Hotel Laundry vs Laundrette vs Collection: What's Best When You're Travelling?
When you need laundry done on a trip, there are three realistic options: the hotel's own service, a local laundrette, or a collection service. Each suits a different kind of trip.
| Hotel service | Laundrette | Collection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effort | Low | High: you carry, wait and fold | Low: leave it at reception |
| Time | Often a day or more | A couple of hours of your trip | Same evening or next day |
| Pricing | Often per item, so it can add up quickly | Usually the cheapest per load | Flat fee per suitcase |
Prices and turnaround vary by hotel and by laundrette, so check yours before you decide.
Hotel laundry service
Convenient, because it's already in the building. The things to check are the price list and the turnaround time. Hotel services are often priced per item, which makes a full suitcase expensive, and some take longer than a short stay allows.
A local laundrette
Often the cheapest way to wash a load, and a good choice if you have a small amount to do and a free afternoon. The cost is your time: you'll need to find one nearby, carry your clothes there, wait, dry and fold. On a short London trip that's a lot of sightseeing time to give up.
A collection service
A collection service picks up from your hotel and returns the clothes to your hotel. Our pricing is a flat £59 to £79 per suitcase depending on speed, so it works best when you have a lot to wash. It's less sensible for just two or three items, where a hotel service or a laundrette will cost less.
How to choose
- Just a few items: use the hotel service or wash them by hand.
- Plenty of time and a small load: a laundrette is the cheapest.
- A full suitcase and a busy itinerary: collection saves the most time.
- Leaving in the morning: a next-morning option means you pack clean clothes.
Read more in our guide to same-day laundry in London for travellers, or book your collection directly.