Stepping out of the shower and wrapping yourself up in a fluffy, luxuriously oversized towel is one of life’s small pleasures. It’s an experience you may only have had while at a luxe spa or hotel, but it’s easy to get that pampered feeling in your own home.
Stepping out of the shower and wrapping yourself up in a fluffy, luxuriously oversized towel is one of life’s small pleasures. It’s an experience you may only have had while at a luxe spa or hotel, but it’s easy to get that pampered feeling in your own home. Our guide to hotel-quality bath towels will teach you everything you need to know to find high-quality towels for your home.
What are the Best Materials for Hotel-Quality Bath Towels?
Material is an essential factor to consider when choosing upscale towels. There are several options available, and your choice will depend on your personal preferences. To help you narrow down the possibilities, we’ll highlight the key features of these towel materials:
- Turkish cotton
- Egyptian cotton
- Traditional cotton
- Microfiber
Classic Cotton
There’s a reason 100% cotton towels have become an enduring classic for luxe hotels. They’re incredibly soft, absorbent, and durable — all in one easy-to-care-for package. Upscale hotels that pamper guests with classic cotton towels make sure to select ones with a heavy weight, or high GSM. (Don’t worry; we’ll dive into the ins and outs of GSM in the next section!) They provide the comfort and indulgence guests expect while often being more affordable than Turkish or Egyptian cotton towels.
Turkish Cotton
This long-fiber cotton is grown only in a single region of Turkey. The unique climate of the Aegean region produces cotton with fibers that are longer, smoother, and more durable than those of regular cotton.
Turkish cotton towels differ from the typical thick and fuzzy bath towel. Though they typically have a high GSM, the towel is thin and smooth. The slim profile and silky feel are due to a flat weave, which helps Turkish cotton dry more quickly than Egyptian or other cottons. This material is also extremely durable, and your Turkish cotton towels will actually become softer and more absorbent with use.
Egyptian Cotton
Egyptian cotton has extra-long fibers that combine the thinness and durability of Turkish cotton with the fuzzy absorbency of regular cotton. This makes for a luxuriously soft material capable of quickly drying up any post-shower drips.
Though this material is highly absorbent with a lush look and feel, it does have one drawback. Egyptian cotton towels stubbornly hold onto moisture if they aren’t properly dried after use. In an arid climate, this isn’t an issue. You can simply hang the towel and allow it to air dry between uses.
However, if you live in a very humid area, the towels will stay wet if you just hang them up. Egyptian cotton is so absorbent that it can actually pull moisture from the air, which can cause issues with mildew. If you live in a humid environment but love the lush feel of Egyptian cotton, you can circumvent this problem by tossing your towels in the dryer between uses.
Microfiber
Microfiber is a synthetic fiber, often made from polyester or nylon, that mimics the slender smoothness of Turkish and Egyptian cottons. These fibers can create strands several times thinner than a human hair, giving them astonishing absorbency relative to their weight and thickness.
Unlike the Egyptian cotton it mimics, microfiber is both super absorbent and quick-drying, meaning you’ll never have to worry about mildew or odors. This high-tech fabric is a great choice if you love the slim profile and deluxe feel of Egyptian cotton but want a low-maintenance towel.
Hotel-Quality Towel Weights
Much like thread count in bed sheets, towel weight is a key indicator of quality. Towel weight is measured in grams per square meter, or GSM. The higher the GSM, the heavier the towel. A towel with a high GSM is thicker, softer, and more absorbent than a lighter one of the same material.
Let’s put GSM into context to help you get a better understanding of how it translates to quality.
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Light, 300-400 GSM: Towels in this range tend to be thin, a little scratchy, and somewhat see-through, but they dry quickly and are inexpensive. You often see towels in this range used at places like gyms and hospitals.
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Medium, 500-600 GSM: Most standard bath towels fall into the medium weight category. They are thicker and more absorbent than lighter weight towels, but they fall a little short of that royalty-level lavishness you get with five-star hotel towels.
- Heavy, 700+: Towels with GSM of 700 or more are the type you expect to see at a high-end spa or hotel. They seem to dry you off instantly, thanks to their high absorbency. Towels in this range are noticeably softer and more luxurious than their light and medium weight counterparts. Our towels are 1,100 GSM, which is far above market standards for the most luxurious feel.
What is the Best Size for Hotel-Quality Bath Towels?
When you’re looking for upscale bath towels, you want to choose ones that are oversized. There’s nothing luxurious about stepping out of the bath and into a slightly too-small towel, no matter what weight or material it is!
Bath towels purchased for home use are typically about 30” x 56.” This size is adequate, but to get that five-star-hotel feel, choose towels that are closer to 35″ x 66″ (like our hotel quality towels). That’s the perfect size to comfortably wrap yourself up in and replicate an upscale spa experience in your own home.