Have you ever noticed the subtle stripes near the ends of hotel towels and thought, “Nice touch”? You’re definitely not the only one. While they might seem like a simple design detail, those faint bands actually serve a much more practical purpose. And once you know why they’re there, you’ll never look at hotel towels the same way again.

In places like hotels, gyms, and hospitals, where laundry is done on a massive scale, efficiency is key. Staff are constantly washing, drying, folding, and sorting thousands of towels and linens every day. Those stripes help make that process faster. They act as visual cues that speed up folding, make stacking easier, and help quickly identify towel sizes and types.

For instance, the stripes help workers know which side is which when folding, so they don’t waste time trying to line things up. They also help distinguish between different towels — maybe bath towels have two stripes, hand towels one, and pool towels have colored bands. It’s a clever, low-effort system that saves time and cuts down on mistakes.

The result? Neat stacks, easier organization, and a polished look on carts and shelves — all with simple, woven-in stripes. They’re not printed, so they hold up through heavy washing, and they’re part of why hotel towels often look so crisp and consistent. So next time you’re folding towels at home, try aligning any stripe edges — it’s a small trick, but it might just give your linen closet that tidy, hotel-style vibe.