How to Choose Towels for Hotels and Spas: GSM, Sizes and Materials
Hotel and spa towels have to do two jobs at once: feel soft and generous to guests, and survive hundreds of industrial wash cycles. The right choice depends on three things — towel weight (GSM), size and fabric. This guide explains each and helps you plan how many towels to order.
GSM: how heavy should a hotel towel be?
GSM (grams per square metre) measures towel density. Higher GSM feels thicker and more luxurious, but takes longer to dry and costs more to launder.
| GSM | Feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 300–400 | Light, thin, dries fast | Budget hotels, hostels, gyms, pool towels |
| 400–550 | Medium, soft, durable | Most 3- and 4-star hotels, spa treatment rooms |
| 550–700 | Thick, plush | 4- and 5-star hotels, guest bathrooms |
| 700+ | Very heavy | Luxury suites; slow to dry, expensive to wash |
For most hotels, 500–600 GSM is the sweet spot between guest comfort and laundry cost. Spas often choose lighter towels or peshtemals for treatment rooms, where towels are changed after every guest.
Standard towel sizes for hotels and spas
A standard hotel bathroom set has three towels per guest: face, hand and bath. Spas add larger towels or wraps for saunas and treatment beds.
| Towel | Typical size | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Face towel (washcloth) | 30×30 cm | Hotel bathrooms |
| Hand towel | 50×70 to 50×90 cm | Hotel bathrooms, spa washrooms |
| Bath towel | 70×140 cm | Hotel bathrooms |
| Bath sheet | 90×150 to 100×150 cm | 5-star bathrooms, spa relaxation areas |
| Bath mat | 50×70 to 50×80 cm | Hotel bathrooms |
| Peshtemal / hammam towel | 90×170 to 100×180 cm | Saunas, hammams, treatment beds, pools |
Materials and weaves
Turkish cotton. Turkish cotton has long fibres, which make towels soft, absorbent and less prone to shedding. Denizli, where our warehouse is located, is one of Turkey’s main towel-producing regions.
Terry. Classic looped fabric used for most hotel towels. Loops absorb water well and stay soft wash after wash.
Waffle. A honeycomb weave that is lighter than terry and dries faster. Popular for spa robes and treatment towels.
Peshtemal (hammam towel). A flat-woven cotton towel, traditionally used in Turkish baths. It is thin, folds small, dries several times faster than terry and takes up less space in washing machines. That makes peshtemals a practical choice for saunas, hammams, pools and beach clubs, where towels are changed often.
Laundry, durability and how many towels to order
Hotel towels are washed at high temperatures and dried in tumble dryers, so choose:
- 100% cotton for absorbency and resistance to high-temperature washing;
- double-stitched hems, so edges do not fray;
- white or light colours if you use bleach; darker colours for pools and beach clubs, where stains show less.
Most hotels keep a par level of 3: one set in the room, one in the laundry and one in storage. For a 50-room hotel with two guests per room, that is about 300 towels of each type. Spas and saunas usually need a higher par, because towels are changed after every guest.
Ordering hotel and spa towels from ZARTEKS
We supply terry towels and peshtemals from our warehouse in Denizli, Turkey, to hotels, spas and distributors in the EU, the UK, the US and Canada. The minimum order is €1,000, and shipping — courier, air or sea freight — is quoted individually for each order. See our wholesale terms for lead times, samples and payment.
