The Textiles Guests Notice – and Parks Rely On

There are plenty of big-ticket items that go into running a holiday park, but sometimes it’s the
seemingly simple things that have a surprisingly big impact on a guest’s stay.

A comfortable pillow. Fresh sheets. A decent bath towel. A mattress protector that’s doing its
job and Protecting your most expensive investment without the guest even knowing it’s
there.

Individually, they’re small details. Across 20, 50 or 100 cabins and hundreds of guest
changeovers, they become an important part of both the guest experience and the day-to-
day operation of a park.

It Has to Look Good – But It Also Has to Work

Choosing textiles for commercial accommodation is quite different to buying linen for home.

A holiday park needs products that can present well for guests while coping with repeated
washing, regular handling and the occasional guest who somehow manages to use every
towel in the cabin before breakfast.

Commercial textile suppliers therefore look beyond softness and appearance to things such
as durability, laundering, ease of replacement and consistency of supply.

For parks, that applies to far more than sheets.

Depending on the accommodation and facilities, textile requirements can include pillows,
quilts, blankets, mattress and pillow protectors, quilt covers, bedspreads, runners and
cushions, bath and hand towels, face washers, bath mats and pool towels. Kitchen and
dining areas can add tea towels and table linen, while shower curtains, laundry bags and
other practical products can also form part of the mix.

Protecting What’s Underneath Matters Too

Mattress and pillow protectors probably aren’t going to feature prominently in your next park brochure, but operationally they can be among the more important products in a cabin.

Mattresses and pillows are considerably more expensive and difficult to replace than a protector, particularly when you’re managing multiple cabins.

The same thinking applies throughout the property: the best commercial textile choice isn’t necessarily the cheapest product or the most luxurious. It’s the product that delivers the right balance of guest comfort, presentation, durability, cleaning requirements and whole-of-life value.

There are also more sustainable choices entering the commercial market, including products using recycled and biodegradable fibres and ranges designed with longevity in mind.

One Park Can Have Several Different Needs

A park with ensuite cabins, premium villas, a pool and communal facilities may need several different textile solutions.

The linen chosen for an entry-level cabin doesn’t necessarily need to be the same as a premium villa. Pool towels have a different job to bathroom towels, while decorative throws, cushions and bed covers can help refresh the presentation of older accommodation without completely refurnishing it.

There’s also a risk in upgrading the cabin but overlooking what actually affects the guest’s comfort.

Someone paying extra for a premium villa might love the modern kitchen, big TV and stylish bathroom, then spend the night on an uncomfortable pillow. They may never complain – they simply leave feeling the stay didn’t quite match the price tag.

It’s why seemingly small choices matter at the premium end. The Ultra Plush pillow from Alliance for example, is its best-selling pillow and offers parks an option for adding that extra level of comfort where the accommodation – and the nightly rate – calls for it.

That’s where specialist commercial suppliers can be useful. Rather than simply ordering a
box of towels or sheets, park operators can look at the bigger picture — what needs replacing, what is performing well, where stock can be standardised and where spending a little more may make operational sense.

A National Network with Local Knowledge

For Australian holiday parks, Alliance Textile Company brings together specialist commercial textile suppliers around the country, creating a national network while retaining local contacts.

Established in 2004, Alliance works across hospitality and accommodation, with its member businesses collectively supplying products ranging from bed and bath linen through to table linen and other accommodation essentials.

Joining forces in 2004, the Alliance Textiles Company was formed to combine their decades of expertise in the hospitality sector The network includes Hospitality Textiles in Victoria, Thomas Textiles in Queensland, Accommodation Linen & Guest Supplies in NSW and the ACT, Tony Colyer servicing South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and Oakley Textiles in Tasmania. Oakley, for example, has been supplying commercial textiles in Tasmania since 1981, while Thomas Textiles operates as a third-generation
Queensland-owned commercial textile wholesaler.

For park owners and operators, the benefit is fairly straightforward: access to a broad commercial range backed by people who understand accommodation and the realities of products being used, washed and replaced day after day.

Because while guests may never know who supplied their sheets, towels or pillows, they’ll certainly notice when they’re comfortable, clean and presented properly.

And in accommodation, sometimes the things guests don’t think about are the things you’ve got exactly right.