Hotel Towels: A Buyers Guide
Hotel Towels
A Buyer's Guide
All towels are not made equally - there is a range of sizes, shapes, styles, and materials to choose from. Your hotel guests will have different needs, and you'll need to provide the right towels to ensure their comfort. But where do you actually begin? What do you need to know about buying hotel towels?
This simple buyer's guide will give you all the information you need to make the perfect choices.
Understanding Towel Types
There are five main towel types for you to understand; washcloths, hand towels, bath mats, bath towels, and bath sheets. Their uses are fairly self-explanatory, and they can all be made from different materials, but their difference lies in their size - ranging from smallest to largest, as listed.
Generally, the size ranges are as follows:
Wash Cloths
Typically 12 x 12" or 13 x 13"
Used for face and body washing
Hand towels
Range from 15 - 18" x 27 - 32"
Used for drying face and hands after washing
Bath Mats
Ranging between 20 - 22" x 30 - 36"
used to minimise slip risk while bathing
Bath Towels
Ranging between 20 - 30” x 40 - 60”
Used for drying hair and body after bathing
Bath sheets
Between 35” x 66 - 70”
Basically larger bath towels for more drying coverage
Generally for most hotels, it's wise to offer at least four out of the five - bath sheets are not essential, but many guests might prefer them, so it makes sense to have some available on request if you're not going to provide them as standard.
Choose the right weight
Towel weight is measured in pounds per dozen, as they're bought and handled in bulk. The higher the number, the heavier the towels are, which means they are more absorbent and more luxurious to the touch.
Light towels are between 5 - 10lbs per dozen, and are a great choice for motels and budget hotels. Medium weight towels are between 10 - 15lbs per dozen, and offer more absorbency and softness for mid-range hotels. Top range hotels will want to consider heavy towels, weighing 15lbs+ per dozen, as they will be the most luxurious to the touch.
Which material is best?
Towels can be made from a number of different materials, depending on their price and their intended use. A hotel will likely have a number of towels made from different materials that they can use for different purposes. Here is how to approach the different towel materials:
Cotton/polyester blend
Usually 86% cotton to 14% polyester, durable and affordable for bulk buying
Open-end cotton
still affordable, but for those who want their towels made of pure cotton
100% cotton
soft, absorbent, and highly versatile so can be used anywhere in your hotel
Ring-spun cotton
made with an extra soft and luxurious feel, for higher-end establishments
Zero-twist cotton
lighter than regular twist cotton, dries much faster and more efficiently
