Running a short-term rental comes with plenty of moving parts, but inventory is one of those things that can quietly make or break your guest experience. There are really two pitfalls to watch out for. First, stock-outs that leave guests frustrated and likely to mention it in reviews. Second, overstock that ties up cash and fills closets with clutter you don’t need.
The good news is that with a bit of automation, you can dodge both problems. Think fewer last-minute store runs, a smoother and more reliable stay for guests, and an easier path to scaling if you manage more than one property. The aim is a simple system that tells you what to buy, when to buy it, and which unit needs it most. Below, we’ll dig into how to build that system step by step.
What to Stock: The Baseline, Straight From Platform Guidance
Before diving into systems and automation, it helps to get clear on what you actually need to keep on hand. Airbnb’s own amenity guidance highlights the essentials that modern guests expect: fresh linens and towels, reliable Wi-Fi, a well-equipped kitchen, coffee and tea supplies, toiletries, and basic safety gear. Think of these as your non-negotiables, the starting line for every property.
From there, it’s useful to group your consumables into categories. Bathrooms need toilet paper, soap, and shampoo. Kitchens and pantries should have dish soap, trash bags, and paper towels. Laundry and cleaning closets often require detergent and surface sprays. Bedrooms may call for extra pillows and blankets. Welcome items, like snacks or bottled water, and little “guest-experience boosters” such as board games or local guides, can take a stay from good to memorable.
Finally, match this baseline to the size and type of your unit. A studio catering to quick weekend trips will stock differently than a large home set up for family vacations. The length of stay matters too, since longer bookings usually call for higher par levels of the same basics.
Quick Category Checklist
- Bathroom: Stock toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, tissues, and consider feminine products for guest convenience.
- Kitchen / Pantry: Include dish soap, sponges, paper towels, trash bags, coffee, tea, sugar, and basics like cooking oil.
- Laundry / Cleaning: Keep laundry detergent, fabric softener, all-purpose cleaners, surface sprays, and vacuum bags ready.
- Bedroom: Have extra linens, pillows, blankets, and hangers available. An alarm clock is a thoughtful touch.
- Welcome Items: Small extras like bottled water, snacks, or local treats make guests feel cared for.
- Experience Boosters: Add fun or useful touches such as board games, books, local guides, umbrellas, or seasonal items like portable fans or heaters.
Build Your Inventory Model (Simple Math That Scales)
Managing supplies doesn’t need to be complicated. The first step is setting PAR levels, which are the target quantities you want on hand for each item in every unit. The second step is identifying reorder points, which are the minimum levels that trigger a restock. A simple formula looks like this:
Reorder Point = Average Daily Use × Lead Time
For example, if a unit goes through two rolls of toilet paper per stay and you want a cushion for longer bookings, you might set the PAR level at 8 rolls and the reorder point at 3. Once a cleaner sees you’re down to 3, it’s time to replenish.
To make life easier, translate PARs into “per stay” numbers. This helps cleaners count faster and keeps the system consistent. If you manage multiple properties, consider a buffer bin for your entire portfolio. This shared stash absorbs sudden spikes in demand without throwing your system off balance.
Choose Your Operating System: Checklists + Tracking
A good inventory system for short-term rentals doesn’t need to be complicated. The key is to combine checklists with simple tracking so nothing slips through the cracks.
Start with turnover checklists that double as inventory counters. Your cleaners can tick off quantities during each clean, which gives you real-time visibility into what’s running low. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel either. Reputable resources like Lodgify’s cleaning checklist or Safely’s vacation rental checklist provide printable and app-based templates you can adapt for your own units.
Next, create a digital source of truth in Airtable or Google Sheets. Each item should have its own row with details such as SKU, PAR level, reorder point, unit location, vendor, and unit cost.
Finally, make tracking easier with labeling and storage hacks. Use bin labels, shelf maps by room or closet, and the simple two-bin Kanban method so cleaners know exactly when it’s time to restock.
Tools That Automate the Busywork (and How They Fit Together)
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to manage supplies more smoothly. A growing set of tools can take the counting, reminding, and even ordering off your plate. The key is knowing which category fits your style of hosting.
Ops and cleaning platforms with inventory features
Tools like Turno give you real-time supply counts during turnovers and low-stock alerts so you never get caught off guard. Breezeway, Properly, and Operto Teams also offer inventory tracking when paired with their broader operations features. These are great if you want inventory to live inside the same platform that manages cleaners, checklists, and scheduling.
Standalone inventory apps
If you run multiple units or share supply closets, a dedicated tool such as AirSupply can make more sense. These platforms focus on expense controls, purchase tracking, and portfolio-level insights that ops software does not always handle well.
All-in-one host tools
Finally, it helps to keep an eye on the latest host tool lists for 2025. They highlight where your tech stack might already cover guest messaging, pricing, or operations and where a focused inventory solution could fill a gap.
No-Code Automations You Can Set Up in an Afternoon
You don’t need a developer or fancy custom software to keep your rentals stocked. A few no-code tools like Zapier, Airtable, and your existing property management system can do the heavy lifting for you.
- Cleaner to stock alert: Set up your turnover checklist so that when a cleaner marks an item at or below its reorder point, Zapier automatically posts an alert to Slack or sends you an email. The message can include the SKU, the unit, and even a vendor link so ordering is one click away.
- Auto-ordering options: In Airtable, create a “Replenish” view that shows items where OnHand is less than or equal to the ReorderPoint. From there, trigger an automatic order request or draft purchase order by email. For bonus points, add barcodes or QR codes on storage bins so cleaners can scan items in seconds.
- Monthly spend report: Roll up quantities and costs by unit and by stay. Then, schedule an automatic summary to hit your inbox on the first business day of each month. It gives you a quick snapshot of where your money is going without the headache of pulling reports manually.
Implementation Playbook (30/60/90)
The best way to make inventory automation stick is to roll it out in stages. A steady 90-day plan keeps things manageable and gives you quick wins along the way.
Days 1–30: Start with the basics. Pick your supply categories, set PAR levels, and label storage areas so everything has a clear home. Adopt a single checklist that cleaners can use at every turnover, and begin counting consistently. Using a ready-made template from Lodgify will help you move faster.
Days 31–60: Once the basics are in place, link your checklist to a sheet or Airtable. This is when you can switch on low-stock alerts so you know when supplies are running short. Try piloting one automated order flow for your top 10 items. Hostaway offers good integrations that make this stage easier.
Days 61–90: Now it’s time to refine. Add barcodes or QR codes to your bins for quick scanning. Track your true cost per stay to see where the money goes. Finally, standardize vendor reorders so every unit is on the same schedule and nothing slips through the cracks.
What to Order (and in What Quantities)
Once you know what your baseline amenities are, the next step is figuring out how much of each item to keep on hand. A simple way to do this is by setting PAR levels. For example, you might decide each unit should always have 8 rolls of toilet paper, 2 spare rolls of paper towels, 10 trash liners, 12 coffee pods, 10 dishwasher tabs, and one full set of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. When your stock dips below that number, it is time to reorder.
For many hosts, bulk buying makes sense for items that get used quickly, like toilet paper and trash liners. Subscriptions, on the other hand, work well for predictable items like coffee pods or dish tabs, arriving weekly or monthly so you never run out. Just make sure overflow stays organized in a locked owner closet so guests only see neatly stocked essentials.
The trick is balancing cost savings with guest expectations. Cutting corners on the basics may save a few dollars, but it can easily chip away at the overall experience and lead to negative reviews. A well-stocked rental sends the message that you care about comfort, which pays off in repeat bookings.
Training Your Cleaners & Accountability
Your cleaners are the front line of your inventory system, so the easier you make their job, the more accurate your counts will be. The trick is to keep it simple. Instead of asking them to tally every single item, focus only on the supplies that are most likely to run low. These “at-risk” products can be tracked with a quick two-bin system, where one bin signals it’s time to reorder.
Keep the counts inside the normal turnover checklist rather than adding a separate task. That way, it becomes part of the routine instead of extra work. Many operations tools let cleaners attach photos of closets or supply areas, verify counts, and flag damages or unusual consumption. Platforms like Turno and Breezeway both offer these features, so the choice comes down to which fits best with the rest of your workflow.
Measuring Success: The KPIs That Matter
Once your inventory system is running, you’ll want to check if it’s actually paying off. The easiest way is to track a few key metrics that give you a clear picture of performance:
- Stock-out rate: How often an item runs out before being restocked. High numbers here usually mean PAR levels need adjusting.
- Cost per stay: The average amount you spend on consumables for each booking. This helps keep budgets realistic and spot any creeping costs.
- Inventory turns: How quickly supplies are moving through your system. Faster turns can mean efficiency, but extremely fast turns may show you’re cutting it too close.
- Alert-to-order time: The lag between a low-stock alert and an actual reorder. Shorter times reduce the risk of running out.
- Waste and shrink: Supplies that are overused, lost, or never make it to guests. Keeping this number low protects both margins and guest experience.
A monthly review of your top 20 items is usually enough. Adjust your PAR levels with the seasons, since longer stays or busier months often drive higher usage.
Scaling to Multiple Properties
Managing inventory for one rental is one thing, but once you add more units the challenge grows quickly. At that point, it helps to think about where you store your supplies. Some hosts prefer a centralized “warehouse” closet that serves every property, while others keep smaller in-unit closets stocked and ready. If you go with a central option, you can run milk-runs yourself or hire a local runner to drop off items as needed.
The other piece is reporting. Look at each property’s variance from its PAR levels so you can spot which units burn through supplies faster than expected. Rolling 30-day demand reports make it easier to adjust reorder points before busy seasons, which saves you from last-minute scrambles and keeps guest experiences consistent across your entire portfolio.
Sustainability & Guest-Experience Upgrades
Guests notice the little things, and that includes how you manage supplies. One easy win is switching to bulk concentrates with refillable dispensers. Not only does this cut down on plastic waste, it also means fewer last-minute orders and less clutter in storage. Refillable bottles for hand soap, shampoo, or cleaning products look more polished than mismatched single-use items, and they save you money over time.
The key is to balance sustainability with guest expectations. Platforms like Airbnb outline core amenities that travelers expect, so you never want to cut back on basics such as soap, toilet paper, or coffee. Instead, look for ways to deliver those essentials in a cleaner and more efficient format. This approach helps the environment, keeps costs under control, and creates a guest experience that feels thoughtful and professional.
The Bottom Line
Managing inventory may not sound glamorous, but it directly shapes your guest reviews, your operating costs, and your peace of mind. Automating supply tracking and replenishment helps you avoid the twin headaches of running out of essentials or wasting money on overstock. It also frees up your time so you can focus on what really matters: delivering a consistent, high-quality guest experience.
If you want to take automation and efficiency even further, consider partnering with a professional team. RedAwning’s property management services handle the details that keep your rental running smoothly, including inventory oversight and guest-ready preparation. By combining smart systems with expert management, you can reduce stress, protect your revenue, and give every guest the kind of stay that earns five-star reviews.
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