On a recent visit to California, a Textile Services correspondent saw something different in a hotel bathroom. Along with the usual complement of white bath towels and washcloths, we saw hanging on a towel rack near a sink, three white bath towels, a white face towel and a single black face towel with the word “Makeup” reversed out in white lettering on the lower front.

This struck us as a clever idea, because hospitality operators regularly grumble about having to get makeup stains out of white terry products. After querying four executives on this idea, responses ranged from enthusiastic support ...