GSM, grams per square metre, is the standard measure of a towel’s density. It is tempting to treat a higher number as simply better, but in a working hotel that assumption quickly becomes expensive.
- Hand and face towels
- 400–500 GSM
- Bath towels, 3–4★ hotels
- 500–600 GSM
- Bath towels, 4–5★ hotels
- 600–700 GSM
Heavier towels are thicker, more absorbent and feel more luxurious. They also take longer to dry between guest turnovers, cost more to launder and add weight to every shipment, which can turn a busy bathroom into a housekeeping bottleneck.
The better approach is to match weight to use: around 400–500 GSM for hand and face towels that change often, 500–600 GSM for everyday bath towels in 3 and 4-star hotels, 600–700 GSM for bath towels and mats in 4 and 5-star properties, and 700 GSM and above for spa, pool and signature towels.
Construction matters as much as weight. The cotton and the hems decide how a towel looks after months of industrial washing, not only on the day it arrives.
The right choice balances guest comfort with drying capacity, laundry cycle time and replacement budget, a trade-off worth modelling against the property’s own occupancy before placing an order.
HADARA Hospitality
HADARA Hospitality is an Istanbul-based hospitality supply company. Through trusted manufacturing partnerships across Türkiye, it supplies hotels and resorts in the Gulf region and Europe with carefully selected textiles and guest room essentials.
Discover the company
