is a common rhythm.
Who should do the count?
Two people together, ideally one from the store and one from outside it.
Is a spreadsheet enough?
Yes, if it follows the same discipline as the paper sheets.
Keep reading
- Setting up the housekeeping trolley for amenities
- How much time restocking takes per room and how to cut it
- Training housekeeping staff on amenity standards
- Amenity shrinkage: what is normal and what is not
- How to stock an Airbnb bathroom
- Hospital and clinic bathroom amenities: what to consider
- Gym locker room amenities: a practical checklist
Looking for supply? See Hotels & resorts, browse the product range or request samples.