Hydrofinity Case Study

We shine the spotlight on one of our latest Hydrofinity customers – the London Heathrow Marriott. Find out how this sustainably savvy premium airport hotel reduced their water consumption by 81%, saved 1.7m litres of water per year and made a financial saving of £73k.

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Studies have shown that strains of bacteria normally found in laundry can be eliminated just as effectively with low temperature water, as long as the other factors in the wash are correct. Here we’re going to discuss some of the impediments to disinfecting laundry and what methods can lead to a truly hygienic clean.

Standard Laundry Processes

Even now, when commercial launderers and hotels are more conscious of their environmental impact than ever before, standard laundry procedures utilize water that is heated to 149°F/65°C—a process that takes a large amount of energy. The reason for this, generally, is the belief that bacteria can not be eliminated without that kind of heat.
The trick to achieving truly clean laundry is to have all the pieces of the process working in harmony. A common reason for poor cleaning capability in lower temperatures is that the wrong chemicals are being used.

Certain detergents can only be activated by higher temperatures, while some, particularly newer formulas, are created specifically to activate with lower temperature water. It’s important to utilize the right detergent for your wash process in order to clean your laundry, especially when the goal is disinfection, where you’ll likely need a specialty detergent.

Aside from the proper chemicals, it’s important to make sure your machine is operating and agitating as it should in order to get a better clean, but even then, is it really enough to get rid of bacteria?

Disinfecting Laundry With Ambient Water

According to a scientific brief by Dr. Steve Jenkins, Chief Science Officer for Hydrofinity, laundry washed in ambient water using the Hydrofinity laundry process was disinfected at a rate comparable to the standard high temperature wash.

“The disinfecting efficacy of the Hydrofinity ambient wash with 300g of PACK 2 is comparable to that of thermal disinfection 149°F/65°C wash for 4 bacteria and similar for the fifth one without the energy cost of the thermal method. That is equivalent to killing off 99.9999% or greater of 4 bacteria and 99.99% or greater of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.” – Jenkins

In this case, a hygienic clean can be achieved with low temperature water because all of the other factors in the wash are designed to work together for that purpose, and that, in the end, is the most important factor in a superior clean: a better, cooperative overall process.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.

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There are also studies that show people who take small actions toward environmental living in their own lives are less inclined to support larger, more widespread actions.

This phenomenon isn’t limited to individuals. Even in an industry like hospitality, where we know there is a large amount of waste and a calculable impact on the environment, it’s hard to know what sort of difference a single hotel can make—and that can discourage owners and managers from taking action.

There are, however, some very compelling reasons to make that change in your hotel laundry operation and to believe that change will impact the industry overall.

The Numbers on Hotel Laundry

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the commercial and institutional sector is responsible for about 17% of U.S. fresh water withdrawals. Hotels and other lodgings are responsible for about 15% of that usage.

While hotels certainly use that water for more than laundry, laundry does account for about 16% of a hotel’s water usage—the same percentage as landscaping, which is often one of the first things cut during a water shortage.

But how much water is that really?

On average, U.S. hotels use 25 gallons of water per room per day for laundry. There are about 4,926,543 hotel rooms in the U.S. alone. They’re not all full all the time, of course, so if we assume an average of 65% occupancy, that’s 2,401,689,713 gallons of water each month.

And that’s just in the U.S.

What Individual Hotels Can Do to Support Conservation

Even small changes can have a measurable impact on the amount of water your hotel is using on a daily basis. The American Hotel and Lodging Association estimates even just asking guests to reuse towels can reduce the number of loads of laundry washed by 17%.

But there’s so much more hotels can do to promote water conservation. By updating your laundry room to near-waterless washers, a single hotel can save hundreds of thousands of gallons of water each year (not to mention quite a lot of money).

That’s a measurable change, and just from one hotel.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.

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When you’re wading through reviews and case studies and considering the cost of installing or upgrading laundry equipment, other factors can seem minor or less important. Unfortunately, those factors can often be the things that have the biggest impact later on.

If you consider the following factors when first choosing commercial laundry equipment, you may be able to avoid unexpected negative effects on your business later on.

Repair Costs

Probably the most common unexpected issue for commercial laundry operations is repairs, which can cost you both in money and time. While you certainly can’t predict when your machines will break or what the cost and downtime will be, you can invest in laundry equipment that comes with a quality service plan.

Here are a few questions to ask your equipment or service provider:

• How long is the plan good for?
• Will there be capital outlay on top of the plan cost?
• Is there a time limit for repairs?

If the plan isn’t all-inclusive or the provider can’t promise you won’t experience extended downtime, repairs may be more costly to your business than they need to be.

Energy and Utility Usage

People will tell you that all machines these days are energy-efficient, and while it’s true that laundry equipment as a whole has come a long way in becoming more environmentally friendly, utility usage and cost can still vary significantly depending on your choice of machine.

Choosing even the most highly-rated water-based commercial laundry machine can leave you with 80% higher utility cost than is necessary. By choosing a machine that doesn’t use water as the primary cleaning medium, you not only save on water utilities, but energy costs as well.

The Hydrofinity system uses polymer beads to replace most of the water in each wash cycle, saving up to 80% of water usage and up to 50% of energy usage. That’s the kind of difference in that can have a big impact on not only your operating costs, but your business overall.

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However, not all service plans are created equally. So how do you strike that balance between planning ahead and not overpaying for a service that isn’t worth the cost?

Here are a few things to look for specifically when evaluating a laundry equipment service plan:

What to Look for In a Washing Machine Service Plan

While there are numerous factors to consider when purchasing new hotel laundry equipment, before we get into what to look for in a service plan, we want to recommend looking at the service plan before you decide which machines to purchase in the first place. The quality of the service plan likely won’t be the deciding factor, but a strong plan can make a real difference in the overall value of the purchase.

The first thing most hotels look at when purchasing appliances is, of course, cost, and the same goes for service plans.

When you’re looking at the cost of a laundry machine service plan, however, make sure you look at what’s included for that cost. A cheap plan may be attractive at first, but if it doesn’t cover common maintenance issues, it’s probably a waste of money.

Here are some questions to ask when looking at a new service plan for hotel laundry equipment:

• Does the plan include a limit for how long repairs will take?
• Does it include regular service and maintenance in addition to emergency repairs?
• Is parts and labor additional or included in the plan?
• Are certain services outsourced, requiring you to work with an unknown vendor?

Buying new laundry equipment for your hotel is a big decision, so take the time to examine all aspects of the purchase, including the available service plans.

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There are a number of incentive programs available for businesses willing to make the effort to “go green,” including hotels. Before making utility-saving upgrades to your property, be sure to look into these, and other programs that may be available in your region.

Utility Incentive Programs

Because of state regulations in utilities, incentives and rebates will vary by company and by region. Contact your utility provider or click the image at the bottom of this post to learn more and find out if your property is eligible.
Liberty Utilities offers an on-site facility assessment to identify natural gas energy efficiency opportunities and will report back to your hotel on recommended measures, next steps in implementing the recommendations, and procedures for securing energy efficiency incentives and rebates. This is available in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Texas.

National Grid offers electricity incentives and rebates in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Upstate New York, as well as natural gas incentives in all those areas plus New York City and Long Island.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California has several different programs, each managed by an energy-efficiency implementation specialist. If you purchase an approved energy-efficient product, you can fill out a rebate application and wait for your check.

Hydrofinity Customers Can Save Thousands

In addition to saving thousands of dollars each year on water and energy costs, Hydrofinity customers have been offered more than $500,000 in energy reduction incentives. Hydrofinity technology is proven to reduce water usage in hotel laundry operations by up to 80%, and energy usage by up to 50%.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.

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In contrast, larger laundries focus on washing very large quantities of flatwork items in a tunnel washer. What are the pros and cons for each type of operation, and more importantly, how can small laundries compete?

Small Laundry Challenges

Price – It is difficult for small commercial laundries to compete with larger operations due to economies of scale. Larger laundries with tunnel washers have reduced labour costs as they only manually touch linens when loaded and then collect them when finished. With front loading machines, staff members need to sort by hand and load multiple times to wash a similar quantity.

Brand – Small laundries tend to have very little marketing budget which means it is much more difficult to spread the word via advertising, PR, social media and content marketing. As a result, their value add is sometimes missed.
Benefits of Small Laundries

Quality – Tunnel washers have one pre-programmed wash cycle and therefore have limited applications. Front loading machines are more flexible and are able to deliver a variety of wash cycles suited for the level of soil to gain a superior clean as compared to a tunnel washer.

Variety of work – Small laundries are able to offer more bespoke services as well as be more flexible to meet client’s needs. Many hotels actually outsource towels to both large and small laundries. Large laundries offer ‘pool stock’ which means the towels and bedding could have been at one hotel one night then at their hotel another night. Smaller laundries offer hotels ‘dedicated stock’ which means they always get the same towels/bedding back once cleaned. This is a key feature particularly for luxury hotels that offer signature linens as part of their overall brand experience.

Personal approach – One of the key selling points of small laundries is their service can be tailored. For example, if fast delivery is needed they are much more likely to be able to help. In contrast, large laundries have set schedules and dedicated pick up and drop off times that are difficult to change.

Get Ahead with Hydrofinity

A key way small laundries can set themselves apart from their larger counterparts is by installing a Hydrofinity washer. The revolutionary system has the utility costs of a tunnel washer but delivers even better cleaning results than a traditional front-loading machine.

The Hydrofinity system uses 80% less water and delivers a gentler and far superior wash thanks to the polymer beads used in each wash that gently remove soil and stains from fabrics extremely effectively. Whilst traditional machines use between 40% and 70% hot water, Hydrofinity only uses 5%, on average – so with less water to heat, more energy is saved and your bills are reduced, helping you stay competitive.

Linen loss rates will also be greatly reduced because of the combined effect of less hot water, reduced chemicals and a gentler wash process that doesn’t use the traditional ‘drop and slop’ method. In recent tests, the Hydrofinity reclaim program achieved more than 70% linen recovery rate when compared with traditional processes – yet another potential selling point for small laundries, as client satisfaction is boosted.

In terms of marketing, a simple sign post in the window advertising the fact that you have implemented the eco-friendly and highly effective Hydrofinity system will go a long way to helping you compete with larger operations. So, there is light at the end of the tunnel for small laundries – and that doesn’t have to include a tunnel washer.

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Whether you’re running a small neighborhood dry cleaner or a large commercial laundry operation, here are a few tips to help you find success in the industry.

Look for Innovative Ways to Increase Service Offerings

Expanding your customer base can be difficult in a business that depends heavily on location. Even if you have an incredibly efficient pick-up and delivery service, your customers are likely still within a certain geographic radius of your facility—leaving you with a pretty finite number of potential customers.
Obviously the first answer to that problem is to open more locations, but that’s not always possible or prudent. Expanding service offerings, however, can be a cost-effective way to both increase revenue from current customers and attract new business. Extra services could include:

• Pick-up and delivery (if those are not already part of your business)
• Press and fold
• Specialty cleaning
• Rush service

Find something that you can add without extending your staff or your budget too far and see how it works for you. If the service is high quality, you’ll impress your customer base and create opportunities for new acquisition.

Be Over-Prepared

Nothing can ruin a solid revenue stream in the world of commercial laundry like an extended period of down-time because of equipment or supply issues.

In the laundry industry, it’s always better to be over-prepared, so be sure that your equipment is up-to-date on maintenance and your supply closet is never close to empty. Keep track of when machine warranties run out and look for local repair resources that could help you out in a pinch. In short: Do everything you can to avoid down-time.

Don’t Let Utility Costs Get in the Way

According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, water costs represent more than 50% of total operating costs in the typical commercial laundry. With energy costs on top of that, utilities can be a huge—even prohibitive—expense for launderers.

Limiting water and energy usage even slightly can be a game-changer for commercial laundry businesses. Limiting water usage by up to 80% and energy usage by up to 50% can save you thousands of dollars each year.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.

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Look at the Hilton LA/Universal City Hotel. By upgrading to Hydrofinity near-waterless laundry machines, the hotel is saving over $66,000 per year in water, energy, detergent, and maintenance costs—all factors that contribute to high operational costs for hotels.

How the Hilton LA Saved by Upgrading

Laundry is often overlooked or combined with other line items when it comes to a hotel’s operating costs, which makes it more difficult to truly understand what a laundry operation’s costs are and how to manage them.
In order to get a picture of how the Hilton LA could save so much by upgrading their laundry machines, let’s look at a much smaller example of savings in hotel laundry: asking guests to reuse towels.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association estimates that asking guests to reuse towels reduces the number of loads of laundry washed and the costs of doing so by 17%. The Association for Linen Management says hotels can save up to $6.50 per occupied room per day by implementing this type of program, and today, most hotels have.
For a 495-room hotel like the Hilton LA, operating at an occupancy rate of 65%, that equals a savings of $2,091 per day. Just from reusing towels and linens!

The Hydrofinity machine uses up to 80% less water and up to 50% less energy than traditional washing machines. With the purchase of three brand new machines, the Hilton LA still saw a return on investment within a single year.

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Yet both luxury and sustainability are key selling points for hotels in today’s market. Guests want to make environmentally responsible lodging decisions, but still expect cleanliness, comfort and that certain feeling of indulgence that only comes from staying at a place where everything’s taken care of for you.

Laundry and Hotel Luxury

Linens and towels are a huge piece of creating that luxury feeling for your guests, whether you’re running a high-end boutique hotel or an affordable business travel property. In an online survey, respondents were almost unanimous when asked if towel quality is important to their overall satisfaction with a hotel stay. A whopping 94% said it is, and 73% said towel quality impacts their decision to return to a hotel.

In the same survey, one third of respondents said they would write a negative review of a hotel online if they were not satisfied with the towels.

Reviews are incredibly important to your hotel’s reputation. In another recent survey, 90% of those polled said that ratings on a review site played an essential role in their booking decision. The cleanliness of a hotel room is almost always featured in online reviews, and linens are typically among a guest’s first concerns in that area.

Hotel Laundry Sustainability

In addition to being incredibly important to your guests’ overall experience and satisfaction, traditional hotel laundry operations are one of the most wasteful divisions within a property—particularly when it comes to water and energy use. And so hotel laundry is often a core issue in the struggle between sustainability and luxury.
But it doesn’t have to be.

With Hydrofinity near-waterless laundry systems, your hotel can reduce water usage in your laundry operations by up to 80%, and energy usage by up to 50%, while still achieving a superior level of clean on your towels and linens. The Hydrofinity system is also gentle on fabrics, helping you maintain the luxurious feeling of your linens longer and avoid high replacement costs.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.

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