Buying Towels For Hotels - Advice On Getting The Best Quality For Your Budget

By Author: Nate Rodney
Total Articles: 499
Comment this article

The irony of buying the best you can afford, is that it’s seldom the case the most expensive item is best. It completely depends on your, and your business’s requirements. That said, there is often a direct correlation between how much you pay for something and its quality. In the case of towels that's no different.

Getting the best towels for your guests is all about research and knowing what to look for. Of course, if you have a lower budget you may have to do a little more research to get good value, but it's still possible.

The key is to balance expense and longevity of towels. More expensive towels will last longer generally and so may save you money in the long run. In the hotel business this is of utmost importance, for obvious reasons. But whatever you do, decide on what you want to spend and then stick to your budget.

Towel shopping is partially a tactile form of shopping, and touch is often the thing that sways a decision on one towel over another. However, before you get your hands stuck into the plumpness of towels, you should be aware that most manufacturers will treat towels with softeners, ...
... so be aware of this when you see any samples. You must also bear in mind what laundry products you’ll be using once you’ve bought your towels. Using high quality softeners will help your towels maintain their softness for as long as possible.

Combed Cotton:
Check whether the cotton is combed. Combing reduces the number of short fibres in the cotton and makes for a stronger towel. It also ensures you get the best absorbency. Amazingly, cotton holds 25 times its weight in liquid, meaning longer threads can really carry a lot in in term of liquid absorption. Egyptian cotton and Brazilian cotton tend to have more of these longer fibres and so are an excellent choice.

Check out the GSM (gram per square metre) of the towel, higher than 550gsm is considered to be of high quality, and so should last that bit longer.

Check the Stitching:
In addition to combing, tightly packed stitching and denser loops make for a more absorbent towel. Avoid towels with a low density of loops; if you can see the base fabric underneath then it’s a sign that the towel is of low quality. Do note, that if a towel is denser it will be heavier. Hold towels to see how heavy they are - this is often a good sign of quality. Also make sure that the towel has double turned edges and double stitching. This stops fraying and means your towels life expectancy will be longer.

Colour:
The colour of towels doesn't necessarily matter. But do keep in mind that your towels will form part of the bathroom décor, so try to choose a colour in-line with your bathroom's colour scheme. And remember to always wash new towels before use, as excess dye can run on the body and onto other fabrics. In addition, coloured towels naturally fade with time, whereas white towels can be washed with bleach to help and maintain the brightness.

Once you’ve decided on your budget, use the above points as a guide to help you get the best value for money. And don’t forget, your guests will also be judging the quality of your towels, so put yourself in their shoes when choosing them.

Mitre linen is a leading ready-made bespoke soft furnishings and wholesale bed linen suppliers to a wide range of customers in the UK and overseas. We manufacture curtains and many other items such as hotel towels, hotel slippers, hotel bedding, hotel linen etc.