There are the towels you use to dry off with after your shower, and the towels you take to the pool or the beach.
In theory, there really shouldn’t be much difference. After all, a towel is a towel, right?
But you wouldn’t want to bring the plain old, worn out beige towels you use at home on your trip to the beach. Your beach towels shouldn’t be bland, they should be big and bold.
Read on to find out how you can choose the best possible beach towel.
1. How soft is it?
Drying off with a worn, rough towel is one thing. But beach towels and pool towels can often double as blankets. If you’re planning on spending a few hours relaxing on the hot sand, you’ll want a good, soft towel to keep you comfortable.
If you’re seeking comfort, you may want to look at towels made from velour, a 100 percent cotton fabric with a tight weave that offers softness and comfort. However, they tend to be less absorbent than other varieties, a factor we’ll get to later.
2. Look for something thick…but not too thick
You want a nice, fluffy beach towel. But at the same time, a towel that’s too thick can become unmanageable. Look for something that’s thick enough to provide comfort and absorbency, but thin enough that you can fold it up or roll it up for easy transport.
3. Is it absorbent?
Like we said above, your beach towel has two jobs: drying you off and keeping you comfortable. But let’s say you emerge from the ocean, dry yourself off, and want to lie down.
Only the towel you’ve chosen has no absorbency. It gets saturated right away, leaving you reclining on an uncomfortable, wet piece of fabric, which is now covered in sand on one end. Look for beach towels that can dry fast, ideally made from cotton or a terrycloth blend.
4. Is it big enough?
Many beach towels double as beach blankets and most beach towels tend to be bigger than their household counterparts. Towels that are about 28 inches wide and 60 inches long will typically fit the bill. If you’re much taller, a blanket might be a better fit.
5. What does it cost?
Beach and pool towels shouldn’t burst your budget. At the same time, choosing a cheap towel will lead to unwanted wear and tear by the summer’s end.
6. How does it look?
On one hand, this factor doesn’t seem as important. It’s nice to have a beach towel that looks cool and colorful, but it’s not an absolute.
But we would argue that choosing a towel with brighter, lighter colors is always a good idea when you head to the beach. Dark colors like black or navy absorb heat, which can make relaxing on them, well, not all that relaxing.
7. Keeping track of your towels
When you’re an innkeeper, it’s important to keep track of your beach towels and keep them separate from your regular collection of bathroom towels.
One way to do that is to color code your rooms, so that you offer different color towels for each room, allowing you to identify which room a guest is staying in. For example, Room 3 gets blue striped towels. If you find a blue striped towel left by the pool or down on the beach, you know where it goes.
Whether you’re looking for a soft comfortable towel to offer your guests as they lounge by the pool, or you just need a towel for your next trip to the beach, InnStyle has you covered.
We carry a wide selection of beach/pool towels, including:
Our new solid velour pool towel, 100 percent cotton and decorated with a playful seaside-themed embroidery.- The Chevron Jacquard pool towel, a fibertone luxury towel featuring a classic chevron jacquard design, made from 86 percent ring spun cotton and 14 percent polyster.
- The towel for two, for people looking for a towel that can double as a beach blanket.
InnStyle can also monogram your pool towels to completely customize the look.
Contact our sales team at 1-800-877-4667 to learn about these and all of our beach towel selections.