Don't steal the linens! Supply chain issues...
Feb 10, 2022, 7:34 am
#16
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Location: Gulf Coast
Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond; National Car Rental Executive Elite
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This linked article about RFID tracking for hotel linen-use is over 5 years old, but at that point they had some Hilton hotels as customers too:
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel...n-it/83191436/
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel...n-it/83191436/
The company quoted in that article no longer exists.
Feb 10, 2022, 7:43 am
#17
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Passive UHF RFID chips can't be read more than 10' from any antenna or reading device. If that's the case, the antenna would be plainly obvious and it typically takes an array of antenna to guarantee accurate reading of chips. No way a hotel is going to invest that amount of money in infrastructure to prevent a towel from going missing. Robes, I can understand the concern, but even then, the ROI is non-existent.
The company quoted in that article no longer exists.
The company quoted in that article no longer exists.
InvoTech Systems Inc. announced the implementation of its Linen System at the recently opened Hilton Washington DC National Mall. InvoTech Systems is a provider of advanced Linen Management, Laundry and Uniform Systems that integrate the latest RFID technology to increase profitability for hotels, resorts, casino operators, sports arenas, convention centers and theme parks. The InvoTech System installed at Hilton Washington DC National Mall manages inventory for approximately 30,000 linens, and the hotel joins InvoTech’s extensive client portfolio of hospitality clients worldwide.
The property will use the InvoTech RFID Linen System to manage their high-quality guestroom linens. The hotel has approximately 30,000 linen items for the 367 well-appointed guestrooms. The hotel will use a RFID Laundry Cart Reading Station with an easy-to-use touch screen monitor that instantly identifies and counts linens in laundry carts. The system functionality allows the property to automatically track linens to and from the laundry. This eliminates the daily task of physically separating the different types of linens and then hand-counting and manually-recording. The hotel uses the Portable Handheld RFID Readers with InvoTech Mobile Software to maintain the linen storerooms at optimum inventory levels.
The system provides 100% reduction in non-theft related losses, cuts labor costs by 50%, and provides control of outside laundry charges. The system eliminates traditional labor-intensive tasks, such as manual sorting, counting and recordkeeping to reduce operational costs. Additionally, the linen system installed at Hilton Washington DC National Mall interfaces with the laundry system at Metro Laundry Service, in the Washington DC area. The system accurately records laundry activity and provides detailed billing reports. All laundry activity is recorded automatically for Hilton Washington DC National Mall to accurately monitor the laundry expenses and washing cycles.
The system provides 100% reduction in non-theft related losses, cuts labor costs by 50%, and provides control of outside laundry charges. The system eliminates traditional labor-intensive tasks, such as manual sorting, counting and recordkeeping to reduce operational costs. Additionally, the linen system installed at Hilton Washington DC National Mall interfaces with the laundry system at Metro Laundry Service, in the Washington DC area. The system accurately records laundry activity and provides detailed billing reports. All laundry activity is recorded automatically for Hilton Washington DC National Mall to accurately monitor the laundry expenses and washing cycles.
Feb 10, 2022, 7:53 am
#18
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Gulf Coast
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From 2019:
Check out the used primary sales point in the second paragraph below:
https://hospitalitytech.com/dc-hilto...inen-inventory
Check out the used primary sales point in the second paragraph below:
https://hospitalitytech.com/dc-hilto...inen-inventory
Feb 10, 2022, 8:13 am
#19
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It's not necessarily single-purpose use, even given the primary reason is efficiency gains. One of the selling points some hotel owners/operators encountered were involved with a lower cost way of doing inventory for stolen/missing bath robes. Of course, salespeople throw whatever they can out there to layer on the "benefits" to try to make a sale of the goods/services they offer; but what the exact tipping point is to make a prospective buyer into an actual buyer varies.
Feb 10, 2022, 2:06 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2020
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FWIW, the number of hotels in the industry Hilton or otherwise where RFID technology would make sense or be implemented is so small as to be virtually irrelevant. You're talking exclusively full service or large resort properties and/or places with a unionized staff where wages are significantly higher. The average US chain hotel is a 100-ish room limited service property where the type of upfront expense needed to implement this will never make sense. FWIW, yes, guest theft of linen/terry is a real issue. As an example, people love to take pool towels and new blankets with them all the time.
I saw that once back in the summer of '20 at the now deflagged Hampton Inn Atlantic Beach, NC. They had a sign in/out sheet at the desk where the agent had to mark your room number and the number of towels being exchanged since she said that their linen par was less than zero (i.e. they were turning every piece daily and had rooms out of order since they didn't have enough for the property). When it gets like that it's all about cost reduction to the extreme. Availability for things is bad, but not THAT bad.
Update!
Stopped by the front desk to get towels/toiletries tonight. This is my 4th night of my stay, still no housekeeping.
The front desk agent was reluctant to give me another towel because, as she said, policy is to only give out new towels when a used towel is turned in.
No wonder they're out of towels. They're all being used in rooms and since there is no housekeeping, there is no daily pick-up of used towels to send to laundering.
Stopped by the front desk to get towels/toiletries tonight. This is my 4th night of my stay, still no housekeeping.
The front desk agent was reluctant to give me another towel because, as she said, policy is to only give out new towels when a used towel is turned in.
No wonder they're out of towels. They're all being used in rooms and since there is no housekeeping, there is no daily pick-up of used towels to send to laundering.
Last edited by cblaisd; Feb 10, 2022 at 2:46 pm Reason: merged poster's two consecutive posts
Mar 3, 2022, 4:43 pm
#21
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Staying at a joint HS/HGI property, on the HGI side.
Visited the front desk for shampoo. FDA said “ooh, we are 100% out of toiletries. You’ll have to go to the Homewood front desk.”
I turn around and walk 100 feet to the other front desk. Agent has to dig around but finds one.
Shared building, shared parking, shared floors. Separate toiletries.
Visited the front desk for shampoo. FDA said “ooh, we are 100% out of toiletries. You’ll have to go to the Homewood front desk.”
I turn around and walk 100 feet to the other front desk. Agent has to dig around but finds one.
Shared building, shared parking, shared floors. Separate toiletries.