📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Tomwsulcer
Lifestyle
How to Identify the Six Types of Towels in Indian Hotel Rooms
✍️ Aaj Tak
🗓 24 Aug 2026, 07:54 AM
👁 2
Guests often mix up face towels, hand towels and bath mats in hotel rooms, risking hygiene. A quick guide explains the six towel categories and how to use each correctly.
Travelers staying in Indian hotels frequently encounter a set of white towels that look identical, yet each serves a distinct purpose. Misusing a bath mat as a face towel or wiping the mouth with a hand towel can compromise personal hygiene, especially in shared accommodations.
Hotel housekeeping typically provides six towel types: a large bath towel for drying the body, a smaller hand towel for drying hands, a face towel for the face, a washcloth for scrubbing, a bath mat placed on the floor to prevent slipping, and a decorative towel often used for decorative purposes or as a spare. The size, thickness, and placement of each towel are the main clues – bath towels are the biggest, hand towels sit beside the sink, face towels are placed near the vanity, washcloths are folded in a stack, and bath mats lie on the floor.
To avoid hygiene mishaps, guests should glance at the towel’s location and size before use. If uncertain, a quick check with hotel staff can confirm the intended purpose. Using the correct towel not only ensures personal comfort but also respects the hotel's hygiene standards.
Experts advise that hotels label towels or use colour‑coded edges to aid travelers, a practice that could reduce confusion and improve overall guest experience.
Hotel housekeeping typically provides six towel types: a large bath towel for drying the body, a smaller hand towel for drying hands, a face towel for the face, a washcloth for scrubbing, a bath mat placed on the floor to prevent slipping, and a decorative towel often used for decorative purposes or as a spare. The size, thickness, and placement of each towel are the main clues – bath towels are the biggest, hand towels sit beside the sink, face towels are placed near the vanity, washcloths are folded in a stack, and bath mats lie on the floor.
To avoid hygiene mishaps, guests should glance at the towel’s location and size before use. If uncertain, a quick check with hotel staff can confirm the intended purpose. Using the correct towel not only ensures personal comfort but also respects the hotel's hygiene standards.
Experts advise that hotels label towels or use colour‑coded edges to aid travelers, a practice that could reduce confusion and improve overall guest experience.