Which Towels Are Best for Hotels, Motels & Airbnb Properties?

There's no single towel that suits every hospitality business. The right choice depends on your property type, how often your towels go through the wash, and your budget, not just how heavy the towel feels in your hand.

GSM matters, but it's only part of the picture: two towels can share the exact same GSM figure and still be genuinely different products, which is worth understanding before you assume the heaviest option on the shelf is automatically the best one.

Why "Best" Doesn't Mean "Highest GSM"

It's a natural assumption: the heavier the towel, the better the towel. GSM (grams per square metre) does generally track with a plusher feel and higher absorbency, so it's not a bad starting point. But it isn't the whole story, and GLT's own range is a good example of why.

Our Luxury Range White Towels and our Super Luxury Collection are both 650 GSM. Same headline weight, same starting point on paper. But the Super Luxury Collection is made from 100% combed cotton, a further processing step that removes shorter fibres for a smoother, stronger result, while the Luxury Range uses standard 100% cotton.

The two ranges also differ in size, with the Luxury Range extending to bath sheets and jumbo bath sheets, while the Super Luxury Collection covers bath, face and hand towels in white and grey. Two towels, one shared GSM figure, and two genuinely different products once you look past the number.

Understanding GSM and Cotton Quality

Before comparing GLT's actual range, it's worth being clear on what GSM tells you, and what it doesn't, plus how construction quality plays its own part in a towel's performance.

What GSM Tells You (and What It Doesn't)

GSM measures how much fabric mass sits across a square metre of towel. As a rule of thumb, a higher GSM towel will feel denser and hold more water, which is why it's often used as shorthand for quality.

What it doesn't tell you is how the yarn was spun, how the fabric was woven, or how well the hems are finished, all of which affect how a towel performs and holds up over repeated commercial washing. A well-constructed towel at a moderate GSM can outlast a poorly finished towel at a higher one.

Ring-Spun and Combed Cotton: Construction That Affects Durability

Every towel in GLT's range is made from ring-spun cotton, woven on Airjet looms, with double-stitched hems and a headerless design, construction choices that support shape retention and reduce fraying through frequent commercial laundering.

The Super Luxury Collection takes this further with combed cotton, a process that removes shorter, weaker fibres before spinning, leaving a smoother and more durable yarn behind.

If you want the fuller picture on fabric choice and thread count across hospitality linen more broadly, our hospitality linen buying guide covers that in more depth.

Comparing GLT's Towel Range by GSM Tier

With GSM and construction covered, here's how GLT's four towel tiers actually compare side by side.

Product	GSM	Cotton	Size range
Eco White Commercial Bath Towel	435	100 % cotton	Bath towel only
Prima Quality White Towels	535	100 % cotton	Face, hand, bath, 2 bath mat styles
Luxury Range White Towels	650	100% cotton	Face, hand, bath, bath sheet, jumbo bath sheet, 2 bath mat styles
Super Luxury Collection	650	100% combed cotton	Bath, face, hand (white and grey)

The Eco range is a practical, entry-level option for properties that mainly need a straightforward bath towel without the wider size range. Prima steps up to a full size range at a moderate GSM, a genuinely practical middle ground for everyday commercial use.

Luxury Range and the Super Luxury Collection both sit at 650 GSM but, as covered above, differ in cotton processing and size range, giving you two distinct options at the top of the range rather than one.

Which Towels Are Best for Each Type of Property

GSM and cotton grade are only useful once you match them to how a property actually operates. Guest presentation, laundering frequency and stock volume all pull the decision in different directions depending on the type of business.

Hotels and Boutique Accommodation

For hotels and boutique properties, guest-facing presentation carries real weight. A heavier towel with a more substantial feel tends to support a higher-end guest experience, which is where the Luxury Range or Super Luxury Collection make sense, particularly for boutique, higher-star, or spa-adjacent positioning where guests are likely to notice and remember the difference.

Motels and High-Turnover Properties

High-turnover properties are working through more loads per week than a lower-occupancy hotel, so drying time and laundering ease matter as much as guest feel.

Prima Quality White Towels, at 535 GSM with a full size range, offers a practical balance here, substantial enough to present well, without the longer drying time that comes with the heavier tiers.

Airbnb and Short-Stay Properties

Short-stay operators typically manage a much smaller towel stock than a full hotel, and many launder in-house rather than through a commercial laundry. At this scale, practical, easy-care options like Prima or the Eco range often make more sense than a premium tier.

Colour is also a genuinely practical consideration here: white towels show wear and staining sooner, but they're also the safest choice if household bleach ever gets used on them, since bleach can permanently damage coloured towels in a way it won't touch white ones.

Healthcare and Institutional Facilities

Healthcare and institutional settings generally have different priorities again. Durability and consistent commercial laundering typically matter more here than guest-facing presentation, since towels in these environments are washed frequently and need to perform reliably over time rather than create a particular guest impression.

This is a distinct part of the market with its own laundering demands, separate from a typical hotel guest room.

Commercial Laundries

For laundries processing towels on behalf of multiple client properties, the priority is consistency across repeated high-temperature wash cycles.

A mid-weight, well-constructed towel, such as Prima or the Luxury Range, tends to balance durability against practical drying time better at volume than the heaviest available option.

Property type	What typically matters most	Starting point
Hotels and boutique accommodation	Guest presentation and feel	Luxury Range or Super Luxury Collection
Motels and high-turnover properties	Drying time and laundering ease	Prima Quality White Towels
Airbnb and short-stay properties	Easy in-house care, smaller stock	Prima or Eco White Commercial
Healthcare and institutional facilities	Durability and consistent commercial laundering	Principle-led, not product-specific
Commercial laundries	Consistency across repeated wash cycles	Prima or Luxury Range

 

Absorbency, Drying Time and Commercial Laundering

Absorbency and drying time move in opposite directions as GSM increases. A heavier towel generally holds more water, which is exactly what makes it feel more absorbent to a guest, but that same density means it takes longer to dry, both on the guest's rail and through a commercial dryer.

For a property doing a handful of loads a week, that trade-off barely registers. For a laundry running multiple loads a day, it can genuinely affect throughput and turnaround.

This is where commercial laundering practice matters as much as the towel itself. New Zealand commercial and institutional laundries operate under the joint Australia/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 4146:2000 Laundry Practice, which reportedly sets thermal disinfection requirements as part of proper commercial wash processing.

Working with a laundry process that meets this standard, and choosing a GSM that suits your actual drying capacity, matters more for long-term performance than chasing the highest weight available.

Common Mistakes When Choosing Hotel Towels

A few recurring mistakes make this decision harder than it needs to be:
Assuming the heaviest towel is automatically the best one. As covered above, GSM is a starting point, not the full picture.

Assuming two towels with the same GSM are the same product. GLT's own Luxury Range and Super Luxury Collection prove otherwise.

Ignoring drying time and laundry capacity. A heavier towel that takes longer to dry can slow down a whole laundering operation at volume.

Buying domestic-grade towels for commercial use. Household towels aren't built for the wash frequency and temperatures commercial laundering involves.

Not checking construction details. Hem stitching and header design affect how well a towel holds up, regardless of GSM.

Frequently Asked Questions

What GSM is best for hotel towels?

There's no single GSM figure that's best for every property. GLT's own range spans 435 GSM through to 650 GSM across four tiers, each suited to a different balance of budget, guest presentation and laundering practicality. The right starting point depends on your property type and how often your towels are washed.

Is a higher-GSM towel always better?

No. GLT's Luxury Range White Towels and Super Luxury Collection are both 650 GSM, yet the Super Luxury Collection uses combed cotton and a narrower size range, while the Luxury Range uses standard cotton with a wider range including bath sheets. Two towels can share a GSM figure and still be meaningfully different products.

What's the difference between combed cotton and regular cotton towels?

Combed cotton has been through an extra processing step that removes shorter, weaker fibres before spinning, leaving a smoother, stronger yarn behind. GLT's Super Luxury Collection uses combed cotton, while the Luxury Range uses standard cotton at the same 650 GSM, giving you a real example of the difference this processing step makes.

What towels are best for Airbnb or short-stay properties?

Short-stay operators usually manage a much smaller towel stock than a full hotel, often laundering in-house rather than through a commercial laundry. Practical, easy-care options like Prima or the Eco range tend to suit this scale well, and white towels are generally the safer colour choice if household bleach is ever used.

Do healthcare or aged-care facilities need different towels from hotels?

Generally, yes. These settings typically prioritise durability and consistent commercial laundering over guest-facing presentation, since towels are washed frequently and need to perform reliably rather than create a particular guest impression. It's a distinct part of the market with its own laundering demands.

Is there a New Zealand standard for commercial towel laundering?

Yes. Commercial and institutional laundries in New Zealand operate under the joint Australia/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 4146:2000 Laundry Practice, which reportedly covers thermal disinfection requirements as part of proper commercial wash processing.

Matching the Towel to Your Property

The best towel for your business isn't necessarily the heaviest one on the shelf. It's the one that matches your guests' expectations, your laundering setup, and your budget, and GLT's four tiers are built to cover that full range rather than a single one-size-fits-all option.

If you'd like to compare options directly, our Towels collection covers all four tiers.