citizenM Transforms Hotel Linen Operations with Laundris

Laundris partnered with Hospitality Facility Concepts (HFC USA) to implement a pilot program at a single citizenM Austin Downtown property. The goal was to digitize and optimize the hotel’s linen ecosystem from procurement to daily operations. After the pilot delivered measurable improvements, the full U.S. portfolio of 17 citizenM hotels adopted the system. Collaboration with GT Linens further streamlined the supply chain, reduced storage requirements, and significantly lowered operational friction between hotel and laundry operations.

Procurement Savings

Before adopting Laundris, newly opening citizenM hotels purchased 8–9 PAR of linen inventory to guard against uncertainty. Laundris provided real-time visibility into inventory levels and consumption trends, enabling properties to confidently reduce their opening PAR to 3–4 depending on seasonal fluctuations. Because initial PAR purchases typically cost between $80,000 and $120,000, this reduction translated to a savings of approximately $40,000 to $60,000 per hotel. Across the 17-property portfolio, total procurement savings reached between $680,000 and $1,020,000, even before taking into account reduced replenishment needs, fewer emergency orders, and significantly lower storage fees.

The system also enabled true just-in-time purchasing. With accurate digital counts, hotels no longer relied on inflated safety stock or large amounts of backstored linen. Instead, purchasing aligned directly with actual consumption. The automated ordering engine helped prevent both over-ordering, which wastes capital and accelerates linen aging, and under-ordering, which leads to operational bottlenecks and costly rush orders.

Vendor Partnership & Supply Chain Efficiency

Prior to Laundris, citizenM stored linens with GT Linens up to twelve months in advance, tying up cash and incurring high storage fees. After implementation, the required lead time dropped to an average of two weeks. This shift dramatically reduced storage costs and ensured that warehouses held only what hotels genuinely needed, rather than large amounts of inventory sitting idle for months at a time.

A key advantage of Laundris was the shared real-time visibility between hotels and the laundry plant. Both parties worked from the same digital dashboards, which displayed precise counts, turnaround volumes, loss and discard rates, PAR levels, forecasted shortages, and usage trends. This transparency eliminated subjective debates and finger-pointing. Discrepancies could be resolved immediately because both sides had access to identical, time-stamped data. Communication became more efficient, and significantly fewer phone calls and emails were required to clarify routine operational questions. Issues were resolved faster and with far more professionalism, creating a true partnership atmosphere instead of a transactional vendor relationship.

The improvement in efficiency also helped stabilize laundry rates. Because Laundris reduced the laundry vendor’s workload—eliminating time spent chasing missing information or reconciling inconsistent counts—citizenM achieved 0% annual rate increases in many cases and limited increases of only 2–4% in others, well below industry norms.

Operational Savings

Laundris generated meaningful reductions in daily labor requirements by eliminating manual counts, minimizing unnecessary linen movement throughout the building, removing the need to search room-to-room or floor-to-floor for items, and simplifying communication with laundry partners. On average, each property saved 1 hour and 15 minutes per day, every day of the year. Over 365 days, this amounted to 456.25 labor hours annually. At an average wage of $20 per hour, each hotel saved approximately $9,125 per year. Across the 17-hotel portfolio, these operational savings totaled more than $155,125 annually. These figures represent only direct labor savings and do not account for the soft benefits of reduced workplace stress, smoother shifts, and more consistent service.

These time savings also allowed employees to redirect their efforts toward guest-facing improvements. Teams were able to turn rooms more quickly, creating opportunities to offer early check-in upsells. Public spaces such as lobbies, restrooms, and pool areas received more frequent attention. Staff had more time to inspect linens for stains or quality issues, ensuring better product longevity and improved guest satisfaction. Automated daily counts ensured that every storage area was fully stocked and ready for the next day’s operations, reducing friction at shift change and improving overall workflow.

Intangible Benefits with Tangible Impact

Beyond quantifiable savings, Laundris created substantial intangible value across the organization. Workflows became smoother, communication improved, and operational predictability increased. Employee morale rose as teams experienced fewer preventable crises and less last-minute scrambling. The overall work environment became calmer and more professional, ultimately enhancing the experience of both employees and guests. These incremental gains, though difficult to measure numerically, contributed significantly to the overall return on investment.

Portfolio-Wide Impact

Following the success of the Austin pilot, Laundris was deployed across the remaining 17-hotel U.S. portfolio, resulting in substantial cumulative benefits. Procurement savings reached as high as one million dollars. Labor savings exceeded $155,000 annually. Storage and logistics costs declined, vendor rates stabilized, and administrative effort related to laundry operations sharply decreased. Linen quality and availability became more consistent across all properties, and teams were able to focus more of their time on guest-centric tasks rather than operational troubleshooting.

The Laundris solution transformed linen from our biggest operational headache into a strategic asset we manage with confidence. Mark Spavale, President, HFC USA

The Bottom Line

Through Laundris, citizenM and HFC USA achieved a transformative modernization of their linen operations. What began as a pilot in one Austin property expanded into a full portfolio-wide strategy that improved procurement, streamlined operations, strengthened vendor relationships, and empowered hotel teams with actionable, real-time data. The result was a compelling return on investment, higher efficiency, stabilized costs, and improved experiences for both employees and guests.