If you have a beautiful and unique property, turning it into a luxury holiday let is a fantastic idea. The next step is ensuring that your guests have all the essential amenities they’ll need for a successful holiday.
There are a lot of details here to get right. That’s why we’ve put together the definitive holiday let inventory list to help ensure your home is well-equipped with everything that guests want, need and expect from a holiday home.
So, whether you’ve got multiple holiday cottages, a home by the sea or a beautiful manor house, check out our ultimate inventory checklist for your holiday let.
Kitchen
Having a fully stocked kitchen with high-quality appliances is crucial in making your guests’ stay feel indulgent.
As with many items on your holiday let inventory list, the items below need to be stocked in appropriate quantities depending on how many guests your holiday let accommodates. As a general rule, think about how many of each item would be needed to cook and serve a meal to the maximum number of people in your property.
Appliances
- Cooker / oven / hob / hood
- Additional ranges and ovens for larger holiday lets
- Extractor fan
- Fridge and freezer
- Additional fridges for holiday lets sleeping 12 or more. A holiday let sleeping 30 or more might even want three fridges.
- A dishwasher – plus a second one if the home accommodates more than 14 people
- Washing machine
- Tumble dryer and clothes airer
- Microwave
- Electric kettle x 2
- High-quality electric toaster
- Electric whisk
- Digital radio
- A coffee machine isn’t essential, but it adds a sense of opulence. Supply a generous selection of pods!
Cooking utensils
All of your utensils should be high quality and long-lasting. Luxury isn’t just about the big stunners like hot tubs and open fires. It’s also about good quality in essential items like catering items.
What you’ll need are:
- A full set of kitchen knives including bread knife / carving knife / vegetable knives
- Full set of high quality, dishwasher-safe saucepans with lids – 6 at a minimum. If you have a large holiday let, you’ll likely want more saucepans as you’ll have more ovens or ranges too.
- Large casserole dishes with lids – 1 for every 8 people
- Large oven-proof dishes – 1 for every 4 guests
- Large pie dish – 1 for every 8 people
- Frying pans (various sizes – enough for cooked breakfast for the maximum number of guests in your holiday home)
- Roasting tins – 1 for every 5 people
- Turkey roasting tins
- Baking trays – 1 for every 5 people
- Non-stick Yorkshire pudding trays – enough for your maximum number of guests
- Non-stick bun trays – enough for your maximum number of guests
- Carving platter & fork
- Fruit bowl
- Salad bowls and servers
- Large cake tin
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen scales
- Toast rack
- Hand whisk
- Sieve
- Rolling pin
- Kitchen scissors
- Ice cube trays
- Trays
- Place mats and coasters sufficient for maximum seating at the kitchen table plus 4
- Heatproof table serving mats – at least 4
- Worktop savers / trivets
- Large bread bin
- Cafetieres – enough to serve all of your guests at once
- Large tea pots – one for every 8-10 people
- Bread boards
- Chopping boards (several)
- Cheese grater
- Colander
- Butter dish
- Drying rack
- Microwave containers
- Biscuit tin
- Cake tin
- Measuring jug
- Gravy boat
- Sugar pot
- Milk jug
- Water jug – one for every 8-10 people
- Fish slice
- Cake stand
- Cake slice
- Kitchen scissors
- Ladle
- Serving spoons
- Corkscrew
- Bottle opener
- Tin opener
- Vegetable peeler
- Potato masher
- Wooden spoons
- Spatula
- Tongs
- BBQ utensil set
- Tupperware storage containers
- Garlic press
- Oven glove – several pairs in stock – washed weekly and replaced regularly
- Tea towels – each stay will have one tea towel at each oven, plus one extra. They should be replaced when worn. Be sure to provide suckers or hanging places for the tea towels!
- Large vases – minimum of 2
- Large kitchen dustbin with lid
Food supplies
- Salt and pepper grinders and supply of salt crystals and peppercorn to top up weekly
- Spices and spice rack
- Olive oil
- Tea / coffee / sugar canisters (filled weekly)
Additional considerations
The weekend holiday let market is largely made up of birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions, and around 60% of the time the people will want a special dinner. Keep this point in mind as you choose supplies and furniture for your kitchen, dining room and outdoor areas. Also consider that caterers may come in to cook a special meal, which can be one reason more refrigerator space is needed.
Living room
Here’s what you’ll need to make your main living room a super-cosy and convenient area for your guests:
- Large plasma-screen TV, ideally 50 inch or similar – this should be a smart TV so that guests can log into their favourite streaming services
- Bluetooth speaker or smart device
- Preferably a log burner, log baskets, companion set
- Sofas / armchairs for maximum occupancy
- Scatter cushions
- Coffee tables
- Small fireproof dustbin in each living room
- Lamps provided for different purposes and in different seating areas like a reading space and ambient lighting
- Pictures
- Books for adults and children of all ages
- Nature books
- Local information section – Ordnance Survey maps / guides / books
Dining room
As we’ve mentioned, make sure each set of main dining items on your inventory list allows for at least your maximum occupancy. You’ll need:
Furnishings
- Dining table and chairs to seat at least your maximum occupancy
- Heatproof serving mats
- Sideboard / console table
- Small fireproof dustbin
- Coasters and placemats – minimum of one for each guest at maximum occupancy.
- Lamps
Crockery
- Matching crockery – 20 of each to allow spares. They should be dishwasher-proof. Bone china is stronger and much more chip-proof than stoneware.
- Bowls:
- Cereal Bowl
- Dessert Bowl
- Soup Bowl
- Plates:
- Large Plate
- Medium Plate
- Side Plate
- Cake Plate
- Cake Stand x 1
- Vegetable Dishes – 1 for every 8-10 people
- Serving platters – 1 for every 8-10 people
- Serving dishes – 1 for every 8-10 people
- Salad bowls – 1 for every 8-10 people
- Milk jug
- Cream jug
- Sugar pot
- Gravy boat
- Egg cups
- Mugs
- Teacups and saucers
- Plastic picnic plates and beakers for outside use or in the pool kitchen area – minimum of your property’s maximum occupancy plus 2
- A dog bowl
Glassware
- Minimum of your maximum occupancy plus 2, and keep spares in your store cupboard for replacements. Make sure they’re dishwasher-proof and easily sourced to replace breakages.
- Tumblers – large
- Tumblers – small
- Wine glasses, white
- Wine glasses, red
- Champagne glasses
- Beer glasses
Cutlery
- Stainless steel of high quality, dishwasher-proof.
- Cutlery drawers / boxes for sorting cutlery
- Minimum count of the main cutlery types should be maximum occupancy plus 2:
- Knives – table and side
- Spoons – soup, dessert and tea
- Forks – table and dessert
- Ideally fish forks and fish knives
- Serving forks and spoons
- Cake slice
Children
- High chairs – 1 for every 8 guests that your property sleeps
- Children’s cups – enough to suit your maximum occupancy if it were three-quarters children
- Children’s bowls – same numbers as above
- Children’s plates – same numbers as above
- Children’s cutlery set – same numbers as above
- Baby spoons and baby drinking beakers
Additional considerations
The most lucrative time in your calendar will be the school holidays. That’s why we encourage including things that make travelling with children easy, whether they’re infants, toddlers or older kids.
Bedrooms – bed linen and more!
- Single beds minimum 3ft and double beds minimum 5ft, with pocket sprung mattresses
- Travel cots – 1/4 of your maximum occupancy
- Z beds for children (where children are sleeping in the same room) – 1/4 of your property’s maximum occupancy
- Two good quality pillows per person
- Good quality Duvets– singles and superking – enough for all combinations of layout.
- Crisply laundered pure cotton, high-quality linen
- Mattress protectors on all beds
- Pillow protectors on all pillows
- Hypoallergenic duvets and pillows available to guests on request – 2 x kingsize and 2 x single and one extra pillow for each guest at maximum occupancy
- Spare pillows and duvets
- Bed throws on all beds
- Scatter cushions 2 per bed
- Chest of drawers / dressing table
- Hairdryer in every bedroom
- Wardrobe
- Wooden hangers, minimum 6 per person
- Mirror in every room
- Small fireproof dustbin in every room
- One bedside table / cabinet per person
- Coasters
- One bedside lamp per person
- Hooks on the back of the door
- One bath towel and one hand towel per person – 5-star quality
- If you have a beachside property, consider supplying beach towels in case guests don’t bring their own beach towels
Bathrooms / toilets
You’ll need:
- Hooks on doors
- Toilet brush
- Good quality toilet paper
- Stainless steel bathroom bin with lid and plastic liner
- Good quality hand soap or equivalent quality
- Good quality shower gel or equivalent quality
Children’s room / playroom
It only takes a little extra attention to make sure your guests experience a child-friendly holiday. A selection of toys, books and games should be available for all ages. Board games are great for children, but be sure they are kept in good order.
A play room for smaller children is great if there is space – add a small table and chairs, play kitchen or work bench, boxes of blocks, cars, dolls house, a toy box and a range of toys. Choose toys which do not require a complete set, avoiding Lego, Brio and similar, as some will undoubtedly go missing.
Games room
A games room can be great for older teens and adults. Of course, what you can fit is space-dependent, but consider:
- Foosball table or pool table
- Table tennis table (could be outdoors too)
- A smart TV for streaming
- Air Hockey
Garden and outdoors
- Table and chairs to seat at least your maximum occupancy
- Parasols
- Garden loungers
- Swings
- Trampoline
- Football net and footballs
- Croquet
- Badminton
- Cricket set
- Gas barbecue, ideally triple burner, with gas provided
- Ashtrays for outside use – if smoking permitted
- Minimum 2 x large bins
- Recycling containers for glass, cans, cardboard, cartons and paper
Cleaning
Don’t forget the essential items for cleaning up! In general, you’ll need:
- Vacuum cleaner and hoover bags
- Iron and ironing board
Under and around the kitchen sink
- Washing up bowl
- Washing up brushes
- Dustbin liners
- Clothes pegs
- Dish cleaning cloths (changed for each new let)
- Dusters
- Dustpan and brush (washed for each new let)
- Broom
- Floor mop and bucket
- Cleaning agents including washing up liquid, floor cleaner and bathroom cleaner – whatever is – appropriate to the equipment supplied
- Washing powder
- Fabric conditioner
- Dishwasher tablets
- Rinse aid
- Dishwasher salt
Other essential items
Excellent Wi-Fi is as crucial as hot water and heating. Get the best Wi-Fi connection possible, and use boosters if there are slow spots in the property. Uploading content to social media is so popular and your guests will want to do this. That’s free advertising for your property, so make it easy for them!
You’ll need:
- Wi-Fi internet access, as mentioned
- Visitors’ Book
- Guest Information Folder
- Door mats at all exterior doors and inside at all doors with access to the outside
- A ‘Useful Items Drawer’ with:
- Torches
- Pens
- Sellotape
- Paper
- Scissors
- Spare light bulbs (several for each type used) in the property
- Matches
- Sewing kit
- Tape measure
- First Aid kit
- A welcome pack – including some local items, a simple pack of fresh bread, jam, butter, coffee, tea, milk, sugar, and possibly a cake or bottle of wine or fizz. When guests have had a long journey, it’s nice for them to be able to make a cup of tea and have a bite to eat upon arrival, especially if their shopping hasn’t yet arrived. It starts the stay on a positive note.
How kate & tom’s makes letting holiday cottages easy
We hope that this holiday home inventory list has been helpful! At kate & tom’s, we know there’s a lot to do when you’re managing holiday cottages or even just one holiday home. That’s why we’ve made it our quest to know all the ins and outs of making your guests’ experience in your holiday let perfect. This comprehensive list is just one of the many tools we offer to help holiday home owners.
To make things even easier, let your holiday home through kate & tom’s. Luxury house owners benefit from excellent exposure through our popular site and social media pages, a complete booking management service, and expert advice to ensure both you and your guests get the best possible experience. To find out more, simply contact us on [email protected].
