In this article
Short answer: track par level, loss rate, rewash rate, linen cost per occupied room and linen age. Together they tell you whether you have enough linen, where it is going, whether it is the right linen, what it costs and when to reorder.
The five numbers
| Number | Formula | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Par level | Pieces in circulation divided by pieces needed to make up every room once | Whether you have enough |
| Loss rate | Pieces missing at the count divided by the opening stock, per year | Theft, misuse and laundry loss |
| Rewash rate | Pieces sent back for a second wash divided by pieces washed | Whether the linen and the wash suit each other |
| Linen cost per occupied room | Yearly linen replacement spend divided by occupied room nights | What linen really costs you |
| Linen age | Months since each batch went into use | When to plan a reorder |
1. Par level
The usual standard. Laundry can run a normal cycle without shortages.
In the room
On the bed and in the bathroom
In the laundry
Being washed and dried
On the shelf
Clean, ready for the next change
Each tile is one full change of linen for one room.
300
Bath towels
300
Hand towels
300
Flat sheets
300
Pillowcases
Count what you own of one item and divide by one full house. If a 100-room hotel needs 200 bath towels to make up every room and owns 520, par is 2.6. Below 3, a full house on a slow laundry day leaves rooms short. Use the par level calculator.
2. Loss rate
Loss = opening stock + purchases - closing stock - pieces you discarded. Divide by opening stock. Loss you can't explain is the number to watch. Counting monthly shows which month and which area. See how to run a linen count in one afternoon.
3. Rewash rate
Ask your laundry how many pieces fail the first wash. Each rewash costs a second wash and takes wash-life from the piece. A high rate usually points to stains that need a different process, or linen that greys and marks easily. More in rewash rate: the hidden cost.
4. Linen cost per occupied room
Add up what you spent replacing linen in the year and divide by occupied room nights.
Example: a hotel spends $18,000 a year on replacement linen and sells 25,000 room nights. Linen replacement costs $0.72 per occupied room. A better towel that costs 20 percent more but lasts twice as long brings that number down, not up. The hotel linen budget calculator works this through.
5. Linen age
Record the month each batch goes into circulation. A woven date tag or a coloured stitch in the hem makes batches easy to tell apart. When a batch nears the end of its useful life, you see the reorder coming months ahead.
How the numbers work together
- Low par and high loss: you are replacing stolen linen, not worn linen.
- Normal loss but high cost per room: the linen is wearing out early.
- High rewash and short life: the wash is too harsh for the linen, or the linen is wrong for the wash.
What to do with them
Review the five once a month. Bring them to your supplier when you reorder. A supplier who sees your rewash rate and linen age can suggest a spec that fixes the cause.
For ways to make stock last, read how to extend the life of hotel towels. When your numbers say it is time to reorder, send us your 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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