Hotel-quality towels: how to recognise them and keep them that way

You can recognise hotel-quality towels by three things: pure cotton, a dense, even pile with noticeable weight, and clean workmanship at the edges and border. Then there is something nobody writes on the label in the shop: the right care. A good hotel towel still feels after many washes as it did on the first evening, because it is made for that and treated accordingly. In this guide, we show you what to look for when buying, which sizes belong in a set for your home and how to keep your towels soft and absorbent, even without a tumble dryer.

In brief

• Material first: hotel towels are usually made of 100% cotton. Blended fabrics dry faster, but rarely feel as full and soft.
• Weight counts: the weight in g/m² tells you how much cotton is in the towel. A heavy, dense terry absorbs more water and feels more luxurious.
• Check the workmanship: double-stitched edges, a straight border and even loops without gaps are signs of care.
• The set makes the difference: guest towel, hand towel, shower towel and bath sheet in one colour give your bathroom the calm order of a hotel bathroom.
• Care without fabric softener: wash hot regularly, shake out well, dry in the air. This keeps softness and absorbency for a long time.

Contents

• What makes hotel-quality towels
• Weight: what the figure in g/m² tells you
• Types of terry at a glance
• The right set for your home
• Care: how to keep towels soft and absorbent
• Our view of hotel quality
• Our First Class towels
• The hotel feeling doesn't end in the bathroom
• Frequently asked questions
• Sources

What makes hotel-quality towels

"Hotel quality" is not a protected term. There is no seal that awards it. What it means is a standard: a towel that is used, washed and dried every day in a good hotel must be robust and still welcome every guest with the same soft feel. It is exactly this combination of durability and comfort that you bring into your home.

The material

Cotton is the standard for terry goods, and for good reason. The natural fibre absorbs a lot of moisture, feels pleasant to the touch and withstands high washing temperatures. The longer the individual fibres, the finer and more evenly the yarn can be spun. The result is loops that shed less lint, drape more softly and keep their shape even after many washes.

How well a towel absorbs water does not depend on the fibre alone. The surface is also decisive: every loop increases the area with which the towel can absorb water. A dense, even pile therefore works noticeably better than a thin fabric with gaps.

The workmanship

Pick up a towel before you decide and take a close look:

• Edges: the long sides should be firmly woven or neatly hemmed, the short sides double-folded. Loose threads or crooked seams indicate hasty production.
• Border: a woven border is a classic design element of hotel terry. It should run straight and not ripple.
• Loops: hold the towel up to the light. If light shines through in many places, the pile is thin. Evenly dense loops are a good sign.
• Feel: a high-quality towel already feels full and heavy when dry – not stiff, not floppy.

The feel after washing

Many towels feel soft in the shop because they have been treated with finishing agents. After the first few washes, this effect disappears, and what remains is the actual quality of the fabric. A hotel towel, on the other hand, doesn't need to be "enhanced" in the first place: it convinces through fibre, yarn and density. With good cotton terry, it is quite normal for it to become even a little fluffier after the first few washes, as the fibres open up.

Weight: what the figure in g/m² tells you

The weight indicates how many grams one square metre of the terry fabric weighs. It is the only figure you will find on almost every towel, and it says more than you might think: a higher value means more cotton per area, usually denser or longer loops.

Suppliers of hotel terry usually state values in the range of several hundred grams per square metre. For you, the exact figure matters less than what it means in everyday life:

A heavy towel needs a little more time and space on the rail to dry. In return, it absorbs more water and wraps pleasantly around you after a shower. A higher weight is therefore worthwhile for bath sheets and shower towels. The small guest towel can be a little lighter, as it is only meant for the hands and should dry again quickly.

For context: weight is important, but it isn't everything. A heavy towel made from short, coarse fibres can feel rougher than a slightly lighter one made from fine yarn. So always look at the interplay of weight, material and workmanship.

Types of terry at a glance

Not all terry is woven the same way. The names on the label help you find the towel that suits your preferences.

• Fulled terry: after weaving, the loops are fluffed up by washing and fulling. The result is particularly soft and fluffy. This type is very common for towels at home.
• Twisted-yarn terry: here, the yarns are twisted together before weaving. This makes the loops firmer and more hard-wearing; the towel feels more substantial and has a slightly textured feel.
• Velour: on one side, the loops are cut open. The surface becomes velvety and slightly lustrous, but absorbs a little less water on this side. Velour is often seen on bathrobes and beach towels.

If you are looking for the classic feel of a hotel bathroom – soft, full and highly absorbent – dense cotton terry with closed loops is a safe choice.

The right set for your home

A hotel bathroom looks calm because everything matches: the same colour, the same quality, every size in its place. The easiest way to achieve this impression is with a well-thought-out set. The usual sizes have been compiled by Vogue in its towel guide:

How many towels do you need?

A simple rule of thumb: per person, one set in use, one in the wash, one in the cupboard. That way you always have fresh towels to hand, and the individual pieces are used evenly, which extends their lifespan. For a two-person household, for example, this means:

1. six hand towels (50 × 100 cm) for face and hair,
2. six shower towels (70 × 140 cm) for everyday use,
3. two to four bath sheets (100 × 160 cm) for weekends, the bath or the sauna,
4. four guest towels (30 × 50 cm) for the guest toilet.

If you have guests, they will appreciate a separate guest set, neatly folded on the bed or in the guest bathroom. A small gesture from the hotel world that makes a big impression.

White or colour?

White is the hotel classic. It looks fresh, withstands high washing temperatures without fading and can be combined with anything. If your bathroom has warm wood tones or natural stone, muted shades such as sand, grey or anthracite also work. Above all, stick to one colour or two coordinated shades within a set. This creates calm – and that is exactly what makes the hotel feeling.

Care: how to keep towels soft and absorbent

A good towel is an investment for many years. How long it stays soft and absorbent is largely decided in your washing machine. These steps have proven themselves:

1. Wash before first use. This releases loose fibres and opens up the loops.
2. Wash hot enough. Towels should be washed regularly at 60 °C; heavy-duty detergent is suitable for white towels, colour detergent for coloured ones, as Vogue recommends in its care tips. Always follow the care label.
3. Do without fabric softener. It coats the fibres like a film and can impair absorbency. This is the most common reason why towels feel soft but hardly absorb any water.
4. Dose detergent correctly. Too much detergent remains in the fabric and makes towels hard. Follow the dosage recommendation for your water hardness.
5. Don't overload the drum. Towels need room to move in the water. A loosely filled drum washes more thoroughly and rinses better.
6. Shake out straight after washing. Shaking vigorously lifts the loops before they stick together while damp.
7. Dry well. Whether on the line or in the tumble dryer: a towel should be completely dry before it goes into the cupboard.

Soft without a tumble dryer

Many people dry their towels in the air, and that works well if you keep a few things in mind. Shake each towel out vigorously several times after washing. Hang it up loosely, not too close to other laundry, ideally somewhere with a light breeze rather than in blazing sun. Direct sun can make terry hard. As soon as the towel is dry, shake it out again or rub it briefly between your hands, and the loops will stand up again. A dense, heavy towel needs a little longer – give it the time.

Baking soda, vinegar and other home remedies

In many guides, you'll read about baking soda or vinegar as softeners for towels. We are cautious about home remedies: whether, and in what quantity, they are compatible with your machine and your detergent varies greatly. Follow the operating instructions of your washing machine and the care label. In most cases, the basics are perfectly sufficient: dose correctly, no fabric softener, don't overload, shake out well. With high-quality cotton terry, the softness comes from the fabric itself, not from additives.

Our view of hotel quality

At Cottonbabe, textiles have been our family tradition since 1870 – today in the 5th generation. Our founder and creative director Jens Liebhauser is a 5-star hotelier and interior designer. This dual perspective shapes everything we do: we know how a fabric should feel, and we know what it has to withstand in everyday hotel life.

For us, hotel quality is therefore not a question of a label. It shows itself after many nights and countless washes. A towel that our guests use in the hotel must be soft, absorb a lot of water and look calm and timeless. We apply exactly this standard to everything we offer for your home.

We believe in a few good pieces rather than mass-produced goods. A bathroom where everything matches and a bed that welcomes you in the evening as in a good hotel make everyday life at home a little more pleasant. This is not luxury for its own sake, but care that you feel every day.

Jens Liebhauser

Our First Class towels

If you want to equip your bathroom with towels that sound like a hotel and feel like one, take a look at our First Class towels made of 100% cotton. They are available from €29 and have a timeless, elegant design so that they accompany your bathroom for many years.

To match, there is our First Class bathrobe for €149, for the moment after the shower when you take your time. We deliver free of charge within Germany, and also to Austria, Switzerland and the EU. We also supply hotels and retailers – you can find out more on our page for retailers.

The hotel feeling doesn't end in the bathroom

If you want to feel at home as if in a hotel, think of the bathroom and the bed together. Our luxury bed linen is made of 100% long-staple cotton from the Indian highlands, woven as sateen with a thread count of 300, and up to 500 in the set – exclusively with piping in Anthracite. A fine, all-round piping in Anthracite, Bronze or White gives it the character you know from good hotels. Our bed linen, duvets and pillows are certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and do without silicones and artificial softeners.

A special feature is our reorder guarantee: every piping colour of our bed linen remains in our range for 10 years. So you can always reorder in a matching colour, whether an extra pillowcase or a second set for the guest room. The First Class duvet cover is available from €159; the bed linen bundle with a 500 thread count – exclusively with piping in Anthracite – comes in the Cottonbabe box.

For the filling, we rely on new white goose down: in our white goose down duvet from €309 and in the white goose down pillow from €99. If you want to go deeper into what matters with bed linen, you'll find nine points for buying bed linen in our guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which towels are particularly high quality?

High-quality towels are made of 100% cotton with fine, evenly spun yarn, have a dense pile and clean workmanship at the edges and border. A higher weight indicates more material and more absorbency. What matters is the combination of these features, not a single value.

Why are hotel towels so soft?

Good hotel terry owes its softness above all to the cotton and the dense loop structure. Add to this consistent care: regular hot washing, no fabric softener, thorough drying. You can adopt exactly this routine at home.

Are towels always provided in hotels?

In most hotels, towels are part of the room's amenities. Whether bath towels for the pool, spa or sauna are also provided depends on the hotel. If in doubt, a quick look at the room information or a question at reception helps.

How often should I change my towels?

A towel should always be able to dry completely between uses. Changing after a few uses has proven itself; guest towels are best changed after every visit. With one set in use, one in the wash and one in the cupboard, you always have fresh towels to hand.

Sources

• Vogue: towel guide – bringing the hotel feeling home (German)

Recommended reading

• Buy luxury towels online | 5-star quality & design
• Luxury towels made of 100% cotton
• Hotel bed linen in 5-star quality