You’ve done the recommended maintenance, you’ve replaced parts along the way and you’ve done everything you could to keep the machines running smoothly, but the truth is clear: Your hotel laundry equipment is starting to fail.
As time goes on, equipment may give out completely or start to slow down, which slows down your staff and costs you money. Your older equipment may also be causing you to miss out on the operating cost savings and eco-friendly bragging rights associated with new energy efficiency technology.
Depending on your budget and the needs of your property both now and into the future, your main options for handling failing laundry equipment include: repairs, upgrades or outsourcing.
Repairs
Companies that specialize in hotel laundry equipment repair typically have several key characteristics in common:
- 24-hour or less response time
- Parts in stock for the most common commercial laundry equipment
- Onsite repairs
- Qualified technicians
That means choosing the right company or deciding whether repairs are the way to go can come down to factors such as cost, experience and customer service. You want someone who’s familiar with your particular equipment, who can give you a realistic estimate of how much more life you can expect from your machines and who checks in periodically to see how the repairs are holding up. Finding a reliable repair service may even allow you to extend the life of your equipment.
Upgrades
Replacing your aging machines offers the golden opportunity to upgrade in the form of new features, bells and whistles that may end up saving you money in the long run through energy efficiency technology and faster cycle times.
Advances in hotel laundry equipment include:
• Faster wash and dry cycles
• Reduced water consumption and wastewater
• Less gas usage
• Multi-language, easy-to-read displays
• Dryness detection technology that stops dryers as soon as items are dry to prevent overdrying
• Machine performance reports that display on screens or on your computer
Once you choose equipment with the latest energy efficiency features, you can mention the investment in your marketing materials as a show of your commitment to environmentally friendly business practices.
Outsourcing
Perhaps it’s time to get out of the on-premise laundry business once and for all. After all, your expertise is hospitality, not laundry. Letting experts handle the cleaning and ironing of your property’s towels and linens offsite will free you up to focus on guests and growing your business – and free up valuable space at your property.
Hotel laundry services can guarantee delivery at the same time every day and may have a pay-as-you-go model that means your laundry costs will match your usage and occupancy.
Once you invest in luxury linens, laundry services will have the specialized equipment that will help meet guests’ expectations for crisp table linens and soft sheets and towels in a way that older machines can’t.
And don’t worry that outsourcing means you have to forfeit those eco-friendly bragging rights – you can choose a service whose equipment has the latest energy-efficiency features.
Other benefits of outsourcing include:
- Eliminating the costs associated with owning hotel laundry equipment, such as energy, labor and maintenance
- Freeing up the space currently devoted to laundry for guest amenities such as a larger workout room, spa or restaurant
- Not having to worry about repairs or upgrades in the future.
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