In pictures

Explainer

Three robe fabrics, three jobs

Explainer

Pick by room

In this article

The decision table
By room type
By laundry
A common split
Where to go next

Short answer: choose waffle where it is warm or where robes are washed many times a day, terry for standard hotel rooms, and velour where the robe is part of what the guest is paying for. Most hotels need two of the three, not one.

Three robe fabrics, three jobs

Warm climates, spas

Waffle

300 to 350 GSM

Dries fastest in the laundry

$6.50 to $9.00 FOB

Most hotel rooms

Terry

400 to 450 GSM

Dries a guest best

$9.50 to $13.00 FOB

Suites, cold resorts

Velour

500 to 600 GSM

Smooth outside, loops inside

$14.00 to $19.00 FOB

The decision table

	Waffle	Terry	Velour
Weight	300 to 350 GSM	400 to 450 GSM	500 to 600 GSM
Feel	Light, textured, cool	Soft loops, absorbent	Smooth outside, loops inside
Dries a guest	Fairly well	Best of the three	Well, from the inside face
Laundry drying time	Shortest	Medium	Longest
FOB price per piece	$6.50 to $9.00	$9.50 to $13.00	$14.00 to $19.00
Best for	Spas, pools, warm climates	Standard and deluxe rooms	Suites, ski and winter resorts

By room type

Pick by room

Standard room, temperate climate

Terry

Standard room, hot climate

Waffle

Suite or villa

Velour or heavy terry

Spa and treatment rooms

Waffle

Pool and beach

Waffle or light terry, in a colour

Standard room, temperate climate: terry. It does the job a guest expects of a robe, which is to dry them after a shower.
Standard room, hot climate: waffle. A heavy robe in a humid room is left on the hook.
Suite or villa: velour, or a heavier terry. This guest compares the robe with the one at home.
Spa and treatment rooms: waffle. Therapists turn robes over fast, and waffle dries quickly in the laundry.
Pool and beach: waffle or light terry in a colour, so they stay at the pool.

By laundry

Ask your laundry before you choose. A velour robe at 600 GSM holds far more water than a waffle robe at 300 GSM, so it costs more to dry and takes longer to come back. If your laundry bills by weight, a heavier robe costs more on every wash for its whole life.

A common split

A 100-room resort with a spa might order terry for 90 rooms, velour for 10 suites, and waffle for the spa. All three can be white and carry the same embroidery, so the property still looks consistent.

Where to go next

See the fabric pages for waffle and velour robes, and the bathrobe price guide for what moves the price inside each band. White robes start at 50 pieces per size, so you can order all three in one small run. Ask for a quote with your room count and we'll suggest the split.