Where do Hotels Buy Their Bedding?

Hotels have different options when buying their hotel bedding. Two options are to either go direct to a manufacturer or buy through a distributing wholesaler.

The chosen option will usually depend on the size of the hotel company, their location and specific needs. Mainly in terms of quality and desired appearance.

Buying Hotel bedding from distributors

Buying from distributors is arguably the most common option. That’s because most manufacturers will require an extremely large minimum order value, whereas distributors will have a reduced minimum order. In both quantity and value.

Therefore, it’s easier for small hotels who have just one or two establishments to buy through a distributor. That way, they can buy just the amount they need without overspending and therefore ending up with much more than they need.

While there is a lot of choice in terms of global distributors. Hotel’s which buy in this way will have much less input to the manufacturing process. They will need to shop around with good knowledge of what they are trying to find.

Essentially, selecting the right products based on price, quality, fit, textile and even order volumes.

Buying bedding online

Over the last few years, there has been a large rise of online distributors and bedding suppliers. Buying online can be a great convenience, however most online stores won’t be able to offer payment terms, other than an immediate charge. That means hotels are often best getting in touch directly with the online distributors.

Buying direct

It’s often best for hotel’s to speak directly with the distributor. That way can negotiate a better price for the specific bedding needed.

Buying Hotel bedding direct from manufacturer

Buying direct from a manufacturer has a few benefits. The main one is price.

However more than just price, hotels can have a bigger input to the manufacturing process. This means they can create unique bedding, according to their desired style.

There are a couple of challenges when buying direct from a manufacturer. One being the volumes in which companies will need to purchase their products. This may not be a problem for hotel companies who have thousands of rooms. But for smaller independent establishments, they probably don’t have the funds to buy thousands of bedding items.

They also would be very unlikely to have enough storage space – even if they did want to ‘stock up’ for the future.

Manufactured Locally

Some hospitality businesses will support the local economy by having their bedding manufactured right here in the UK. However, that’s rarely the cheapest option.

High quality cotton can be exported from Asian countries, including India.

Many do prefer to buy from a nearby location.

Self-manufacture

Hotels who have the capital and resources of multi-million pounds, are fond to be manufacturing their own bedding.

Companies known to be self-manufacturing include the Marriott International Inc and Sheraton Hotels.

The benefit of manufacturing their own bedding is that they can save hundreds of thousands of pounds every time they need to renew their sheets.

To finish, here’s what hotels are generally looking for when choosing how to acquire their fresh sheets.

What do hotels look for when buying their bedding?

Often price vs quality is the biggest contender when hotels are looking for the right bedding. However, it’s not always the same – different hotel companies have different requirements. Here’s a few of criteria used to select the right product

Price

Budget hotels will be driven by price. Whereas high-end offerings will only use price as a contributing factor rather than a key driver of purchasing decisions.

Linen & Thread Count

Thread count is popular criteria for making a purchasing decision. The higher the thread count, the more expensive the piece.

Bigger hotels look for performance based linens which can withstand thousands of washes whereas smaller establishments look for appearance.

Delivery service.

Some companies are focused mainly on convenience and speed of delivery. Or even whether the products can be delivered at all.

Style

There is often a desire to be associated with a specific brand because they know about their values and quality levels of the products.

If you’re looking for hotel quality bedding, then have a browse of our bed linen offerings, whch can be bought and shipped at very reasonable prices.