London hotel embraces wet cleaning

Located between Knightsbridge and Belgravia, The Berkeley attracts visitors to London seeking style and comfort. They can choose from 193 rooms and suites arranged over seven floors. 

The hotel’s basement laundry operates seven days a week from six in the morning until half past ten at night. It processes guest linens, towels and bath mats, as well as some of the hotel’s more specialist items such as monogrammed spa robes and special children’s bed linen. Guests can choose a same-day or express service.

The Berkeley approached Girbau UK for advice on upgrading its laundry equipment. Choosing the latest Agua Smart Wet Cleaning Ready washers and dryers means it can use the same machines for laundry and wet cleaning. Girbau says wet cleaning offers better quality cleaning of water-soluble stains and odours and is an environmentally-sensitive option for all articles that are normally dry cleaned.

Girbau installed two HS-6013 14kg-capacity and two 27kg-capacity HS-6024 INTELI washers capable of processing standard hotel laundry and wet cleaning the delicate guest laundry that requires special care and attention. The hotel also has a HS-6008 washer for smaller loads.

For drying Girbau installed a GUT30 space-saving twin stacking dryer and a 19kg capacity ED340 dryer exclusively to handle the delicate drying of wet clean items. Described as one of the most energy efficient dryers on the market, ED Series dryers combine maximum efficiency, reduced cycle times and lower energy consumption. 

Girbau also installed two pieces of wet cleaning finishing equipment: a Sidi M502 Garment Former and a MPT825 Trouser Topper. Together these enable laundry staff to accomplish the exquisite finish its guests expect when their delicate items are processed.

Salvinija Barzdeniene, The Berkeley’s linen room manager, said: “We’re receiving very positive feedback from our guests regarding the clean, fresh smell of the wet cleaned garments.”