Inventory management

I don't have time for a meeting, but I wanted to share a few more ideas.

I think inventory management could become much more than just tracking stock—it could evolve into an asset, forecasting, and cash flow management system.

Some features that would add a huge amount of value:

- Forecast usage of consumables (toilet paper, shampoo, coffee, towels, linen, cleaning products, etc.) based on occupancy and historical consumption, allowing hosts to plan monthly or quarterly bulk purchases instead of constantly topping up.

- Support multiple inventory locations (on-site, home garage, storage unit, cleaning vehicle, warehouse) so stock isn't tied to a single property.

- Keep a complete asset register for insurance purposes, including purchase date, purchase price, supplier, receipt, warranty, serial number, product URL, manuals, and photos.

- Track the status of items (installed, in storage, missing, damaged, disposed, awaiting replacement, etc.).

- Record expected replacement cycles. For example, pans might typically last 2–3 years, allowing the system to forecast replacement costs before they become urgent.

- Add condition notes and long-term maintenance plans. For example: "Sofa fabric is becoming worn. Sofa cover installed as a temporary solution. Plan to replace within 8 months."

- Store future upgrade plans alongside existing assets. For example:

- TV manual and extended warranty.

- If the TV fails, replace with a 70" wall-mounted model.

- Existing cabinet dimensions: 1200 × 450 × 600 mm.

- Future plan: 2.3 m oak veneer floating entertainment unit with preferred product links.

- Create wish lists for each property with estimated labour costs, priority levels, and target completion dates.

- Recommend purchases based on cash flow, seasonal occupancy, and upcoming maintenance so upgrades can be completed when they make the most financial sense rather than only when something fails.

Ultimately, this could become the operational memory of each property. Instead of just knowing what stock you have, you'd know what needs replacing, what you'd like to upgrade, where everything is stored, how much it'll cost, and when it makes sense financially to buy it. That would be incredibly valuable for hosts managing multiple properties.

Another part I think is important is understanding the true annual cost structure of operating a property — both COGS (cost of goods sold) and overheads.

Right now many hosts know their revenue, but they don't have a clear picture of the annual operating cost per property.

If inventory and asset management connected with financial tracking, Hospitable could help calculate:

COGS

- Linen replacement

- Towels

- Toilet paper

- Toiletries

- Coffee/tea/snacks

- Cleaning products

- Consumables

- Guest supplies

- Replacement kitchen items (plates, glasses, pans, utensils)

Operating expenses / overhead

- Cleaning labour

- Maintenance

- Garden services

- Lawn care

- Pest control

- Software subscriptions

- Insurance

- Council rates

- Utilities

- Internet

- Storage costs

The system could then show:

- Average annual COGS per guest/night

- Cost per turnover

- Cost per occupied night

- Replacement cycles

- Upcoming expected expenses

- True profit margin by property

For example:

"We know this property has 240 occupied nights per year. Based on historical usage, it will consume approximately:

- 1,200 toilet rolls

- 40 bottles of shampoo

- 8 sets of linen

- 12 towels

- 2 frying pans

Expected annual replacement cost: $X."

This would allow owners to forecast cash requirements rather than being surprised by random purchases.

It could also help with smarter purchasing decisions:

- "Buying this item in bulk saves $400/year."

- "This upgrade costs $2,000 but reduces maintenance and improves reviews."

- "You have $8,000 of planned replacements due in the next 12 months.”

The goal isn't just inventory tracking — it becomes a property operating system that helps hosts understand the true cost of running their accommodation business and make better cash flow decisions.

Would love to see an inventory feature added to the new cleaners app / toolkit. We use this feature with Turno and it’s a critical tool for us to efficiently manage inventory.

This is only makes sense, especially not that we can pay/manage cleaners through hospitable

Inventory tracking is actually a bit trickier than it looks, especially in real-world setups.

For example, in a multi-unit environment, you often have shared stock across multiple properties within the same location (cleaning supplies, linens, consumables, etc.).

So the key point is:

👉 stock ≠ property

If you tie inventory directly to properties, you’ll quickly run into inconsistencies and duplication issues.

What’s usually needed is a separate layer to manage inventory — something closer to a “store” or “warehouse” concept, like in a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System):

• one or multiple stock locations (stores)

• inventory managed at that level

• then linked to properties through usage, not ownership

Without that separation, things become messy very fast as you scale.

So I’d say the main challenge is not tracking inventory — it’s modeling it correctly from the star