As we head into the holiday season and the likelihood of overnight guests, it’s the perfect time to take your guest bathroom, or the bathroom your guests will use, up a notch. That begins with a thorough cleaning, so you avoid bad reviews from overnight guests and in-laws. You can check out some of our articles, linked below, in which we share what we’ve learned about cleaning guest bedrooms and bathrooms from professional hotel housekeepers around the world. 

Outfit Your Guest Bathroom Like Your Favorite Hotel

Once the cleaning is complete, the fun begins. By fun, we mean selecting the bath amenities that will provide you with a hotel-quality bathroom and your guests with a memorably wonderful visit.

1. Invest in Your Bath Towels

The same customers who are willing to invest in pillows often choose towels based solely on the lowest price. However, towels chosen solely based on price will prove to be the costliest option if they aren’t soft, absorbent, and large enough to wrap around the body. Their price per use also rises if they shrink in the dryer or fray in the washer, requiring frequent replacement. That’s why hotels consider weight, fabric, weave, size, and care when choosing towels for their guest bathrooms, pools, and spas.

• The weight of your towels

The weight of a towel is measured in grams per square meter (GSM), which describes the density of the fabric (usually cotton) woven into a square meter. GSM varies between 300 and 900 GSM for bath towels. It is easy to assume the heavier the towel, the more absorbent; however, the type of cotton used is as important as the weight of the towel in determining absorbency.

Towels from 300-400 GSM are lightweight, allowing quicker drying time. Depending on the towel’s intended use, you may want a lower GSM. This is the weight we have chosen for our gobi desert pool towel (369 GSM) and sonoran gym towel (540 GSM). These lightweight towels are versatile, quick to launder, and easy to pack. Often made with no pile, they are woven from thicker cotton, providing the extra surface area they need to be absorbent.

Towels from 400-620 GSM are the ideal medium weight perfect for bath towels. Our mojave collection (Towels 540 GSM/Bath Mat 800 GSM) is made with 100% microcotton. These bath towels are long-lasting, super-absorbent, and feel substantial and luxurious. Our sahara collection (Towels 525 GSM/Bath Mat 780 GSM) dual core towels are made with 100% extra-long staple cotton, which softens naturally. They are super-absorbent and fast drying with no shrinkage.

• The fiber of your towels

Cotton, the most common fiber used for towels and robes, is a soft, fluffy fiber that is naturally breathable and absorbent as it allows air and water to pass through the yarns. For this reason, most of down etc’s bath towels are made with 100% cotton.

Our silk wash® is an exception as it is made with silk and cotton. These towels are as absorbent as mid-weight towels but are lighter, cooler, and faster drying. This makes them ideal for children to manage and quicker to dry in busy bathrooms. They are also very soft and low pile, which is why we recommend them for sensitive, damaged, or newborn baby skin.

• The weave of your towels

Terry is made with uncut yarn loops on one or both sides of the fabric. It is the loops that allow terry to absorb large amounts of liquid and make it a great fabric for toweling. The loops or piles can be different lengths. The longer the piles, the more absorbent and plusher the towel will feel. Higher quality terry has loops that are closely woven and firmly constructed so they are less likely to snag. Our bath towels are woven with a lovely dobby jacquard border created by a geometrical weave pattern at one or both ends of the towel.

• The size of your towels

Typically, a washcloth is 13x13, a hand towel is 16x30, a bath towel is 27x55, a body sheet is 33x70, and a tub mat is 20x30. These sizes may vary slightly.

• The color of your towels

You may have noticed, when it comes to towels, hotels typically choose white. First, white towels are hygienic as they will reveal any stains. Second, the use of white towels eliminates the problem of bleaching or streaking of colored towels caused by benzoyl peroxide, as well as any concern over color bleeding when you launder your new towels.

• The care of your towels

We suggest washing any new towels prior to use at a temperature under 40°C (104°F), which is a warm wash, to keep them looking and feeling their best; however, you may increase the temperature up to 60°C (140°F) at which temperature dust mites will be killed. It takes several washes for towels to achieve their maximum absorbency, softness, and fluffiness. To keep your white towels brilliantly white, wash them with other white towels only and avoid using fabric softener, as it leaves a coat on the toweling loops, which reduces their absorbency. 

2. Select a Beautiful, Comfortable, and Safe Bath Rug

Safety and hygiene are primary concerns when it comes to bath rugs in hotels and in your home. That’s why we highly recommend bath rugs be non-skid. Sliding across the bathroom floor is the fastest way to ruin the calming experience of a bath or shower.

Our 100% cotton bath rugs come in a variety of sizes and styles that are lofty and soft on the feet. Our cut-loop terry soma and beau rivage bath rugs are premium products and favorites of our boutique hotel clients. Our low pile Turkish Bath Rugs have less loft but are no less soft. The pacific heights bath rug has rounded corners and a piping finish for strength and durability and non-skid dot backing so they won’t slip under your feet.

We recently introduced our Turkish bath rugs. Offered in a variety of geometric patterns, they are manufactured with 100% Turkish cotton, a longer and stronger fiber with high absorbency. The perfect balance of strength and softness.

3. Provide a Cozy Robe

One way you know you’re staying in a quality hotel is when you out of the shower into a fresh and cozy robe hanging nearby. When picking a robe for yourself or your guests, you’ll consider the fabric, fit, and care of the robe, but first you’ll consider how the robe will be used.

• A robe instead of a towel to dry off?

Will your guest slip into the robe in lieu of a towel upon stepping out of the tub or shower?  In that case, you will want to provide something that is soft on the outside and absorbent on the inside like one of our taurus mountain robes.

• A robe to lounge?

Do they wear a robe while getting ready to go out or do they don a robe to lounge around the house? In that case, you might choose our pyrenees diamond jacquard shawl collar robe. Made of soft-knitted poly/cotton, the small diamond jacquard pattern is elegant and original.

• A robe to cuddle?

Do they prefer a robe that is simply incredibly soft? A spa classic, our mt. kilimanjaro ribbed cotton velour robe is 100% combed cotton, ribbed velour with a shawl collar.

• A robe for the pool or beach?

If you’re looking for a robe for your guests to take outside or to the beach, our mt. mckinley kimono waffle robe has the right look with its woven poly/cotton waffle. It's light and easy to wash and dry.

• A robe, wrap, and towel set?

We’ve created an entire bathroom set using our crisp and cool 100% cotton waffle fabric (pictured above). It includes a waffle towel set, waffle spa wrap, and waffle kimono robe. They come in your choice of cloud white, sand beige, and sky blue, to go with your bathroom aesthetic. Add the heart twist spa head wrap and your guest will be sure they’ve landed in a spa.

4. Let Them Relax with Slippers

Providing slippers upon entering your home or upon stepping out of the shower is a sure sign you mean your guests to be comfortable.  Our one-time-use slippers can be purchased in sets to keep in a basket for guests who arrive unexpectedly. For specialty occasions, our “Eat, Drink & Be Married” and “Cheers! Celebration” are designed to bring a smile to your loved ones' faces. 

Once your guests are warm and cozy, they’re sure to have a great night’s sleep!

 -Team at down etc

Read more:

Spring Cleaning 101: Getting Your Bedroom, Bathroom, and Guest Rooms Ready for Spring

Consider Your 5 Senses to Make Bathing at Home a Spa-like Experience

Are Your Bedroom and Bath Ready for Fall?

5 Ways to Prepare Your Home to Delight Overnight Guests

How to Avoid Bad Reviews from Your Overnight Guests

About down etc

For over twenty years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers in hotels around the world to provide pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night’s sleep, whether at home or away.

 

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