Hotels are changing their uniform designs less frequently as a result of the financial downturn and the price of cotton increasing.
Uniform suppliers have told Hotelier that with the price of cotton going up, hotels are designing new uniforms less, and often change only one aspect of the uniform.
Gavin Dodd, managing director of A.Ronai LLC, said: “The main challenge [in the industry] is probably supply. If you want cotton, cotton is very difficult to get hold of at the moment so the prices run high.”
Nicolas Dujardin, Middle East area manager of Bragard LLC, agreed that prices have increased in recent years, and said: “The question of the price is a very key point. Uniforms are an important part for the customer in imagining the concept of the hotel but sometimes the budget is a bit small compared to the entire investment.”
One way around needing a complete new uniform is ordering making “subtle changes”, such as neckwear, which can still “create a completely different ambiance in the area,” said Vicky Hales, commercial director, Lebanon, Emile Rassam.
David Sprakes, David Sprakes, design and production manager at A.Ronai LLC said: “Certainly in the last couple of years people have kept uniform styles for longer in order to save money. Sometimes certain items are redesigned and replaced to refresh a uniform without changing every garment.”
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