GT USA

September is a natural time to take a closer look at the people and processes that keep hospitality moving.

With International Housekeeping Appreciation Week having passed, it is an opportunity to recognize the essential role housekeeping teams play in creating the guest experience, while also considering a broader question: Are hospitality operations giving these teams the tools, resources, and processes they need to succeed?

The industry continues to navigate labor shortages, evolving employee expectations, rising operating costs, and the ongoing need to operate more efficiently without compromising the guest experience. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association's 2026 State of the Industry report, 42% of hotel owners cited workforce shortages as a financial pressure, and more than half of respondents reported that their properties were somewhat or severely understaffed.

Housekeeping remains particularly important to this conversation. In a 2025 AHLA survey, housekeeping

August is a pivotal planning month for hospitality teams. As hotels and resorts prepare for Labor Day, fall events, holiday dining, and year-end travel, early sourcing helps ensure inventory is in place and custom linen programs remain on schedule before fourth-quarter production demand increases.

Backed by our vertically integrated manufacturing process, Garnier Thiebaut USA delivers what our partners need, ranging from in-stock essentials to fully customized collections, helping properties support their brand standards and guest experience.

Labor Day weekend often brings one final surge of summer travel, making it the perfect time to evaluate pool towel inventory before occupancy peaks. Having the right quantities on hand helps housekeeping and pool staff maintain service levels while ensuring guests always have fresh, dry towels available.

In hospitality, every guest touchpoint is an opportunity to reinforce a brand's identity. From dining rooms and guest rooms to retail spaces and special events, custom jacquard linens provide a distinctive way to commemorate milestones, showcase a property's character, and create meaningful experiences that extend beyond a guest's stay.

At Garnier Thiebaut USA, we collaborate with luxury hotels, iconic restaurants, and hospitality organizations to transform logos, artwork, and destination-inspired designs into beautifully woven linens. Through thoughtful customization and craftsmanship, we help our partners create products that celebrate their identity and enhance guest experiences.

A property's story is reflected in the details. Custom jacquard kitchen towels provide venues with an opportunity to showcase their architecture, history, and identity into exclusive retail

How confident are you in your property's linen forecasting strategy?

As hospitality operations become increasingly data-driven, bed and bath linens are no longer just a purchasing decision. They are a critical component of consistency, inventory management, and guest satisfaction.

At Garnier Thiebaut USA, we work closely with hospitality professionals to help create linen programs that balance quality, efficiency, and long-term value. As properties seek to build smarter textile programs, customization and RFID-enabled solutions are becoming increasingly important tools for strengthening brand identity, improving inventory visibility, and supporting operational performance. Whether outfitting guestrooms, suites, spas, or wellness facilities, thoughtful planning is essential to ensuring that linens consistently meet both guest expectations and property demands.

Accurate linen forecasting is a critical component of hospitality management. According to CoStar and Tourism

Each year, the National Restaurant Association Show brings together the hospitality industry’s leading voices to explore the trends, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of foodservice. Held at Chicago’s McCormick Place, NRA Show 2026 welcomed more than 55,000 foodservice professionals from 112 countries and featured over 2,300 exhibitors across 900 product categories, making it one of the largest and most influential hospitality trade shows in North America. Attendance continued to grow, reflecting sustained momentum and a strong appetite for innovation.

Against that backdrop, Garnier Thiebaut USA welcomed professionals from across the industry to discover our newest hospitality linen collections and explore the evolving needs of restaurants, hotels, event venues, and design-driven spaces.

Here is a look at what we experienced, the linens we previewed, and the insights we heard from those who visited our booth.

This year’s booth

Banquet demand is not just back, it has evolved.

Nearly every planner is prioritizing in-person experiences again, attendance is rising, and more than a third of planners expect budgets to increase this year. At the same time, costs across hotels, food and beverage, and labor continue to climb, putting pressure on every line item tied to events.

That combination is defining 2026. Demand is strong. Budgets are selective. Every decision now needs to justify its value.

What is changing, and what we are seeing consistently across banquet environments, is that value is no longer being driven by scale. It is being driven by experience.

Events are becoming more intentional, more design-led, and more outcome-focused. Planners are asking different questions not just about capacity or pricing, but about atmosphere, flexibility, and how the space itself contributes to the objective of the event.

That shift is subtle, but it has real implications. The

Reliability is one of the clearest signals of quality in hospitality. Guests may remember standout design or a memorable dining experience, but what builds lasting trust is the ability to deliver the same standard across every property within a portfolio.

That expectation extends beyond service. It is embedded in the physical experience, in the elements guests interact with most directly.

Linens sit at the center of that experience.

Present across guest rooms, bathrooms, spas, and dining environments, linens are one of the most visible and tactile expressions of a brand’s standards. Their quality, appearance, and feel contribute directly to how a guest perceives comfort, care, and attention to detail. As sleep tourism continues to grow, the role of linens becomes even more critical, shaping not only the aesthetic of the room but the quality of rest itself and influencing how guests evaluate their overall stay.

For multi-property operators, delivering that level of consistency requires more

As guest standards rise and global travel becomes more fluid, the question facing luxury properties is no longer how much they can offer, but how consistently and thoughtfully those offerings are delivered. Travelers are more experienced, more comparative, and more attuned to the details that shape the overall impression of a visit, from arrival through departure.

In 2026 and beyond, the future of luxury hospitality depends on the balance of measured growth, service infrastructure, human-centered design, and a renewed emphasis on place. At Garnier Thiebaut USA, we see these shifts firsthand through our work with hotels and resorts navigating evolving guest mindset across regions and property types. Understanding how these forces connect helps clarify what modern luxury looks like in practice, not just in theory.

The global luxury hotel market is projected to reach roughly $150 billion in 2026, and rapidly rising to reach $223

From January 14 through January 18, the Garnier Thiebaut USA team joined the 17th annual Cayman Cookout, which returned to Grand Cayman, marking a milestone year for its host property, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, which celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over five days, the resort became a vibrant culinary hub, hosting more than 57 events across the property and beyond, with GT USA present throughout the experience as the official linen partner.

The event brought together internationally acclaimed chefs, sommeliers, and hospitality leaders for a schedule spanning 13 distinct cuisines, including Mexican, Creole, Belgian, Midwest, French, Spanish, Caymanian, Haitian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, American, and Italian, with Garnier Thiebaut USA linens setting the stage across dining experiences throughout the program. From 7 culinary demonstrations, 23 chef curated meals, and 15 wine and beverage tastings, the Cayman Cookout underscores the very best in luxury hospitality,

As the year comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting not on big declarations, but on real progress made alongside our partners.

This year was shaped by meaningful conversations, collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing things with intention. From advancing sustainability initiatives to strengthening industry partnerships and remaining closely connected to the global hospitality community, every step was guided by the realities our customers navigate each day, including challenges like evolving market pressures.

Listening, adapting, and progressing remained at the heart of our approach. It continues to influence how we develop our products, how we show up as a partner, and how our linens support the experiences created in hospitality spaces.

• January 15–20, 2025: Cayman Cookout – Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
• February 24–27, 2025: 2025 Hyatt Americas Owners Conference – Nassau, Bahamas
• February 24–26, 2025: Marcus Hotels & Resorts 2025