After washing, proper drying is pivotal. Hotels tend to employ the following methods: Tumble dry sheets on a medium to high heat setting to achieve a crisp feel while minimising wrinkles. Sheets should be removed promptly to avoid setting wrinkles and to use less ironing effort.
Percale and using an iron. It's a pain but there is nothing like the feel of ironed sheets. Hotels put their sheets through rollers that steam and iron. You can cheat a little and iron just the top couple of feet of the top sheet so the part that is folded down is smooth.
Bedding and towels should stay soft on their own, as long as they are properly laundered and not overdried. To prevent overdrying, remove bed linens from the dryer as soon as they're dry — or even a bit damp — which will keep them softer.
Hotels will almost always insist on single-ply woven sheets and long or extra-long staple cotton, and more often than not, a percale weave over sateen. Percale cotton has a one-over, one-under weave, resulting in a more lightweight, crisp and cool feel to the fabric.
Iron Your Sheets
This is one of the best tricks to keep your cotton sheets feeling crisp. If you want perfectly smooth sheets, ironing them is the way to go. When you take them out of the dryer, iron them on relatively high heat while they're still warm and hot, and perhaps a little damp.
Hotels use high-quality sheets that are crafted from premium materials like Egyptian cotton, microfiber, or bamboo. These sheets have a higher thread count and provide a soft and durable surface for you to sleep on, promote temperature regulation, and contribute to an overall sense of well-being during your sleep.
Cotton percale sheets are popular for their lightweight and breathable nature that feels crisp against the skin. While sateen sheets (another type of equally loved cotton sheets) are known for their soft and silky smooth texture, percale has a basic weave that offers more breathability if you sleep hot.
Many luxury hotels prefer percale sheets because they are crisp, cool, and durable, offering a fresh, breathable feel.
If you like crisp and cool sheets, look for a percale sheet set with a thread count between 200 and 300.
Marriott Hotels designed a set of percale sheets made from a cotton blend for durability and incredible softness.
Hotels keep sheets tight on the bed by using two flat sheets vs. a fitted sheet. Typically, an oversized flat sheet will be tucked tightly around the mattress with hospital corners. Then a second flat sheet is tucked in on the bed's slides and the foot of the bed.
At Fine Linen and Bath, we recommend using only detergents specially made for fine linens such as Heritage Park Fine Fabric Wash or Le Blanc Linen Wash. These products are formulated to remove tough stains; gently clean and preserve delicate thread fibers, and keep your bed linens looking and feeling beautiful.
Thread quality is often more important than thread count. Cramming 1,000 low-quality cotton threads into a square inch of fabric will not create a softer sheet than 500TC Egyptian cotton. Luxury hotel sheets are usually 300TC or 400TC cotton, with a tight percale or sateen weave to achieve the sought-after softness.
Hotels typically use commercial-grade detergents that have higher concentration levels than regular household varieties. These detergents are specifically designed to tackle tough stains and maintain whiteness without causing fabric damage.
Hotel Linen Cleaning Practices. Most hotels follow strict cleaning protocols to ensure a hygienic environment for their guests. However, while sheets and pillowcases are laundered between each guest's stay, comforters sometimes receive different attention.
The difference between the two terms is that one refers to the actual material, that is, cotton. Percale is the style or design of weaving that makes the material strong. Percale is not only used as a term for Egyptian cotton. There are other types of cotton that are woven in the same way.
A sheet should be at least 200 thread count to be considered good quality — a count typical of cotton sheets. Higher thread count sheets range from 300 to 800 and up, but 300 to 500 are common ranges for sheets made from Egyptian cotton, sateen, and bamboo.
The disadvantages of using percale sheets include their tendency to wrinkle easily and their potential to feel scratchy if they are made from low-quality cotton fibers.
Hotels look for a fiber and natural materials that are durable, easy to care for, and comfortable. Overwhelmingly the common types of fibers 5-star hotels will choose are cotton or a blend of cotton and polyester.
Cotton quality, thread count, presentation, and care are all crucial components for achieving that flawless look. Quality cotton with a high thread count is what makes hotel sheets so crisp.
They may employ commercial-grade laundry equipment, such as large capacity dryers, that can effectively remove moisture and minimize wrinkles. Additionally, hotels may use ironing or pressing techniques on specific areas of the sheets to create a smooth appearance before placing them on the bed.
Use starch
If you like that smooth and crisp feeling, wash your sheets with starch.