Hotel pool towels work best as their own stock. They pick up chlorine, sunscreen, and sand that bath towels rarely see. Give them a different color, track them at a station, and treat sunscreen before it sets.
Key Takeaways:
- Pick a color or stripe that sets them apart from bath towels.
- A staffed station or towel cards reduce towels that walk off.
- Size your count to your busiest pool day, plus what’s in the wash.
Why the pool deck needs its own stock
Guests lie on these towels in the sun, drop them on wet concrete, and carry them to the beach. Mix that wear into your bath stock, and guest room towels end up faded and stiff. A separate pool color keeps the two apart in the sort. As our guide on how hotels keep towels white points out, a single colored item can tint a whole load of whites. A quick-drying weave helps on a busy deck too, because a towel that sits damp in a bin sours fast.
Running a towel station at the pool
How you hand out pool towels decides how many come back. Set up the station with:
- A staffed desk or cart at the pool entrance.
- Rolled towels on open shelves, easy to grab and count.
- A hamper at each exit for used towels.
- Posted rules on whether guests may use them as beach towels.
To size the stock, start with your busiest day. As an example, say 150 guests use the pool on a peak Saturday and half take a second towel, so about 225 go out. With pickup three times a week, plan near 675 to cover the deck, the wash, and transit. Once towels wear thin, our guide on how often to replace towels shows when to retire them.
How to wash sunscreen out of pool towels
Sunscreen leaves oily, yellowish marks that set with heat. University of Georgia Extension suggests soaking the stain for 15 minutes in a mild vinegar solution. Its mix is 1 quart of warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Then rinse the spot, sponge it with water, and wash the towel.
Check towels before the dryer, since heat can lock in a mark.
How OrangeBag handles pool stock
Hotels either buy pool towels in bulk from hospitality textile suppliers or rent them through a linen program. OrangeBag’s hotel linen and towel programs cover bath and pool towels, resupplied against the stock levels you agree on, with stain treatment and rewash handling. Hotels can rent from OrangeBag or have their own stock laundered, and this look at linen rental cost runs the numbers.
FAQ
Do hotels provide pool towels?
Properties with a pool tend to hand out towels at a towel station or the front desk. Some run a card system, where a guest leaves a towel card for each one and picks it up again on return. If you’re a guest and can’t find a station, ask at the front desk before heading down to the pool.
Can you take hotel pool towels to the beach?
Each property sets its own rule on this. Some beach resorts let guests carry pool towels to the sand, while others keep theirs on the deck and hand out separate beach towels. Ask at the towel desk before you leave. If you run the property, post the rule at the station so staff can point to it.
Why are hotel pool towels blue or striped?
Color keeps pool stock apart from white bath towels in the laundry and on the shelf. A blue towel left in a guest room is easy to spot at turnover, so housekeeping can send it back to the pool. Stripes do the same job and help guests recognize the right towel at the station.
Ready to hand off your pool stock?
Nobody wants to tell a guest the towel cart is empty at 2 pm. Tell OrangeBag your peak pool day and room count, and you’ll see the program and pricing in writing before anything is signed.
