How Professional Operators Choose Commercial Towels, Duvets & Robes

Supplying hotels, guesthouses and care facilities for over 110 years, we understand what works in high-use environments.

At our premises in Charleville, experienced hotelier Francis Brennan outlined the practical considerations behind selecting towels, duvets, pillows and robes for professional properties.

The focus wasn’t trends. It was performance, durability and stock planning.

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Towels: 500gsm vs 600gsm. What Works in Practice?

Towel weight affects both guest perception and operational efficiency.

600gsm towels

  • Heavier feel / Stronger Absorbency
  • Enhanced guest experience in premium settings

500gsm towels

  • Faster drying times
  • Often more practical in high-turnover properties

Operational standard:

White remains the preferred choice in professional environments. It simplifies laundering and maintains presentation standards over time.

Stock planning guideline:

A minimum of six towel sets per bathroom ensures smooth changeovers.

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Duvets & Pillows: Comfort Meets Commercial Performance

In high-use environments, bedding must balance comfort with durability.

Many professional operators favour non-allergenic microfibre options over feather due to:

  • Consistent performance after repeated laundering
  • Allergy-safe properties
  • Long-term cost efficiency
  • Reliable comfort retention

This makes microfibre particularly suitable for hospitality and care settings where wash cycles are frequent.

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Robes: Plan Beyond Room Count

Robes often require greater stock levels than initially expected.

Professional considerations include:

  • Ordering above standard occupancy levels
  • Selecting one consistent colour for easier stock management
  • Accounting for high laundering frequency
  • Budgeting realistically for replacement cycles

Underestimating robe usage can disrupt operations.

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Stock Planning for High-Use Properties

Whether operating a hotel, guesthouse or nursing home, linen planning should account for:

  • Multiple changeovers per day
  • Commercial laundering conditions
  • Replacement forecasting
  • Consistent presentation standards

Prioritising durability over trend ensures better long-term value.

Textiles for Professional Use

We supply the hospitality, healthcare and care sectors with textiles designed for demanding environments.

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Full Transcript

Francis: So far, we’ve shown Aiveen and Keelin the big picture. But when it comes to creating a personalised experience for guests, it’s all in the detail. So today, I’m taking them to one of my very own happy places.

Keelin: Where have you brought me?

Francis: I brought you to Murrays Textiles in Charleville. They’re in business for 110 years. I’ve dealt with grandad, daddy, and now, Aine.

Keelin: Wow!

Francis: So we’re on three generations

Keelin: Wow!

Francis: Yeah, isn’t it great?

Francis: So now what are we doing first, Aine?

Aine: We’re gonna show Keelin our range of towels.

Francis: Towels, right. So now, what have you got for us?

Aine: So here we ahve a 500 gram bath sheet and a 600 gram bath sheet.

Keelin: So what’s the advantage of the heavier one then?

Aine: It’s a more luxurious towel, yeah, yeah.

Keelin: Okay. Okay.

Francis: But there’s very little difference in it. The 500 one is just as good, you know, and it dries quicker.

Keelin: Do you have to go for white?

Francis: Well, look, give me those colours there, till I just show you, alright? Somebody spills bleach on that, and you can see it immediately. This, you never have to worry. It washes forever. And what price are they running at?

?: Hand towels, you’d be talking 2 Euros, bath sheet, 8 Euros, and a facecloth, about 50 cents or so.

Francis: Right. Yeah. Well, that’s a good price.

Keelin: Okay.

Francis: I can tell you straight away.

Keelin: Alright. And how many set would you need for every bathroom?

Aine: So you would need six different sets per your bathroom.

Keelin: Okay.

Aine: Here we have… it’s a 180 TC polycotton. So it’s 50% poly, 50% cotton.

Francis: Don’t want it.

Aine: Okay. (Laughs)

Francis: It’s… We dont want poly at all.

Aine: Okay, so just cotton.

Francis: So what have we got here?

?: This is a non-allergenic microfibre duvet?

Francis: Microfibre?

?: Yeah. People love the fact that the feather duvets hug the body and perform very well. And this is made to do the same.

Francis: If these are as promised, I think these are a better buy for you…

Keelin: Okay.

Francis: …Keelin, than the feather and down. Now onto pillows, is it?

Aine: Yeah!

Francis: And the duvets. Yeah, right.

Aine: Similar to the duvets, it’s made to feel like a feather pillow…

Keelin: It’s lovely.

Francis: Oh, yes.

Aine: But it’s also a microfibre synthetic option.

Francis: Right. Anyway, this is brilliant. I’m very happy with this, and I think you should be, too.

Keelin: Okay. Perfect.

Aine: This would be our velour robe. So this for us now, we would do this in a charcoal grey, and we do it in a white. It’s probably our most popular seller. You’d see it in spas, you’d see it in all hotel bedrooms.

Keelin: France, would we go for two different colours? Like, one for the spa, one for the bathroom.

Francis: No, we’ll go for the one colour throughout. A spa EATS robes.

Keelin: Yeah, okay.

Francis: Eats them! Don’t ask me how. It’s like as everybody wears three robes.

Keelin: Okay.

Francis: So, we’ll be buying a good few, then we won’t be buying, like two extra because we have 12 people staying and we only want 14. Forget it.

Keelin: Okay.

Francis: You’ll be ordering 35 or 36 or something.

Keelin: Ah, okay.

Francis: But that is a lovely robe.

Keelin: Right.

Francis: And what price is that actually?

Aine: That will be coming in at about 20.95, isn’t it?

?: About 21 or 2 Euros.

Aine: Yeah, yeah.

Keelin: And size-wise, one fits all, you’re saying.

Francis: Oh, absolutely.

Keelin: Even though a lot of our guests will be ladies, probably.

Francis: Forget it. Wrap them round ’em. Wrap them round ’em. You can’t be doing large, small, and medium, you’ll be driven mad!

Keelin: Okay, okay.

Francis: And you’ve to buy a whole pile of stock!

Keelin: I’m gonna have to site down, really, and just look at the budget. I wasn’t expecting that we’d need as many robe or as many towels. So look, it’s absolutely… we have to it this way. So there’s a non… no compromise, really, when it comes to what we’re buying here. So it’s just gonna have to fit into the budget.