5 Luxury Towels the Best Hotels Around the World Actually Use

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Understandably, many of the hotel amenities that lure in travelers and inspire them to book a room are large details that are front and center on their website (for example: the room size, spa menu, and on-property activities). But once you’ve arrived at the hotel that will act as your home away from home, smaller details start to stand out. Are the bed and pillows comfy? Are there cozy slippers available to switch into after a long day of exploring? How’s the water pressure and temperature? And after that shower as you dry off, what do you think about the towels?

You might be surprised how much attention hotel staff pay to factors like that final detail. We recently learned that the owner of The Global Ambassador in Phoenix, Arizona, restaurateur Sam Fox, didn’t just point at a towel set in a catalog as they were outfitting rooms.

“We wanted to make an assortment of the best linen brands available to our guests,” says Geoff Gray, managing director at The Global Ambassador in Phoenix, Arizona. “Once a week, we sent a new set of linens home for Sam to test out and use exactly as a guest at the hotel would. We rotated brands every Wednesday, and over three dozen brands were tested in total across all categories.”

Fox and his team of ambassadors “sampled and tested every linen in the building, from the sheets to the towels to the robes and everything in between,” Gray adds. The goal: “To ensure the sheets were comfortable, luxurious and breathable, and that the towels and robe were both fluffy and absorbent…Most hotel towels are typically either, but rarely both,” Gray admits.

They also considered how the towels looked, their size, and how well they folded and hung up. The vigorous testing led The Global Ambassador team to land at a bespoke collection of fabrics (Matouk for linens, Kassatex for towels, and Frette for robes) in each room, rather than sticking to one company across the board.

At the wine country favorite that is Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, California, the staff spent several weeks evaluating towels to see if they were worthy of their boutique hotel rooms. As the team used, repeatedly washed, and evaluated an array of towels, they were paying attention to if they met their “high standards for exceptional softness, superior absorbency, and long-lasting durability,” according to de Quillien, Farmhouse Inn’s general manager. “These qualities are crucial for providing guests with a luxurious experience that exceeds their expectations and encourages repeat visits.”

Additionally, if you’ve ever stayed at a Four Seasons, you know that it starts to feel like you’re part of the family soon after you arrive. “Each element of the guest experience—including the in-room amenities—has been carefully curated to provide the ultimate comfort so that guests can feel truly at home when they stay with us,” explains Julie Bourgeois, the New York City-based senior vice president of retail, corporate for Four Seasons. “Our attention to detail, and commitment to products of the highest quality and design, extend to our towels,” which were tested through commercial and residential laundry for strength, softness, absorbency, color fastness, and beyond.

As you can tell, these beautiful hotels have put their towels through the paces so you don’t have to. Here are the linens that earn the stamp of approval from luxury hotels around the world—and can make your home bathroom feel like one.

Kassatex Signature Bath Towel

Featuring a 100% long staple Turkish cotton terry body and a minimalist trim, these towels earned a spot in the rooms at The Global Ambassador due to the fact that they are “equal parts fluffy and absorbent,” Gray says. “We also appreciated that the line felt residential in a way, which adds to the overall comfortability of the guest’s in-room experience.”

Four Seasons at Home Bath Towel Set

Modern elegance and quality was top of mind as the Four Seasons team crafted their own signature towels set. Made with plush and absorbent 100% combed low twist cotton terry and surrounded by a jacquard border, this set “represents the most widely available assortment in Four Seasons around the world,” Bourgeois says. It’s available in 10 colors, ranging from white to Egyptian Camel to Kyoto Blush.

Mascioni Lido Bath Towel

Due to its “unique blend of premium materials,” 100% Turkish Aegean ring-spun cotton, “that combined unmatched softness with excellent absorbency and durability,” according to de Quillien, this is the luxury towel collection you’ll find awaiting you at Farmhouse Inn. That durability—and the overall aesthetic—is supported by the diamond piquet decorative hem.

The World of RH 802-Gram Turkish Towel Collection

At RH Guesthouse New York in Manhattan, guests have access to a Champagne and caviar bar, a rooftop pool, a thoughtfully stocked gourmet pantry, and an in-room gym. In the two bathrooms full of vein-matched Italian travertine slabs, these top-notch towels await.

Constructed with 100% Turkish cotton terry cloth and clocking in at heavier (802 grams per square meter) and larger than any of the other luxury towels on this list, these soft, absorbent, and dense towels exude opulence and come in 17 colors. Like the celebrity you are, you can customize your set with a 1-initial or 3-initial monogram.

Signature Bath Towel

If you are drawn to classic, clean, and high-quality, it won’t feel like a gamble to invest in these luxury towels, which are the same ones showcased in Bellagio Las Vegas guest rooms. The pristine white fabric is made with 100% cotton, and is accented by a sturdy and stylish rope edge trim.

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