Hotel Bath Linen Buying Guide

Choosing towels for a commercial property

A towel is the item your guest actually holds, so it says more about a room than almost anything else in it. Choosing bath linen for a commercial property is different to buying for home: towels have to survive industrial washing at high temperatures, stay soft and absorbent through hundreds of cycles, and dry quickly enough to keep your laundry moving. The notes below cover what matters when you compare specifications.

Understanding towel weight (gsm)

Towel weight is measured in grams per square metre, or gsm. A higher gsm means more cotton in every square metre, so the towel feels thicker and more generous in the hand. A lower gsm towel is lighter, dries faster and costs less to launder. Heavier is not automatically better for a busy property: the right weight is a balance between guest experience and laundry time.

Most hotels and guest houses settle between 450 and 550gsm for guest rooms, keeping 600gsm for suites or spa areas where the towel is part of the experience.

Why ring-spun cotton matters

Our bath towels, bath sheets, hand towels, face cloths, bath mats and sweat towels are made from 100% ring-spun cotton. Ring spinning twists the cotton fibres tightly into a finer, stronger yarn. The result is a towel that feels softer, sheds less lint and holds its shape better through repeated commercial washing than one made from looser, open-end yarn.

Building a bathroom set

A standard guest bathroom set is a bath towel or bath sheet, a hand towel and a face cloth for each guest, plus a bath mat. Suites and spa rooms often add a bath robe. Keeping every item in the set at the same weight and style makes a bathroom look deliberate and makes sorting in the laundry much easier.

Plan stock so that one set is in the room, one is in the laundry and one is clean on the shelf. Many properties keep a fourth set in reserve for busy periods and to replace worn items, which spreads the wear evenly and makes each towel last longer.

Bath towels or bath sheets?

A bath sheet is noticeably larger than a bath towel and wraps comfortably around the body. It is one of the details guests notice most in a well-appointed bathroom, so many hotels supply bath sheets in upgraded rooms and bath towels as the standard. Bath sheets take a little more space in the laundry, which is worth allowing for when planning stock.

Bath mats

Our bath mats are heavier again at 700 to 750gsm, made to absorb properly underfoot and to survive daily washing without curling at the edges or losing their pile. Each measures 50 x 70cm and comes in check board, picture frame or Greek key designs, so you can match the mat to the style of the room.

Bath robes

For hotel rooms, spas and treatment areas we offer three bath robes. The waffle poly cotton robe at 230gsm is light and quick drying, ideal for spas and pool areas where robes are changed often. The Luxury terry robe at 400gsm and the Executive terry robe at 500gsm are 100% cotton and give a heavier, more indulgent feel for suites and premium rooms.

Gyms, spas and salons

For fitness and beauty settings, our 380gsm sweat towels are light enough to wash and dry quickly between sessions. Salons and barbers serving hot towels can pair them with a towel warmer.

Getting the most life from your towels

• Wash before first use to remove any finishing residue and help the cotton reach full absorbency.
• Go easy on fabric softener, which coats the fibres and reduces absorbency over time.
• Avoid overloading machines, so detergent can rinse out fully. Residual detergent is a common cause of stiff, greying towels.
• Keep whites together and away from coloured items to stop greying.
• Rotate your stock so the same towels are not always in service.