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Short answer: keep room towels white and give the pool, spa and gym each a different colour or a coloured stripe. Staff can then see at a glance when a towel is in the wrong place, the laundry can sort without reading labels, and each area's loss shows up as its own number.
A scheme that works
| Area | Towel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Guest rooms | White | Shows cleanliness, takes hot washing and bleach |
| Pool and beach | A strong colour or a bold stripe | Easy to spot leaving the property, hides sunscreen marks |
| Spa | A calm neutral: sand, grey or taupe | Hides oil marks, suits the mood |
| Gym | A dark colour, or white with a coloured border | Hides sweat marks, easy to count per visit |
If full colours are more than you want, a coloured stripe or border on a white towel does the same job and washes like white.
What it fixes
- Cross-use. Room towels stop going to the pool, where sunscreen and chlorine ruin them.
- Loss. A coloured pool towel in a guest's beach bag is obvious. It also gives you a separate loss rate for the pool.
- Laundry sorting. Staff sort by colour in seconds, and each area gets its own stock back.
- Stock counts. Each colour is counted separately, so you know which area is short.
What colour costs you
| White | Coloured | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Lowest | Higher, dyeing is an extra step |
| Minimum order | Lowest | Dye lots need a minimum quantity per colour |
| Washing | Hot wash, bleach allowed | Wash separately, no chlorine bleach |
| Fading | None | Some over time, more with chlorine and sun |
| Reorder matching | Easy | Needs a retained sample and a shade band |
Pool towels live the hardest life: sun, chlorine and sunscreen. Budget a shorter life for them, and choose colours that fade gracefully. Mid-blues and stripes forgive more than dark navy or black.
Sizes and weights by area
| Area | Typical size | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Room bath towel | 70 x 140 cm | 500 to 600 GSM |
| Pool towel | 80 x 160 cm or larger | 480 to 520 GSM |
| Spa towel | 70 x 140 cm, plus larger sheets for treatment beds | 500 to 600 GSM |
| Gym towel | Smaller, about 40 x 80 cm | 400 to 450 GSM |
Prices
Our published FOB Cochin bands: pool towels $2.20 to $2.80, gym towels $1.20 to $1.70, mid-range bath towels $2.20 to $2.80. Trial runs start at 500 pieces and wholesale pricing at 2,000 pieces per SKU. Each colour counts as its own SKU.
Where to read more
See white vs coloured hotel towels, our coloured bath towel page and the pool towel page. To price a scheme for your property, tell us the areas and quantities.
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Written by
Dr Abin Babu
Founder & Chairman, Anabyn Global Ventures
Anabyn exports hotel and home linen from Kerala, India. These guides come from the questions buyers ask our desk. About the team
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