According to Deloitte, the global market for the hospitality industry is expected to see year-over-year growth of about 2.5% for the next five years. While this may highlight the trend of global citizens traveling more, taking more time off from work, and investing in travel expenses, this also has implications of another growing market: laundry.
Have Clothes, Will Wash
While it may not be the first thing to come to mind when someone thinks of travel, it goes hand-in-hand because clothes are essential to traveling. Travelling clothes offer opportunity for in-house laundry services at hotels and resorts as well as standalone commercial launderers to service these travelers.
Humble Beginnings
Laundry done in large volumes has been around for thousands of years; even those in the Roman Empire depended on commercial laundry services. Households would send their sheets and linens to local laundries, known as fulleries, where they were cleaned in ammonia and water, then air dried. This labor-intensive approach to cleaning clothes and sheets by hand continued, with minimal changes, throughout the centuries.
The Industrial Revolution introduced merchandised washers with rotating drums around 1780 and the state of commercial laundry services continued with rapid and innovative change since. From hospitals to hotels to restaurants, the commercial laundry industry blossomed into a widespread commodity, inspiring more efficient and streamlined technology. These businesses also came to understand the need for protection, such as comprehensive insurance, such as what is offered through programs such as Coin-Op Advantage for coin-operated laundromats.
Modern Times
In recent decades, there has been pressure on commercial laundry services to go more eco-friendly, lightening their carbon footprint. By incorporating polymer beads and ozone technology with energy-efficient machines, commercial laundry services have responded well.
This takes us back to the growth of the travel and hospitality industries, which depend on efficient machines that can churn out large-capacity loads. In-house services or standalone businesses are continuing to help develop the emerging trend of using germ-fighting solutions like ionic silver for textiles (i.e. bed linens, lab coats, towels). What’s more, businesses are also realizing that it is more economical to utilize the services of commercial launderers.
Again, commercial laundry doesn’t necessarily jump out when thinking of travel, spa days, or beach vacations, but it’s always been a much-needed, and helpful, service. Over time, the FabriCare industry has depended on and followed through with adjusting to innovation and technological advances, only helping customers even more in the meantime.
About Irving Weber Associates
At Irving Weber Associates, Inc., we understand what it takes to run a successful Dry Cleaner or Coin-Operated Laundromat business, including investing in a comprehensive Coin-Op Advantage Insurance Program to ensure that you are financially protected against legal claims. Our program includes specialty coverages including Environmental and General Liability, Property, Pollution Liability, Boiler & Machinery, Business Auto, and many more. For a detailed look at how we can safeguard your business with a custom-tailored package, please contact our experts today at (800) 243-1811.