guides
New Hotel Opening: The Complete Amenities Checklist
UMYAN · Jun 12, 2026
Opening a new hotel means ordering a complete guest amenities program across every room type and public space — and starting months ahead, because custom formulas, packaging and branding take real time to develop. Amenities are one of the easiest things to leave too late, and one of the most visible if you get them wrong on day one. This checklist covers what to order, by area, and the timeline to order against.
We supply amenities for new openings around the world, so this is the planning guide we’d hand a pre-opening team. For what goes into a guest set in general, start with our complete hotel amenities list.
Why amenities are an early decision
The instinct is to treat amenities as a late, easy line item. That’s exactly how openings get caught out. Three reasons to start early:
- Custom work takes time. A signature scent, a custom formula or branded packaging needs development and sampling — weeks, not days.
- Branding has to be approved. You’ll want to see physical samples before committing, and that’s a round trip.
- Production and shipping. Once approved, the order has to be made and shipped to arrive before launch.
Leave it to the last few weeks and you’ll either pay for rushed air freight or open with a generic stopgap set that undercuts the rooms you spent so much on.
The opening timeline
A sensible amenities timeline for a new opening:
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| 4–6 months out | Brief the supplier; choose products, tiers and customization level |
| 3–4 months out | Develop and approve physical samples (formula, scent, packaging) |
| 2–3 months out | Confirm compliance, place the production order |
| 1–2 months out | Production and shipping |
| Before launch | Delivery, distribution to rooms, final check |
Adjust to your scale, but the shape holds: brief early, sample early, and never let development collide with your launch date.
The checklist by area
A complete opening order spans more than the guest bathroom. Work through each space:
Guest bathroom
- Bath line: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, hand wash, soap — see bath & body
- Kits: dental, shaving, vanity, comb, shower cap, sewing — see amenity kits
- Slippers
- Bathroom accessories: shower cap, wipes
Guest room
- Room fragrance / reed diffuser
- Accessories: laundry and shoe bags, pen and notepad, coasters
Public washrooms, gym, pool
- Wall-mounted dispensers on bulk
Spa & treatment rooms (if applicable)
- Larger body care and oils in your scent
Back-of-house
- Bulk refills, storage and a restocking plan
Don’t forget (the commonly missed items)
The items pre-opening teams overlook, then notice on the first guest night:
- Slippers in the right fabric for the tier — easy to under-spec
- Public washroom dispensers — often forgotten until the gym opens
- A signature scent — the cheapest way to make a new property feel finished
- Enough back-of-house stock to cover the first weeks before reordering
Match it to your tier and brand
A new opening is the moment to lock your standard. Decide your tier-by-tier set (see amenities by star rating) and your customization level up front, so everything ships consistent. If you’re building your own line, customization and our private label guide cover the options.
Buying tip: Order a small buffer above your day-one need. Occupancy ramps unpredictably in the first weeks, and running short on amenities during your opening reviews is the worst time to discover your reorder lead time.
Mistakes new openings make
- Starting too late. The single biggest one. Custom work can’t be rushed without cost or compromise.
- Forgetting public and back-of-house areas. The guest bathroom isn’t the whole order.
- No buffer stock. Opening occupancy is unpredictable; a buffer prevents an embarrassing gap.
- Inconsistent branding across rooms. Lock one system before you order, not after.
Estimating how much to order for opening
The other half of the checklist is quantity. Order too little and you’re short during your opening reviews; too much and you’ve tied up cash in stock. A simple way to estimate:
- Count the set per room type. How many of each item one room needs per stay.
- Project opening occupancy. Be realistic — most properties ramp over the first weeks rather than filling on night one.
- Add a buffer. A margin above projected need covers an unexpectedly strong opening and the gap until your first reorder lands.
- Account for public areas. Dispenser bulk for gym, pool and washrooms is easy to forget in a room-by-room count.
The aim is enough to open comfortably and cover the reorder lead time — not a year’s stock in a storeroom on day one.
Who owns amenities in the pre-opening team
Amenities slip through the cracks when no one owns them. On most openings the decision sits between procurement (cost and contracts), housekeeping (what works on the cart and in the room), and brand / GM (the guest experience and standard). Name one owner early, loop in housekeeping before you finalize formats — they’ll catch practical issues a spec sheet won’t — and you’ll avoid the classic last-minute scramble.
Buying tip: Bring housekeeping into the decision before you order, not after. They know which formats are a pain to restock and which slippers slide on a wet floor — exactly the issues that surface on your first guest night.
Frequently asked questions
When should I order amenities for a new hotel?
Start 4–6 months before opening if you want any customization. Briefing, sampling, production and shipping all take time, and rushing them means air-freight costs or a generic stopgap set on launch day.
What amenities does a new hotel need?
A full guest set (bath line, kits, slippers, fragrance, accessories) across every room type, plus dispensers for public washrooms, gym and pool, spa products if applicable, and back-of-house bulk and stock.
How far ahead do custom amenities need to be ordered?
Custom formulas, scents and packaging need development and sampling, so brief 4–6 months out. Private-label (your branding on a proven line) is faster than a fully bespoke formula.
How much amenity stock should we open with?
Plan for your day-one room count plus a buffer, because opening occupancy ramps unpredictably and you don’t want to run short during your first reviews while waiting on a reorder.
Opening a property? Request a quote with your room count, tiers and opening date, and we’ll plan the full amenities order — and a timeline that has everything in the rooms before your first guest.