Center Parcs Woburn Forest

Prior to opening its fifth UK holiday Village, Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire, Center Parcs wanted to equip its newest site with two on premises laundries (OPL) to meet the varying needs of its guests, both in terms of general housekeeping and for visitors to its luxurious spa facility.

Located in woodland between Flitwick and Ampthill in Bedfordshire, Woburn Forest boasts 625 high quality Lodges, a 75-bedroom Hotel and six luxury Spa Suites. With the Village open to guests throughout the year, laundry capabilities play an important role in the quality of comfort the Village offers guests.

Aqua Sana, the Village’s innovative spa, comprises six unique spas to journey through. With the facility boasting 22 treatment rooms and enough space to cater for up to 150 guests, an OPL designed to process high volumes of towelling on a daily basis was essential. Further to the need for a high capacity, the laundry was also required to fulfil Center Parcs’ environmental and hygiene credentials.

Thanks to an ongoing relationship with Electrolux Professional, Center Parcs opted to invest in a full on premise laundry comprising three 60kg W4600H washing machines, and three T41200 tumble driers.

Boasting the optimum balance of high economy and performance, and shorter processing time, Electrolux Professional’s W4600H has been designed specifically to ensure safe and simple operation. In keeping with Center Parcs’ policy for maximising utility savings, the W4600H’s Clarus Control® microprocessor allows each washing machine to be pre-programmed with the spa’s relevant wash parameters. This not only ensures Woburn Forest’s Aqua Sana can replicate the washing levels at Center Parcs’ four other UK holiday Villages, but also maximises ease of use for the spa’s staff.

In addition, thanks to high extraction force, efficient dewatering of the machine and its contents further enhances the OPL’s ability to manage effective and efficient delivery of the spa’s towelling.

To further boost the economy of the spa’s OPL, Electrolux Professional’s T41200 dryer features residual moisture control™ (RMC), which allows the spa’s staff to dry up to two loads of pure cotton fabric with 50 per cent moisture content every hour – a level which can be adjusted according to the spa’s desired towelling feel. For additional time and energy savings, the dryer also features direct air.

High-output housekeeping

The Village has the capacity for up to 3,000 guests at any one time, which means the speed at which laundry can be turned over for both the Lodges and Hotel, plays a key role in ensuring a smooth housekeeping process.
Due to the labour intensity of ironing bedding, the housekeeping department outsources sheets to an external facility, with the remaining towelling, curtains, and wider washable domestic furnishings seen to by the 50-strong in-house laundry department.
With a quick turnaround of high quality laundry needed day in, day out, the central housekeeping department opted for two 24kg Electrolux Professional W4240H and an 8kg W475H washing machine, with a further two 30kg T5675 and a T4250 gas dryer.
Designed to provide optimised economy and a superior wash load after load, each washing machine adjusts water extraction in line with the load, thanks to SuperBalance™ technology. With a choice of controls and flexible dosing of detergents Woburn Forest’s housekeeping department also have the option to adjust washing performance at any time. While creating the desired finish of laundered products with ease, housekeeping staff can use the axial airflow and residual moisture control features of the dryers to maintain a low energy consumption.

Helen Bennett, Purchasing Manager at Center Parcs, commented: “Operating a holiday Village which is full 365 days a year means the management of laundry plays a big part in our ability to deliver an excellent holiday experience for our guests. Thanks to working closely with Electrolux Professional, we have been able to equip Woburn Forest with two highly efficient laundries capable of meeting our daily requirement for the washing and drying of towelling.
“Concern for the environment is also an important part of our ethos, so it is vital that we look for ‘green’ processes in the spa and our housekeeping department. Thanks to the bespoke programs and laundry quality offered by the Electrolux Professional laundry equipment, we can be environmentally friendly and economical without compromising the level of luxury and comfort for our guests.”

Paul Frost, Field Sales Manager UK & Ireland for the Laundry Division, at Electrolux Professional added: “Having designed our full range of laundry equipment to cater for a regular and high demand for quality washing and drying, we’ve been able to specify a combination of equipment at Woburn Forest that comfortably fulfils the Village’s spa and housekeeping requirements.
“The combination of technologies housed within each of the products installed means that staff on site can confidently deliver quality laundered goods, safe in the knowledge that they are able to maintain the Village’s commitment to energy efficiency.”

Woburn Forest is home to 625 Lodges, a 75 bedroom Hotel, Center Parcs’ largest Subtropical Swimming Paradise and an innovative spa with six luxury Spa Suites. There are also a wide range of shops and restaurants, including The Shearing House, a restaurant that is unique to Woburn Forest.