Why Hotel Laundry Outsourcing Makes Sense
With a booming tourist trade in the United Kingdom (UK), a majority of hotels of all sizes are moving to outsource their linen to cope more effectively with the growing number of guests. Paul Swift, business development manager at Berendsen UK, recently weighed in on why this move makes good business sense in the short and long term.
While a full house and record-setting tourist numbers is great news, it puts pressure on hotels to meet increasing demands and expectations. In an online article titled, Improving Service By Outsourcing Hotel Linen, Swift noted that by partnering with an external supplier, hoteliers can remove the stress and costs associated with running an in-house laundry. Berendsen, for example, can provide an individual look or branding to linen, as well as customize budgets to meet the hospitality needs of individual hotels. Often today’s textile service providers can deliver a level of quality and reliability that in-house operations can’t attain, Swift said.
While hotel outsourcing of linen services is far more common in the United Kingdom (UK) than in the United States, some British hotels continue to launder textiles in-house. That decision that has its downsides, said Swift. In addition to the costs of electricity, water and buying linens, laundry output is easily impacted by limited manpower and machine maintenance.
By comparison, an external supplier will have contingencies in place, as well quality-assurance processes to check for finished quality, cleanliness and replacement linen. Set up typically is simple, with a set service price and costs that vary with occupancy, rather than fixed costs. This makes for a more predictable and manageable budget. Linen stock and management often can be handled online.
Another reason outsourcing is beneficial for hotels is the rising expectations that customers have for enviro-friendly companies and services. Textile service providers can be an integral part of a hotel’s environmental footprint. Berendsen, for example, has significantly reduced its water and energy use and carbon dioxide emissions since 2008. Thanks to changes in its cleaning process, Berendsen has decreased its annual carbon dioxide emissions by 35,000 tons. It makes sense, says Swift, for hotels to enhance services and the quality of linen products, while reducing costs. Click here to learn more.