Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 - (Page 30)

30 Design H&MM November 19, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT BY CHRISTINE BLANK, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR High-quality linens mean higher-quality cleaning The use of hotel laundry equipment is on the upswing as hotels upgrade their bedding and linens. The addition of higherthread count sheets and towels, plush comforters and duvets in guestrooms has led to more and thicker laundry. “There are more quality linens, so some of the properties are sizing up to handle these larger loads. Occupancy rates are getting better as well, which drives more laundry being done,” said Craig Kirchner, director of marketing and international sales, Whirlpool Corp. As a result, washer and dryer manufacturers have developed machines to handle those loads. Some save space, and many are more efﬁcient than in the past. “The issue with the bedding changes, such as higherthread count sheets and triple sheeting, is that laundries are now tasked to produce more laundry in the same amount of space. So manufacturers have developed larger machines in as small a footprint as possible,” said Rick Kelly, v.p., marketing and sales administration, Pellerin Milnor Corp. For example, Pellerin Milnor developed a new model with 155- to 160-pound capacity, compared to one of its traditional washer-extractor models that has a capacity of 135 to 140 pounds. The new model is the same width and height, but it processes more laundry. “This would allow a laundry running nine hours per day to now run eight hours per day,” Kelly said. Dryers for the hospitality industry also are being made to handle the higher-quality linens. “A hotel that might go with a 175-pound capacity dryer in the past is jumping it up signiﬁcantly to the 200-pound range,” said John Olsen, v.p., sales and marketing, American Dryer Corp. Dryers that use less natural gas and machines that are more efﬁcient overall have become a priority for properties upgrading equipment. “Energy efﬁciency is close to the top of the list for people purchasing machines, so washing machines are extracting more water and dryers are becoming more efﬁcient,” Kirchner said. And, because the highthread count materials are thicker, washers and dryers cannot be loaded with as much laundry as they would have been in the past, according to Jack Heaviside, senior v.p., global accounts, NuTek International. “If you have heavier thread count materials, you need to underload the washer and have dryers that are fully programmable,” Heaviside said. Quotable “ Energy efﬁciency is close to the top of the list for people purchasing machines, so washing machines are extracting more water and dryers are becoming more efﬁcient.” CRAIG KIRCHNER, director of marketing and international sales, Whirlpool Corp. CIRCLE NO. 102 http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.uni-linc.com/hospitality http://www.uni-linc.com/hospitality

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 Contents Torrid Hotel Sales Pace Persists Boykin Takes Steps to Regain Foothold Best Western Sets 10-year Plan Perspective At Your Risk HotelWorld Update Sales Clinic Events Trends & Stats Charting H&MM's Top Lodging Design Firms Fitness Equipment Supplier News PMS Software Provides One-Click Solutions High-Quality Linens Require Higher-Quality Cleaning Despite Slow Market, Condo Hotels Thrive Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007

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