You have seen countless recommendations on how to choose the best washing machine for hotels. The most efficient, the most affordable, or just the best for hotel owners. Truth be told, there are many factors you need to consider when making your decision.
You want to avoid a home washing machine that is too small or will break down often, or a commercial washing machine that is the wrong style, the wrong size, or costs too much for what you need. Instead, you want to make sure the model you pick is right for your business. We are here to help you learn everything you need to know about choosing the right washing machine for your hotel.
What's with All The Names?
A washer designed for business applications like a hotel can be called many things. Commercial washer, industrial washer, wash extractor all are different names for the same type of commercial washer. Home washers or residential washers are both names for consumer washers. “Light industrial commercial washers” is the name of a category of washers that are slightly more heavy duty than a home washer but not as durable and rugged as a commercial washer.
Why is a Commercial Washing Machine so Expensive?
A commercial washing machine is exactly what it sounds like – a machine designed to wash substantial amounts of laundry every day for a business. A home washer is designed to be used once or twice a week whereas a commercial washer is designed to be used 7 days a week, 8+ hours per day. The reason commercial washing machines are more expensive than home washing machines is because of the engineering that goes into creating an appliance that will be used every day and lasts 10-15 years. A commercial washer has heavy steel construction, stainless steel critical components, heavy duty bearings and motor, and a highly reliable electronics system.
How to Choose the Best Washing Machine for Your Hotel
For your convenience, here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the best washing machine for hotels:
- Cost – This is the most significant factor when choosing a commercial washing machine. As with all purchases, it is important to get it right the first time with accurate tools like cost calculators, so you are not caught paying more overall.
- Style – Commercial washing machines come in two styles: hard mount washers and soft mount washers. Hard mount washers require a complicated installation process including a concrete pad and anchor bolts. Soft mount washers are easy to install, can be placed on any type of floor, and can extract more water from your laundry, shortening the cleaning time and improving overall performance.
- Size – Commercial washers are rated by their dry weight capacity. For example, a 40-pound washer will hold 40lbs of laundry in the drum. There is some easy math to help you determine the right size commercial washer for your hotel. An average occupied hotel room will generate 14 pounds of laundry per day. To estimate the daily laundry needs multiply the number of rooms in the hotel times the occupancy rate times 14 pounds. This will give you the total pounds of laundry needed to clean daily. For example, a 30-room hotel with an 80% occupancy rate will generate 336 pounds of laundry per day. A 40lb washer can handle that amount of laundry in an 8-hour shift.
Types of Commercial Washing Machines
There are two common types of washers that people think about when they are going through consideration for their hotel, motel, or inn:
- On-Premises – The all-star machine of the housekeeping department, on-premises machines operate just like an at-home machine with a much larger capacity, allowing for large loads of sheets, towels, and other linens. Simply load the machine, set the desired cycle, and walk away.
- Vended – These are the customer-facing machines. A vended washing machine creates the opportunity for your hotel to offer laundry to guests. These machines require payment in the form of coins or credit cards before they can run. The demand for these often is not as high as the housekeeping machines, but maintenance and cleaning priorities are important because the guest is the end-user.
Ready to Get Your Hotel's Next Washer?
Choosing the best washing machine for hotels can be a crucial factor in the success of your hotel. Choose the right model for the right purpose, and you will be glad you did.
To help you even more, one of UnityLab’s brands, Unity Laundry has created a FREE resource library of online tools including informative e-books, online calculators, and online comparison tools to help.
