Analysing the Costs of In-House Linen Laundry vs. Outsourcing
Running a hotel or a restaurant is a very big responsibility. The hospitality industry is incredibly unforgiving, and because word spreads so quickly, every bad review could affect your business drastically. If you are running a hotel, there are a number of things you have to keep in mind to ensure that the experience is as good as can be for your guests. If a person has a good experience at your hotel, they are probably going to write about it online or let others know about it, which is just good publicity overall for your establishment.
From the moment a person enters your hotel until the time they leave, you have to make absolutely sure that their experience is as pleasant as can be. From greeting them with a warm smile to making sure their room is completely clean, it’s very important that you focus on minor details to ensure that the guest leaves with a smile on their face.
One of the biggest issues many businesses face in the hospitality sector is related to the management of the linens and the laundry. Linen items are quite commonly used throughout the hospitality sector. They are used in restaurants and hotels for a variety of purposes. For instance, in a restaurant, linen cloths such as tablecloths, serviettes, and napkins are all used on the dining table to provide a quality dining experience. If you are charging a premium for the food at your restaurant, it’s obviously important that you pay attention to the way in which it is served.
Customers and critics are both going to pay close attention to not just the quality of the food, but to the way it is served as well. If there are spots on the table cloths or if there are stains on the napkins, it’s obviously not going to paint a very good impression on the patrons. Some might even be revolted and would choose not to order at all if they notice major stains on the napkins or on the table cloths. As soon as a guest leaves, you should instruct the waiters to clean out the table and place new napkins on it. If the table cloth has been stained, you will also have to remove the dirty one and replace it with another.
Similarly, even more linen is used in hotels. Apart from the hotel restaurants, linen is used in the bedrooms for the pillow covers and the bed sheets. Every time a customer leaves or at a certain time during the day, you have to remove the bed sheets and then replace them with new ones. This must be done on a daily basis if you want to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the hotel rooms.
Managing the Laundry
All of the dirty linen must be cleaned and put back in circulation at any hotel or restaurant. You can either decide to send the linen products to a company that offers laundry services, such as a local dry cleaner, or set up a cleaning department in your own establishment.
There are a considerable amount of issues involved with the latter, which is why most business owners generally prefer outsourcing the laundry to a linen cleaning company. In fact, many companies do not stock the linen in their hotels or restaurants at all, choosing to instead rent them from other companies.
If you own linen products and would like to hire a professional company for cleaning them regularly, you should do a bit of research first. Companies such as Stalbridge Linen provide laundry services for businesses in the hospitality industry all over the UK. They will collect all of the dirty linens from your hotel or your restaurant and will deliver fresh and clean linens to your place the very next day.
In fact, if you can’t afford to keep a stock of linen in your establishment, many companies also offer you the option of renting the linens directly from them. The company will deliver the linens to your establishment and then take the dirty linens in the same day. You just have to provide some basic information such as the number of linens you require, the colours, or any other particular requirements you might have. Most of the companies offer you the option of getting your restaurant’s logo embossed on the linen products as well.
Cost Control
One of the major reasons why so many companies now prefer outsourcing their dry cleaning or even prefer to rent the linen from another company is because it helps them keep their costs in control. Companies don’t have to worry about buying fresh linens every few months, and most importantly, it also helps them keep their costs under control.
If you choose to rent linens from another company, all you have to do is negotiate a fee with them, and they will let you know the costs. There’s no need to worry about setting up a separate department for cleaning the laundry, either. As a restaurant or a hotel owner, your primary objective would be to make sure your customers are treated to an amazing experience. If you start worrying about linens and other things, it may affect the quality of your direct product.
If you are looking for high-quality linens, there are several things you should keep in mind. When you approach any company and ask for a quotation, ask them to show you a variety of products they have to offer. Check the quality of the linens that are available and then make a decision. The company will give you a timeframe for the delivery for the fresh linens and will take away the dirty ones from the previous day at work. You can request quotes from numerous companies and find out the most affordable option depending upon your budget. Naturally, the costs of renting the linens or outsourcing the dry cleaning are much lower than managing all of the linens by yourself. These are a few things you should know about the costs associated with renting linens from another company.