Designing for Your Hotel Laundry Facilities!

Designing for Your Hotel Laundry Facilities!

Hotel laundry plays a vital role in your hotel’s guest experience. The importance of clean, smooth, and fresh linens cannot be overestimated. The biggest challenge to achieving optimal laundry quality is the sheer volume of laundry. A typical 120-room hotel can process 400,000 pounds of the laundry in a year! Hoteliers must get the laundry system right! Here are some basics to consider when designing your hotel laundry facilities:

SIZING THE EQUIPMENT:

• Typically, a 120-key select service hotel requires two to three hardmount washer extractors and two to three dryers. The ideal number varies according to the number of linens per guestroom and the actual size of the washer/dryer units.
• Commercial washer and dryer sizes depend on dry-weight. For example, a 50-pound washer has a maximum dry weight capacity of 50 lbs.
• Typically, hotel grade hardmount washers range from 65 to 85 lbs. in size and can process one to two loads per hour.
• To avoid having wet linens waiting for the dry cycle, dryers should be one size larger than the washer-extractor. For example, a 65- pound washer-extractor typically pairs with a 75-pound dryer.

SIZING THE ROOM:

• Designers size the laundry room based on a 1.7 to 2.2 sq. ft. of laundry space per 1-pound of linen per hour. For a typical select service 120-key hotel, this equates to a laundry room of 500-700 sq. ft. If linens will be ironed, this area should be increased by approximately 50%.
• Importantly, most hotel laundry equipment requires 24” of rear clearance for servicing, and washers should be spaced a minimum of 6” to 12” apart.

SELECTING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT:

• Typically, we select the Unimac brand as they have a longstanding reputation in the industry and with our clients.

WASHERS:

• Low/Mid G-force Hardmount – This economy model is the least efficient solution for long-term use. You find low upfront cost but higher cost of operation.
• Low/Mid G-force Softmount – Softmount washers do not require a ground floor slab because 90% of the vibration is absorbed by the built-in system of springs and shock absorbers.  Softmount units cost approximately 25% more than hardmount versions.
• High G-force Hardmount – This is the best option for commercial hotel applications as they provide the fastest processing with low overall operating costs.  We most often select this system for our hotels.

DRYERS:

• Large capacity tumble dryers with auto-dry programming are most desirable.
• Operators prefer units with anti-wrinkling functions that automatically turn the cylinder back on if a load has been left drying for too long.
• Self-cleaning lint filters are preferred.
• As a safety measure, Unimac offers a high-temperature auto response system. When it detects a laundry fire, water automatically sprays on the linens in the unit.  
• Hoteliers prefer natural gas as a more efficient heating source than electric.

Next week we dive into this topic in more detail and discuss typical costs as well as common issues that we see in hotel laundry room designs.  In the meantime, feel free to reach out with any questions below.