Maybe you’ve outgrown your existing hotel laundry equipment and need greater capacity to accommodate your growing demand, or something has gone awry with your existing machines and you’re weighing the cost of repairs, or perhaps it’s just time to upgrade. Whatever the case, your search can and should take into account the needs of your property, guests and staff, as well as the environment.
With that in mind, here are five things to consider when purchasing commercial laundry equipment for your hotel.
Eco-Friendly Features
Whether you’re just kicking off an eco-friendly initiative or looking to build upon what you’ve already started, there is no shortage of energy efficient options for commercial laundry equipment.
One good place to start is with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. The voluntary certification program sets standards for energy efficiency that products have to meet in order to obtain the bright blue Energy Star.
Beginning in 2015, the EPA began certifying commercial washers, and the agency says that commercial clothes washers that have earned the star are 37 percent more efficient than washers that aren’t qualified.
While Energy Star doesn’t offer certification for commercial clothes dryers, there are some energy efficiency features for dryers to look out for, including dryness detection technology that stops machines when linens have gotten to a certain level of dryness to prevent over-drying.
Current and Future Demand
Given the considerable investment involved in commercial laundry equipment, you want to be sure to have the right mix of machine capacity, technology and durability to meet both your current demand and what you’ll need in the future.
Intuitive Controls for Easy Staff Training
When you’re purchasing commercial laundry equipment, it’s important to consider the needs of not just your property and guests but your staff as well. You want machines with the right combination of technical sophistication and ease of use to shorten the time it will take to train the housekeeping staff who will use it every day and the facilities management staff who will be monitoring its performance and maintenance.
The Best Choice for Your Linens
If purchasing new commercial laundry equipment is part of a larger property overhaul, you may also be in the market for new luxury bedding, towels and table linens. Each of those products will have laundry care recommendations from the manufacturer to keep in mind. If those different kinds of linens are different enough or have demand that varies widely – if, for instance, you have a spa and/or pool that drive high towel turnover – you may want to consider a more specialized mix of machines than you currently have.
You can increase the number of machines and switch to a mix of low-, medium- and high-capacity machines. Having more machines will also mean you can take equipment offline for service or repairs without disrupting your entire operation.
The Cost Effectiveness of Outsourcing
Commercial laundry equipment shopping also presents a good opportunity to weigh whether on-premise laundry is still right for your property. Rather than spending the time to research and the money on new machines, you can leave the dirty work to professionals who are in the business of making your linens – and your property – look their best.
An environmentally friendly commercial linen service will have the latest, most energy efficient equipment and safest cleaning products. Outsourcing will free up your time and your physical space for taking care of your guests.
Purchasing commercial laundry equipment for your hotel can be a great chance to step up or maintain your eco-friendly efforts, shorten your training time for new employees and plan for a bright future.
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