Wholesale towels are found in every hotel, resort, and spa, yet few people know much about choosing the best product for their property. For the hospitality industry in particular, being able to judge the durability, softness, and absorbency of wholesale bath towels is necessary for determining par levels and maintaining profit margins. In this article you will learn everything you need to know about choosing the best commercial hotel towels for your property.
What Is Terrycloth?
Terrycloth is a fabric known for its looped texture, which makes it highly absorbent and soft. It is most commonly made from cotton and is used to produce wholesale towels, bathrobes, and other items where absorbency is important. The loops on both sides of terrycloth increase its surface area, allowing it to soak up large amounts of water, making it ideal for hotel towels and bath linens. Its softness and durability also make it a popular choice for luxurious, long-lasting fabrics.
Why Is Terrycloth Used For Wholesale Bath Towels?
Terrycloth is used for wholesale bath towels because of its superior absorbency, softness, and durability. The fabric is made with looped fibers that increase surface area, allowing it to absorb moisture effectively while feeling plush and comfortable against the skin.
Made primarily from cotton, terrycloth is also durable, withstanding frequent washing and use, which is important for bulk buyers. Additionally, it offers versatility in thickness and weight, catering to different customer preferences, while being cost-effective for large-scale production. These qualities make terrycloth ideal for high-quality, affordable bulk towels.
These are main benefits of terrycloth for commercial hotel towels:
- Exceptional absorbency
- Softness
- Strength/durability
- Non-wrinkling
What Makes A Good Wholesale Bath Towel for Hotels?
Fiber content, yarn spinning method, weave, size and weight all play a part in creating the qualities of the final wholesale hotel towel. Additionally, even more style and durability can be added during the towel design and manufacturing process.
Durability is also important, as commercial hotel towels are washed frequently, so they need to retain their softness and strength over time. Additionally, bulk towels should be available in a range of sizes and weights to suit different hotel needs, and they must maintain a luxurious appearance to enhance the overall guest experience.
Fiber Content and Quality of Bulk Bath Towels
Terrycloth is usually made of cotton (a natural fiber), sometimes blended with polyester (a manmade synthetic). Cotton delivers the absorbency, breathability and softness guests love. Contrarily, polyester increases fabric strength and reduces drying time, an important consideration for hoteliers.
To make both guest and host happy, a polyester blend yarn can make up the ground fabric while 100% cotton loops are the only thing users feel. An example of this is our Dry IQ bulk towel.
For terrycloth made of 100% cotton, there are ways to make that textile stronger, as we’ll see in the spinning and weaving sections below. It is certainly possible for these commercial hotel towels to meet and exceed the requirements of an institutional laundry.
Bamboo — or more accurately, rayon made from bamboo — is gaining in popularity as a textile fiber. Its advantages are high absorbency, silky hand, mildew- and bacteria-resistance, and eco-friendly production methods. Contrarily, its drawback is that in high-temperature commercial washing and drying, this fiber is not as durable as cotton. Our luxurious Orchid towels blend cotton and bamboo for the best of both worlds.
Raw cotton available on the world market varies widely in quality, the most important factor being staple length. (Staple is the individual “hairs” that are spun into yarns.) Longer staple makes smoother, stronger yarns — which in turn make a softer, more durable fabric.
Cotton varieties renowned for their long staple include Pima and Turkish cotton. These types of cotton are mostly popular in retail, while the hospitality industry often uses Upland medium staple cotton.
Pima cotton is used in luxury hotels, providing softer hand feel and a generally longer life than regular cotton. We offer a premium Pima cotton towel for the ultimate in guest comfort.
To counteract the loss of smoothness in using shorter staple cotton, a pre-spinning process of combing is sometimes employed. Combing removes short pieces, nubs and impurities. As a result, any little bits that would protrude from the surface of the yarn and make the finished textile feel rough.
What Are Different Yarn Qualities of Commercial Hotel Towels?
Commercial Bulk towels come in various yarn qualities, each offering different levels of softness, durability, and absorbency. Combed cotton bulk towels use long, strong fibers for softness and durability, while ringspun cotton combines short and long fibers for a smooth, strong finish. Open-end cotton is more economical but less soft, making it ideal for high-usage environments like gyms.
The strength and smoothness of the yarn also depends on how it is spun: the twist and the ply. In choosing the twist and ply of a wholesale towel, the hotelier must balance the relative merits of softness and durability, given that the most silk-like option is also the most fragile.
Ply means a single strand. Thus, single-ply yarn is one twisted strand, while a two-ply yarn is composed of two strands which are first twisted individually, then twisted together. Two-ply yarns in the ground fabric of the towel provide extra strength and thickness. Using them for the terry loops adds fluffiness and a luxurious density.
What Does Twist Mean In Commercial Hotel Towels?
You may have seen the phrases “low twist” or “zero twist.” In this spinning method, a wrapping thread, rather than twisting, holds the yarn together. These types of terry are marketed almost exclusively to retail customers, for a very good reason: although super soft to the touch, zero/low twist bulk towels simply don’t survive in the hotel laundry. Twisted yarns are more stable, don’t unravel so easily, and resist wear and tear.
The final factor that contributes to the quality of a wholesale bath towel is weave. The hospitality buyer must look at mechanical features such as bulk towel weight and loop height, as well as design elements such as jacquard patterns.
What Does "Pounds per Dozen" Indicate About Towel Quality?
“Pounds per dozen” is a key indicator of bulk towel quality in the wholesale and retail markets. It refers to the total weight of 12 towels and helps determine the towel’s density, absorbency, and durability. Generally, lighter towels, such as those weighing 5-10 pounds per dozen, are thinner and more economical, often used in gyms or for quick drying purposes. Medium-weight towels, at 10-15 pounds per dozen, offer a balance of softness and absorbency, making them suitable for hotels. Heavier towels, weighing 15-20 pounds or more per dozen, are considered luxurious, offering a plush feel and greater absorbency, ideal for spas or high-end establishments.
LBS/DZ (pounds per dozen) = how much the finished towel weighs
GSM (grams per square meter) = how much the textile alone weighs
The weight of bulk towels indicates its thickness, which in turn influences durability, absorbency and drying time. Following are the weights preferred for hospitality applications. (Note: LBS/DZ weights partly depend on towel size.)
9-12 LBS/DZ (300-400 GSM) — A lighter weight towel allowing a faster drying time.
15-20 LBS/DZ (400-620 GSM) — A versatile, medium weight towel.
Once the hotel has established its budget and required par level for wholesale towels, pound weight can be used to select a towel that meets its needs. (Learn more about hotel linens par levels here.)
What Are Design Options for Wholesale Towels?
Decorative weaving techniques add surface interest to the design of a wholesale towels and create a signature style for the hotel. The most popular techniques are:
Jacquard: A woven-in pattern of high and low loops in the terrycloth.
Patterns can range from simple stripes to complex florals.
Dobby: A woven-in (non-loop) geometric texture made by raising or lowering the warp yarns on the loom. Often used as a border treatment on towels.
What Are Most Popular Sizes of Wholesale Bath Towels?
The last stage in the process of making a towel includes choosing dimensions, cutting the fabric and sealing the cut edges.
For after-bath drying off, guest preferences are trending toward larger sizes, such as 35″ x 70″ for a bath sheet and 27″ x 56″ for a bath towel. Hand, wash, vanity and tub mat dimensions remain the same.
To prevent fraying, all edges of the towel should be hemmed. At 1Concier, we double-stitch each short end for extra stability and durability; long edges are single-stitched.
For the final finishing touch, we can also add custom embroidery to a hotel’s wholesale towels: a word, logo or whatever is desired. For cost savings, larger quantities are embroidered overseas. For faster delivery, it will be done locally in the U.S. Please reach out to us if you’d like a quote.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet to our wholesale towel collections and how they stack up with regard to the towel qualities we’ve discussed above.
What Are Care Instructions For Wholesale Hotel Towels?
Given that bulk towels have the highest par levels of any items in the hotel linen closet, it pays off to care for them in a way that doesn’t cause premature loss of strength, softness and absorbency. Our laundry experts have put together this list of tips for optimum towel care:
- Wash bulk towels before first use to remove any lint and manufacturing residues.
- Wash full loads for balance and cost efficiency.
- Wash like colors together.
- Avoid using fabric softeners, which erode the towel’s yarns and reduce absorbency.
- Briefly shake out towels after washing to restore fluffiness.
- Make sure your bulk towels are completely dry when they come out of the dryer, to prevent growth of mold and mildew.
- Don’t over-dry bulk towels either, because it weakens cotton fibers.
- Allow cotton bulk towels to “rest” on the shelf for at least 24 hours after laundering, to allow the fiber to absorb humidity and regain its strength.
- Do not iron bulk towels; it decreases absorbency.
What Towels Do Most Hotels Use?
Most hotels use towels made from 100% cotton or cotton polyester blends due to their excellent absorbency, softness, and durability. The most common types are combed cotton or ringspun cotton towels, which are designed to be both soft and strong. These towels typically have a medium to high GSM (grams per square meter), offering a balance of plushness and quick drying times, which is important for hotels that need to launder towels frequently.
Hotels often choose white towels because they are easy to bleach and maintain. Many establishments, especially mid-range to high-end hotels, prefer towels with reinforced stitching for added durability. Some hotels also opt for quick-drying towels made from lighter cotton blends, especially for pool or gym areas.
Which Towels Are Used In 5 Star Hotels?
In 5-star hotels, towels are typically made from high-quality materials such as 100% Pima cotton or Turkish cotton. These towels are known for their exceptional softness, absorbency, and durability. They usually feature a higher GSM (grams per square meter), which makes them thicker, more plush, and highly absorbent—ideal for providing a luxurious experience to guests. Towels used in 5-star hotels are also often double-stitched for added strength and longevity.
How Do Hotels Get their Towels So White And Fluffy?
Hotels achieve their white and fluffy towels through a combination of proper washing techniques, quality products, and maintenance routines. First, they use commercial-grade detergents and bleach to keep towels bright white. Many hotels also use oxygen-based bleach, which is gentler and helps maintain whiteness without damaging the fabric. To keep towels fluffy, they are often washed in hot water to remove oils and dirt, followed by thorough rinsing.
Towels are dried at optimal temperatures and sometimes fluffed in industrial dryers, which helps maintain their softness and plush texture. Regular care and replacing older towels ensure that hotel towels stay fresh and luxurious.
Where Do Hotels Get Their Towels From?
Hotels typically source their towels from specialized hotel linen suppliers who provide high-quality, durable products designed to withstand frequent use and washing. These suppliers offer towels made from premium materials such as cotton, Turkish or Pima cotton, which provide the softness, absorbency, and longevity that hotels require. Buying from professional linen suppliers ensures that hotels receive towels that meet their specific needs in terms of size, weight, and quality standards.
As one of the best hotel linen suppliers, we proudly offer a wide range of premium towels that are trusted by hotels. We understand the importance of providing luxurious, durable towels that enhance the guest experience.
Terry quality, towel manufacture, par levels and budget all play a role in deciding which wholesale towels are right for your hotel. Feel free to pick the brains of our 1Concier experts when making your selections. With our wide choice of fiber content, loop weave and towel weight, there’s something for every need and taste. We’re the hospitality industry’s one-stop shop for the guest room and beyond.
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