The Washing System that Saves Hotels Money and Boosts Quality

Any manager of a hotel or bed and breakfast will be well aware that keeping towel and linen quality high whilst keeping a lid on costs is a challenge. 

Traditional aqueous washing methods use copious amounts of hot water and chemicals to get garments clean – but this method is harsh on fabrics and can mean linen loss rates spiral.

But with a recent study by Xeros showing 94% of guests think towel quality, in particular cleanliness, is vital for overall customer satisfaction, hospitality establishments cannot afford to ignore this if they want to attract returning customers.

However, with intense hot water washing processes requiring high amounts of energy and utility bills showing no sign of decreasing, towel and linen quality is not the only headache for hotel managers. 

With this in mind, it is worth taking time to examine the true costs associated with water, energy, maintenance and repairs so you can look to revamp your laundry operations from the ground up. This could add thousands of pounds to your hotel’s bottom line whilst maximising your customer’s experiences.

Indeed, whilst 80% of British hotels outsource their laundry operations they could be missing a trick. This is because the most effective way of ensuring your towels and linens stay as clean, soft and fluffy for as long as possible is to invest in an on-premise laundry facility that harnesses the revolutionary technology of the near-waterless polymer bead system, Xeros.

By bringing your laundry operation in-house using a Xeros machine, you can take steps to reduce the day-to-day operational costs associated with energy and chemical usage at your hotel by up to 30%, optimising the establishment’s profitability. 

Whilst traditional machines use between 40% and 70% hot water, Xeros only uses 5%, on average. With less water to heat, more energy is saved and your bills are reduced. The Xeros system only uses half the chemicals per kilogram compared to a traditional aqueous machine. 

The Xeros 25kg washing machine is able to use less water and deliver a gentler wash thanks to the revolutionary polymer technology it harnesses. This gently remove soil and stains from fabrics, helping hotels save on average over two million litres of water each year.

In recent tests, the Xeros reclaim program achieved more than 70% linen recovery rate when compared with traditional processes. Traditional reclaim processes typically use harsh chemicals and aggressive washing whereas Xeros’ gentle polymer beads actually serve to prolong linen life.

After outsourcing the cleaning of its towels for many years, the Doubletree by Hilton Sonoma in the US decided to take back control and invest in an on-premise laundry facility. 

The Xeros in-house laundry operation they invested in was 47% cheaper per year compared to outsourcing and helped secure a 23% reduction on cost per occupied room. Furthermore, the prolonged linen life not only saved on replacement costs, it also led to happier customers as the towels were reported to be brighter and fluffier than ever before. 

So whether you are motivated by cost saving, drawing in more customers, or indeed both, it is worth considering investing in near-waterless on-premise laundry facilities.