What does GSM mean for towels?

GSM is grams per square metre, a measure of how dense and heavy a towel is. A higher GSM towel is thicker, plusher and more absorbent, but heavier and slower to dry. A lower GSM towel is lighter, dries faster and costs less to launder, which matters in high-turnover accommodation.

What GSM towel is best for a motel or hotel?

For most motels and mid-range hotels, a towel in the 450 to 550 GSM band is the practical choice. It feels generous to guests yet still dries and launders efficiently. Lighter 300 to 400 GSM towels suit pools and gyms, while 600 GSM and above suits premium and boutique rooms.

What is the difference between a bath towel and a bath sheet?

A bath towel is the standard room size, usually around 70 by 140 cm. A bath sheet is larger and more generous, often around 90 by 170 cm, and is common in premium rooms. Bath sheets cost more to buy and launder, so many properties keep them for upper-tier rooms.

Should accommodation towels be white?

White is the usual choice because it looks consistent across a property, is easy to restock, and where care labels allow can be laundered hot to keep it looking clean. Coloured towels are useful for pool, gym or spa areas, where a distinct colour stops them being mixed into room linen and disappearing.

How often should accommodation towels be replaced?

Replace towels once they go thin, grey, scratchy or stop absorbing well, rather than on a fixed calendar. How long they last depends on GSM, build quality and how hard you launder them. Rotating stock so wear spreads evenly helps the whole set last longer.

The accommodation towel guide: GSM, sizes and types explained

GSM is the most useful number to know when you buy towels for accommodation. It stands for grams per square metre, and it tells you how dense and heavy a towel is. Higher GSM feels thicker and soaks up more, but it costs more to buy and takes longer to dry and launder. Lower GSM is lighter, dries faster and is cheaper to run. The skill in stocking a property is matching GSM to the job, rather than reaching for the plushest towel every time.

What GSM means for towels

Think of GSM as the towel's density. A 700 GSM bath towel has a lot more cotton packed into the same area than a 400 GSM one, so it feels plush and holds plenty of water. That heft has a cost on the laundry side: more to dry, more energy, more time on the line or in the drier, and more weight for housekeeping to carry. A lighter towel gives some of that back, drying quickly between guests and keeping running costs down, at the expense of that deep, hotel-spa feel.

Which GSM suits which setting

These bands are a general guide rather than hard rules, and the right pick also depends on your laundry setup and your room level. Always check the weight on the specific product before you order.

GSM band	Feel	Drying and laundering	Best for
300 to 400	Light and thin	Dries fast, cheap to run	Pools, gyms, spare and utility towels, budget rooms
450 to 550	Mid-weight, comfortable	Good balance of feel and cost	Most motels and hotels, the everyday all-rounder
600 and up	Plush and heavy	Slower to dry, costs more to launder	Boutique and premium rooms where the feel sells the stay

For a lot of New Zealand motels and mid-range hotels, a towel in the 450 to 550 band is the sweet spot. It feels generous to a guest, but it still dries and launders without holding up the turnaround.

Towel types and standard sizes

A well-stocked property carries a few towel types, each with a job. Sizes vary between ranges, so treat these as typical rather than exact.

Bath towel. The everyday room towel, usually around 70 by 140 cm.
Bath sheet. A larger, more generous towel for premium rooms, often around 90 by 170 cm.
Hand towel. For the basin, commonly around 40 by 70 cm.
Face cloth or flannel. The small square, roughly 30 by 30 cm.
Bath mat. A heavier towel for the floor, often around 50 by 70 cm, made in a higher GSM so it stays put and soaks up splashes; see our bath mats.
Pool and leisure towels. Frequently coloured or striped so they do not get mixed into room stock and vanish poolside.
Tea towels and kitchen cloths. Kept separate from bathroom stock entirely; see our kitchen towels and linens.

White bath towels, hand towels and face cloths arranged by size

White or coloured?

White dominates accommodation for good reasons. It looks crisp and consistent across a property, it is easy to top up from stock without worrying about matching a dye lot, and where the care label allows it can be laundered hot to bring it back to clean. Coloured towels still earn their place, though. Using a distinct colour for pool, gym or spa towels keeps them from being confused with room linen, which cuts down on stock quietly walking out to the poolside.

Accommodation towels in grey, pink, green, white and yellow

Build quality and getting your money's worth

Beyond GSM, look at how a towel is made. Reinforced, double-stitched hems and a dobby border help it hold its shape, and good cotton or cotton-rich loops keep it absorbent. Colourfastness matters if you wash hot or bleach. This is where the gap between trade and retail shows: a commercial towel is made to handle repeated industrial washing and hold up, while a household towel tends to pill and thin on the same routine. Our companion guide on commercial versus domestic linen digs into why.

Plan to rotate your stock so wear spreads evenly, and retire towels once they go thin, grey or scratchy, since a tired towel undoes the work of an otherwise tidy bathroom. When you are ready to choose, the towels range and matching robes are sorted for commercial use, and our separate motel setup checklist shows how the bathroom fits with the rest of the unit.