How important is the finished quality of a hotel’s linens? Well, consider if a guest had a great day on the property and upon going to bed, discovered stains on the bed sheets. That property’s online hotel reviews would not be flattering, despite an otherwise great stay.
While many hotels outsource their laundry services, other hoteliers are keen to keep them in-house. Linens are a significant investment and in-house laundry staff understand the high stakes of producing a quality finished product. It also provides hotels with greater control over the final product.
In the past, properties might have struggled to ensure staff was following processes to deliver great results. Today, however, advanced laundry management systems give in-house managers greater visibility to how the laundry is running, even when they aren’t on-site. Operations reports and real-time views of the equipment act as a check that staff is employing proper quality procedures.
If a hotel is looking to bring their laundry services in-house, it is paramount that they work with an experienced distributor, who can offer services to streamline start-up, including: Laundry layout and design (to ensure efficiency, safety, ergonomics), equipment sizing, staff training, and setting of baselines (review of laundry performance), as well as audits to confirm maximum efficiency.
Hoteliers should select washer-extractors with ultra-high extraction speeds (350 G-force or higher), which remove more moisture from loads and reduce drying time. Often, pieces emerge from the washer ready to go to the finisher. They should also look for user-friendly programmable controls to ensure flexibility and cycles tailored to specific loads.
For tumble dryers, choose ones with over-dry protection. These units dry to a specific moisture level and shut off, saving utility costs by not over-drying loads. It also lengthens linen life, as over-drying damages fibers.
About the Author
Randy F. Radtke is manager of global public relations at Alliance Laundry Systems.
