Careful consideration essential with in-house laundries
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An efficient laundry system is one of the most important functions in a hotel, but may not be given the priority it deserves. Yet it should provide the little touches that guests will remember when returning to their room after a long day of sightseeing or business meetings – that feeling of soft, clean towels and freshly laundered sheets. Small features like that can leave a lasting impression.
So, which system to choose? Processing laundry in-house means a hotel retains control, while outsourcing to a reputable laundry company should ensure consistency. Many hotels choose to do a bit of both. For instance, a property might send its flatware out and launder towels, facecloths and robes in-house.
Done correctly, an in-house laundry system can be one of the most beneficial and cost effective investments a hotel, motor lodge or motel owner can make, contributing a substantial improvement in a property's bottom line.
However, installing in-house laundries in accommodation properties needs a great deal of consideration before expensive equipment is purchased. Installs come in two basic types – brand new for completely new premises or when an owner has decided to put a laundry into anexisting building.
In an already working laundry, there is also replacement and upgrading of existing equipment. Both have their similarities and differences.
Ancillary benefits of an in-house laundry include the greater flexibility to use high quality linen, matching the colour and decors of the establishment, and less likelihood of being caught short of clean linen stock during busy periods or holidays when deliveries may be slow or non-existent from a linen rental company.
But those in the business agree that an in-house laundry system must be well designed, equipped with correctly sized quality equipment supported by the supplier, and operated by well trained staff. The assistance of an experienced chemical and detergent supplier is also important. General advice is:
• Have sufficient floor space for a well-planned layout, allowing for laundry pre-sorting areas, which may include a tub for pre-soaking.
• Allow for an adequate installation and service area around the machines, plus room for a table for folding and sorting.
• Separate clean and soiled sides, preventing the possibility of cross contamination.
A practical step is to match the dryer to the washing machines. The dryer size should be determined by the size of the washing machine. For instance, a medium sized motel might use an 18kg frontload washing machine, and then match that with a 23kg dryer. The reason is that if a wash cycle takes 30 minutes, it makes sense to have a dryer that takes 30 minutes per wash load so a bottleneck is not being created in the system. And when purchasing equipment, the old adage applies – you get what you pay for. It is usually well worth while to pay a little more for good quality equipment, which could save thousands of dollars over the life of the machine.
Accom Management Guide spoke to two leading industry suppliers.
Speed Queen NZ Ltd is the largest and oldest manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment in the world. The company began in 1908 in Wisconsin, where it is still based. It produces a wide range of equipment, from coin operated top load washers that a motel guest would use, up to large commercial washers and dryers designed for high volume hotel operations. Speed Queen NZ Ltd supplies equipment throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Sales director Duncan Gardiner, says when considering the purchase of new OPL (on-premise-laundry) washing machines, the two main decisions are the size and whether a 'hard mount' or 'soft mount' machine would be best.
"The size of the equipment is important to ensure the laundry runs efficiently. The biggest cost in an in-house laundry over time is labour. If your new equipment is too small to handle the volumes generated, the laundry will be operating longer than it needs to, creating additional labour costs."
Explaining his advice, he said: "Hard mount machines are the workhorses of the laundry industry, they're the cheapest to buy and usually more than adequate for small to medium hospitality laundries. Soft mount machines are more specialised pieces of equipment with the main advantage being much higher extraction speeds. This really comes into play if a property is processing large amounts of towels or heavy terry items, such as robes. The extra moisture extracted from a soft mount machine can significantly reduce drying times, saving both labour and energy costs.
"The other advantage of soft mount machines is their relative ease of installation over hard mounts. A hard mount machine has the outer drum fixed to the frame and, as a result, must be installed on a sound concrete floor using structural anchors. Soft mount machines need only be lightly affixed to any rigid floor surface and can even be installed on the upper stories of larger buildings." But the lower purchase price of a hard mount machine is usually the deciding factor for most owners, Gardiner said.
"The choice of dryer for your new laundry is more often than not a simple matter of selecting the right size to match your new washing machine. The correct size is a dryer that can process a full load from your washing machine in the same time it takes to run a wash cycle.
"Pre planning is also a crucial part of ensuring your new or refurbished laundry will work efficiently and cost effectively. Speed Queen does as much pre-planning as possible, using a CAD (computer assisted design) system to ensure the work space is utilised efficiently and that all technical aspects, such as ducting, drainage etc are all in the ideal place," he said.
Gooder Equipment Company has been a commercial laundry equipment specialist since it was formed in Wellington in 1976. It now has permanent offices and staff in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
The company has a comprehensive range of products, from light commercial coin operated machines, to heavy duty industrial ironers and washer extractors. All machines can be purchased or leased, completely maintenance inclusive. The range includes coin-operated machines suitable for a guest laundry, or industrial machines to process large work volumes.
In 1979, Gooder Equipment began distributing American Maytag machines. "Maytag is New Zealand's largest selling commercial laundry brand and is used throughout the country's commercial laundries, from launderettes to hotels," said manager Simon Gooder.
"We import machinery and supplies from all corners of the world – Italy and China to Belgium and the USA. We're a major supplier of specialist equipment to the hospitality and commercial laundry sector, " he said.
Other brands the company markets include: Huebsch, Primus, Seitz, Sea Lion and Lapauw. "Our philosophy is to select quality products and brands from around the world and provide those to our customers cost effectively and with a high standard of service. This philosophy is carried over all sectors of our business," Gooder said.
Gooder Equipment has seven full time technical staff – including a tertiary qualified engineer. Its own vehicles service the Auckland commercial laundry market with a full spare parts inventory.
