Why Do Hotels Use White Sheets?

Why do hotels use white sheets? If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why almost every hotel uses white sheets, you are not alone. With stains being one of the most predictable things in hotels, it seems counter-intuitive that hotels use the color that is most vulnerable to even the slightest discoloration!

As it turns out, there’s a good amount of consumer science behind the use of white hotel sheets. Read on. We promise it will all make sense!

The Color of Luxury

Before the advent of modern laundry technology, white was a garment that most people avoided using because of the same reason we avoid using them in high-stain areas: they were a pain to maintain. In fact, in the olden days, white wedding dresses were the ultimate sign of conspicuous consumption, as only the wealthiest of the lot would dare spend money on a wedding dress so vulnerable to stains and ruin.  

And thus, white has become the color most associated with luxury.

Centuries later, the color white’s association with luxury has remained. When Westin first introduced white sheets for the hotel room in the 90s, they found that customers perceived them to be more luxurious and guests claimed to have slept better in the all-white bed than they ever had before.

The True Mark of Cleanliness

White sheets have also come to be perceived as a gauge of cleanliness. With whites, there is no camouflaging of any stains and the smallest of impurities are highly visible. Guests feel better and safer sleeping on a spotless white bed than they do in colored or printed sheets, which leave them thinking about what stains the hotel might be trying to camouflage.

The Most Practical Choice for Hotel Linens

But more than customer perception, cleanliness and practicality are the top reasons why hotels use white sheets. Despite white being too vulnerable to stains, for hotels, they are the easiest, most hassle-free and most practical sheets to maintain.

White sheets:

• Don’t fade so they normally take longer to wear out if washed and maintained properly
• Can be washed in a single load without fear of irreparable color damage from ‘bleeding’ of sheets of other shades
• Are easier to sanitize with high temperatures and high bleach concentrations

So whether you are running a small Airbnb property, or are in the works for running your very own hotel chain, white sheets are your winning options.

Are you in search of the perfect hotel linens? Use Linen Finder to locate the best hotel linen service companies today!