Optimising Hotel Linen Management for a Successful Summer Season

The Summer Challenge: Balancing Stock Levels

During the busy summer season, hotels pay for every piece of fresh, clean stock delivered. If there’s too much linen on site, it leads to overspending relative to the number of rooms sold. On the other hand, understocking can prevent rooms from being made up, leading to lost sales opportunities. Thus, striking the right balance is in the best interest of both the hotel and its laundry service provider.

PAR: A Key Metric for Inventory Management

Hotels typically rent linen from their laundry service provider. At the start of a contract, the laundry usually purchases five (5) PAR for each hotel. PAR, standing for Per Available Room, is a popular way to calculate hospitality ratios. In this context, 1 PAR is the amount of linen and towelling needed to make up every room in the hotel. The 5x PAR ensures enough stock in circulation throughout the laundry cycle to meet the increased demand during the summer season.

Overstocking: A Hidden Summer Spoiler

Overstocking can lead to an overspend and waste in the housekeeping budget, which is particularly detrimental during the busy summer season. It can also result in unnecessary creasing, damage to linen, and crowded linen rooms becoming a fire risk. Laundries are in a unique position because they can only clean what is returned to them. When a hotel is overstocked, many items will complete the cycle more frequently, resulting in overuse, wearing, and faster degrading than stock stuck in storage at the hotel.

Moreover, overstocking reduces the frequency of stock rotation, meaning linen is no longer at its freshest - a crucial factor for guest satisfaction during the summer season.

Technology: The Game-Changer for Summer Operations

CLEAN takes a consultative approach to its relationship with customers. Our Streamline ordering system and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) have proven to reduce the time it takes to manage linen service by over 80% due to more accurate and quicker stock checks and automatic ordering. This efficiency is particularly beneficial during the busy summer season.

Customers using our RFID-enabled linen systems can further optimise their operations. RFID technology uses radio waves to track items. In linen management, each item is tagged with an RFID tag containing unique information. RFID readers track these items, providing real-time location monitoring. Benefits include real-time visibility, increased processing speed, cost savings, and risk mitigation.

We use RFID systems to streamline linen operations, cut labour costs, and lower operating expenses. On average, a piece of linen or towelling completes the full cycle and is returned to the laundry in 11 days.

When used well, our Streamline and RFID systems make for efficient linen management, reducing time and costs. If you're unsure, ask us for some refresher training.

Storage and Lifespan: Prolonging the Summer Lifeline

Proper storage of linen and towelling is essential to keeping the housekeeping operation running smoothly during the summer season. Similarly, extending the lifespan of linen and towelling is vital. Misuse costs hotels and laundries millions of pounds each year, which can be particularly impactful during the high season.

Additional Useful Tips and Pointers to Help Manage Your Linen during the Summer Season:

• Check Your Delivery Schedule: Be sure to check your delivery schedule regularly. If you anticipate higher occupancy, you can amend future deliveries to order more stock in time.
• Accurate Linen Counts Submission: It’s essential to consistently submit accurate counts of your linen. An accurate count helps generate a more precise streamline schedule, which better reflects your actual needs. Failing to submit your linen counts on time, or not submitting them at all, could lead to delays or insufficient deliveries. By keeping track of your linen counts, you can ensure a smoother operation and avoid potential disruptions in your service.
• Maximise Cage Usage: Fill cages with as much dirty linen as possible. This ensures there are enough empty cages in circulation for all customers.
• Keep Linen Stores Tidy: A well-organised linen store allows you to easily see what you have and what you might need, helping to prevent overordering or underordering.
• Order Wisely: To maintain an efficient linen stock, it’s essential to order only what you truly need. Overordering can deplete the overall stock available in the linen pool. If you find you’re not using as much as expected, consider reducing your deliveries. Avoid unnecessary increases in your orders, and if you notice an excess, it’s wise to cut back accordingly. This strategy ensures optimal resource use and prevents wastage.
• Return Rejected Defective Linen Regularly:
  Always return any rejected linen promptly to maintain quality standards. Ensuring this helps us add new linen to the pool and quickly replace items without affecting overall levels.
• Prepare Dirty Stock for Collection: Have your dirty stock ready for collection. This helps keep our drivers and deliveries on time for all of our customers.
• Designate a Linen Manager: Identify who is responsible for managing your linen levels. If it’s you and you’re going on holiday, remember to train someone else to ensure this important task is not overlooked.
• Maintain your PAR stock: Ensure you always have enough linen on hand so you’re never waiting for today’s delivery.

By following these tips, you can help ensure a smooth operation during the busy summer season and provide sufficient service to all your guests. Remember, effective linen management is key to a successful summer season.

In conclusion, effective inventory management is the secret to ensuring a successful summer season for hotels and their laundry service providers. By understanding and managing stock levels, hotels can optimise their operations, reduce costs, and ensure a pleasant stay for their guests during the busy summer season.

We all aim for a successful summer, so let’s work together. If you have any concerns, questions, or need any support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.