The seasonal supply swap I do four times a year across five Airbnbs

The first time I thought about seasonal inventory was June two years ago when a guest left a three-star review saying "heavy fleece throws in 28-degree heat, felt like the place hadn't been updated since winter." She was right. I had put those throws out in November and forgotten about them entirely. They were thick, dark grey, and sitting on every sofa in the property looking like a Scandinavian winter catalogue while everyone else in Kent was eating ice cream outside.

After that review I sat down and made a list of everything that should change when the season changes. Two years later I have a seasonal swap list of about 40 items that move in and out across my five properties, four times a year. It takes about two hours per property and saves me from reviews like that one.

The spring swap (late March to mid-April)

This is the big one. Winter to spring is the largest single changeover because you are pulling out heavy stuff and replacing it with lighter alternatives. Here is what moves at my properties:

OUT:

• Thick fleece throws (the 350 GSM ones) go into vacuum bags in the loft
• Hot water bottles (I keep two per property in winter), cleaned, dried, stored
• Electric oil radiators if you use portable ones. I have two per property as backup heating and they eat floor space from April onwards
• Heavy-weight duvet inners (13.5 tog) swapped for lighter ones
• Draught excluders from front and back doors
• The little wicker basket of instant hot chocolate sachets I put on the kitchen counter

IN:

• Lighter throws (180 GSM cotton, about £8 each from Dunelm)
• Desk fan or tower fan in the main bedroom. I use the £24 Pro Breeze tower fan from Amazon, fits behind the bedside table when not in use
• A second set of lighter curtains for south-facing rooms if you have them. My Canterbury property gets brutal afternoon sun from May onwards
• Insect spray under the kitchen sink (one can of Raid per property, replaced whether used or not)
• Suncream sachets in the bathroom amenity basket (travel-size, 30ml, about 18p each in bulk from Bookers)
• BBQ lighter fluid and matches if the property has an outdoor grill
• 10.5 tog duvet inners replacing the 13.5 tog ones

Total spring swap cost across five properties: about £140, mostly the fans and the lighter throws. After the first year most of it is reusable so it drops to about £40 for consumable top-ups like insect spray, suncream sachets, and lighter fluid.

The autumn swap (late September)

This is basically the spring swap in reverse but with a few extras that only apply to winter:

• Heavy throws come back out of the vacuum bags
• Fans go into the loft
• Hot water bottles return to bedside drawers
• Portable radiators come back out if needed (I only use them in the two properties without central heating in the bedrooms)
• 13.5 tog duvets replace the 10.5 tog ones
• Draught excluders go back on doors
• One extra set of slippers per property. I buy the disposable hotel ones in packs of 20 from Amazon, about £14 per pack. Guests use way more slippers in winter
• A small packet of throat lozenges and tissues goes in the bathroom cupboard. This is a tiny thing but I have had two five-star reviews that specifically mentioned it. Cost: about £3 per property

The December extras

I do not go overboard on festive decoration because half of my guests in December are not celebrating Christmas and I do not want to make assumptions. What I do add:

• A string of warm white fairy lights along the living room shelf (battery-operated, £4 from Poundland, I replace them annually)
• A box of quality biscuits on the counter. I buy M&S All Butter Shortbread in the red tins, about £6 each. These almost never go uneaten
• One or two cinnamon-scented candles in the bathroom and kitchen (IKEA SINNLIG, £2.50 each, burn time is about 25 hours which covers roughly three bookings)
• An extra blanket on the back of the main sofa, usually something with a pattern that looks vaguely seasonal without screaming Christmas

Total festive extras per property: about £15. I pull it all down by January 3rd. If a guest checks in on New Year's Day the decorations stay until they leave, then straight into the bin bag.

Where does the off-season stuff actually go?

This was the problem I did not think about until it was too late. Five properties' worth of off-season throws, duvets, fans, and radiators needs to live somewhere. I ended up renting a small storage unit near Whitstable for £55 a month which is annoying but necessary. Two of my properties have adequate loft space so their stuff stays on site in vacuum bags. The other three share the storage unit.

If you are running fewer than three properties you can probably get away with a few large vacuum bags in a wardrobe. Past three I would budget for external storage or you will end up cramming things into cupboards that guests will open.

The thing I got wrong for two years

I used to do the swap all in one weekend. Drive to the storage unit, load the car, drive to each property, swap everything, drive back. Five properties in a day and a half. It was exhausting and I always forgot something.

Now I do it property by property over a two-week window, timing each swap to a gap between bookings. I update my inventory list as I go so I know which properties have been done and which are still on the old season. Sounds obvious in hindsight but it took me two miserable weekends to work it out.

Frequently asked

Do guests actually notice seasonal touches?

The throws and the temperature comfort, yes, every time. The fairy lights in December, about half of them mention it. The suncream sachets, almost nobody mentions in a review but I have had a few direct messages saying thanks. The throat lozenges are the sleeper hit. Two reviews specifically called them out, both five-star.

What tog duvet should I use in summer?

I use 10.5 tog from April to September and 13.5 from October to March. Some hosts go lower in summer, down to 7.5 or even 4.5 tog, but I have found that guests in the UK still want something substantial even in July because British summers are unpredictable and a cold snap at midnight in August is absolutely a thing that happens.

Is the storage unit cost worth it?

At £55 a month for three properties' off-season stock, that is about £18 per property per month or 60p per guest night. I consider it worth it because the alternative is cramming things into wardrobes that guests will open, which looks messy and invites complaints about cupboard space.

Can I skip the seasonal swap entirely?

Technically yes. Leave the 10.5 tog duvet year-round and accept that some winter guests will be cold. Leave the heavy throws out in summer and accept the occasional review. Most guests will not comment. But the ones who do notice tend to be the detail-oriented reviewers who also notice the soap level and the pillow fluffiness, and those are the reviews that actually move your listing ranking.