Amenities for serviced apartments

Think in weeks, not nights

A hotel guest uses a miniature set in a night or two. A serviced-apartment guest staying three weeks needs bath products to last, and will notice when they run out. Cleaning frequency is often weekly or on request, so there may be no daily restock.

Plan quantity by length of stay band. For example, a stay under a week gets a starter set; a stay of one to four weeks gets larger bottles or a refill point; a longer stay gets a restock schedule in the welcome pack.

Record each apartment's stay length at check-in so housekeeping knows which units need a mid-stay top-up and which can wait until departure.

Choose bigger formats

Small miniatures make little sense for a long stay. Consider larger pump bottles or refillable containers that guests can use for weeks. A fixed dispenser in the shower combined with a bathroom-sink pump gives enough product without constant replacement. See the range of refill systems and how bulk containers refill them.

Housekeeping then checks levels at each visit and tops up from a larger container, instead of swapping part-used bottles.

Beyond the bathroom

Apartment guests also expect basic supplies for the kitchen and laundry:

Dish soap and a sponge
Hand soap at the kitchen sink
Laundry detergent sachets or a refill
Bin liners and a few cleaning basics

These are not glamorous, but missing items are a common complaint in reviews of apartment stays. Put them on a checklist, separate from the bathroom set.

Laundry supplies deserve particular care. Pre-measured sachets avoid overdosing and spills, and a clear note on how to use the machine reduces repair calls.

A worked example: 30 apartments

Illustrative only. Suppose 30 apartments average a 12-night stay. If each stay uses one large refillable bottle of shampoo and body wash, you buy bulk containers instead of 12 or more miniatures per stay per product. Multiply across a year of turnovers and the difference in handling time, packaging and storage becomes large.

Ask your supplier to size the bulk container to your turnover, so you are not storing more than you need.

The welcome pack

First impressions in an apartment are set by what is on the counter. A small welcome pack with the first day's essentials, a note on where extras are kept and a way to ask for more reduces calls to the front desk. Include slippers if floors are tiled, and consider a kit for guests arriving late at night when shops are closed.

Common mistakes

Treating apartments like hotel rooms and stocking miniatures. Forgetting kitchen and laundry basics. No clear route for guests to request more. Different scent in the kitchen and bathroom. Fix these four and complaints about running out usually fall.

One more consideration is the guest who arrives for a short stay in a unit normally rented by the month. Keep a small starter set ready so the apartment does not feel under-supplied, and swap to the long-stay format when the booking extends.

If an apartment is empty for a few days, check dispensers and replace any product that has been open and unused for a long time.

Cleaning visits and stock control

Because cleaning is less frequent, each visit must catch problems. Give housekeepers a short apartment checklist covering bathroom products, kitchen basics, laundry supplies, towels and paper goods. They tick as they go, and top up from a trolley.

Keep a par level for each apartment type: studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom. A two-bedroom with four people uses more than a studio with one, so a flat per-apartment order will fail. Count usage for a month, then adjust.

Ask guests what they would like more of in the feedback form. In long stays, small things such as a second hand soap, a kitchen sponge or extra bin liners matter more than decorative items.

If you operate several buildings, keep the same bathroom range across all of them. Guests who move between apartments in your group will notice, and your purchasing becomes simpler. A set of amenity kits can serve as a standard arrival pack across the portfolio.

Questions on this topic

Do serviced apartments need miniatures?

Rarely. Larger or refillable formats suit long stays better, though a miniature set can work as a starter for short stays.

How often should bath products be restocked?

At each housekeeping visit, based on level. Weekly cleaning means each fill must last at least that long.

What should go in a long-stay welcome pack?

First-day essentials, instructions for requesting more, and basics for arrival late at night such as soap and a towel.

Keep reading

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