Need a hotel vacuum cleaner? This article discusses how to choose the best commercial vacuum cleaner for your hotel or other hospitality facility.
Whether you are sourcing for a large conference and resort hotel or a smaller facility such as a guest house, B&B or inn, you still need to get it right.
It’s pretty much a given that you need an upright, corded and bagged commercial vacuum cleaner (cordless, bagless and cylinder/tank machines are not popular with hotels – although Butlins happen to use these Henry-type machines).
However, that said, Sebo does have the BP60 commercial cordless vacuum which is popular in hotels in the areas that need to be cleaned while guests are walking about. Cordless means no wires for guests to trip over of course.
Sebo is the world’s largest commercial vacuum manufacturer. German-made Sebo vacuum cleaners are the default choice for the hotel and hospitality industry.
Above you can see a Sebo X7 being used at the Ritz in London. Even Donald Trump has been filmed using a Sebo in one of his hotels.
If Sebo vacuums are good enough for the Ritz and Trump Tower, they are probably good enough for your hotel too.
Depending where you have bought from in the past, you may be familiar with Sebo under different branding such as Ensign, Diversey, Taski, Jeyes, Power Care or Lever Industrial. Those machines supplied by specialist cleaning supply companies are all Sebo vacuums under the skin.
Guests want to relax in their rooms with minimal intrusive noise, turning around the rooms nearby requires vacuum cleaners that will not only be quiet, but must be fast, thorough and unobtrusive to ensure high levels of professionalism are projected and maintained. Sebo vacuums tick those boxes.
If you have been have been charged with the task of acquiring suitable vacuum cleaners for your hotel one of your first considerations is width. A too-wide machine won’t get around furnishings in small rooms, but a small machine won’t cover the very large areas with the ease and the speed you might like.
Therefore you’ll want to consider if you want one machine that will do all jobs or different vacuum cleaners for different jobs. Much of that depends on the size of your hotel. Often with hotel chains that have many vacuum cleaners, the in-house maintenance and the housekeeping manager likes them to be all the same model so that there is only one type of vacuum bag to buy, and also so old machines can be cannibalised for spares to keep the others running. Others use BS models in the large areas and Darts in the guest rooms.
There are five ranges of Sebo vacuums we’ll introduce you to: The BS range, the Evolution, the X/XP range, the Dart and the BP60 cordless. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
The BS range.
The BS360 (formerly the BS36 and 360/370) is a twin motor machine and the best-selling Sebo vacuum to the UK hotel industry, we sell these >>here<<. There is a wider version called the BS460 that we sell >>here<< as well. You’ll find Sebo BS360 vacuums in lots of the big chains like Premier Inn. They are also the default machine of choice for casinos, NHS and private hospitals, nightclubs, cinemas, churches, schools and much of the civil service. Even Buckingham Palace uses these.
If you just want a sturdy, well-made commercial hotel vacuum cleaner, and are bored with reading this article already, just buy the >>BS360<< and you won’t go far wrong. If you want to learn about other models, keep reading.
The Sebo Dart.
Another twin motor machine, the Sebo dart is the commercial variant of the domestic Sebo Felix. The Dart is a favourite of hotels large and small. As well as larger hotels like the Waldorf Astoria, many guest houses, boutique hotels and those with holiday and/or caravan lets tend to buy the Dart. They are very versatile and quite inexpensive. Not a bad choice if you only want one or two effective machines, have many confined spaces and/or lots of soft furnishings and feel you dont need a huge machine.
Above is a Sebo Dart being used at the Waldorf Astoria in Berlin.
The Dart has a “Flex” neck, S-Class filtration, an on-board hose, a crevice nozzle, 4-level height adjustment and auto shut-off. The standard Dart vacuum has a 31cm brush width and weighs in at just 6.7kg. The Dart’s “Flex” neck gives 90° vertical and 180° horizontal movement, providing superb manoeuvrability for fast cleaning around obstacles such as furniture. In addition, its 15cm height when flat enables the Dart to clean under hard-to-reach places.
Many larger hotels prefer the Sebo Dart for the guest rooms as they are relatively lightweight but the main unit splits off from the floorhead allowing it to be used as a carry around vacuum which offers more versatility for soft furnishings and curtains, etc. These are a popular choice as a hotel vacuum cleaner. We sell the Sebo Dart >>here<<.
The Evolution.
The Evolution is lighter and not as tall as the larger BS360. In layman’s terms, the 300 is the width of a standard domestic vacuum cleaner (30cm), the 350 a bit wider (35cm), and the 450 is a super-wide version for very very big floors (45cm). In actual fact, those that need a very, very wide vacuum cleaner tend to go for the >>BS460<< (46cm) instead in our experience, so much so we dont stock the very widest Evolution 450 (but can order it in). We do stock the 300 and the 350.
The best-seller in the Sebo Evolution range as a hotel vacuum cleaner we find is the >>Evolution 350<< that has a 35cm floorhead.
The Evolution models are a single-motor machine popular for guest room and general use. One of the advantages people tell us they enjoy about the Sebo Evolution vacuums is that, unlike their slightly heavier BS cousins, they are slightly lighter to use for staff. If you have female staff, they may appreciate a slightly lighter and shorter vacuum than a very heavy commercial version. There is much more information on the Evolution 350 in >>this article<< aimed at nursing homes.
The X and XP range
The Automatic X machines are Sebo’s best-selling domestic vacuum range. Some hotels buy the domestic X7 vacuums (it is the >>X7 Extra<< in the Ritz photo above). We find many hotels that need a basic machine with no bells and whistles buy the base model gloss white X7 ePower we sell >>here<<. Here is a short overview of the X features.
The XP machines are commercial variants of the domestic X range. The finish is more durable so they can take more knocks and bangs and stay looking respectable. Like the broadly similar Evolution above, the XP comes in three widths: the XP10 (31cm wide), the XP20 (37cm wide) and the XP30 (44cm wide).
The XP range are self-levelling, so if you have many different floor types, this machine will adapt to them automatically. There is much more information on the XP machines in >>this article<<.
The BP60 Commercial Cordless
We mentioned the BP60 at the start as an ideal machine to clean areas where guests are walking. Here’s a product overview.
We sell the BP60 here: The >Sebo BP60 cordless commercial vacuum cleaner<.
Narrowing it down: Making a choice
You’ve absorbed a lot of information, let’s try and narrow it down so you can choose the best hotel vacuum cleaner for you.
The very largest of hotels often have twin motor wide track machines like the best-selling >>BS360<< or the super wide >>BS460<< for the front entrances, hallways, corridors and function rooms. These are usually larger areas and need heavy-duty wide-track vacuum cleaners that are effective in picking up grit or rock salt, which tends to be found in entrances.
Hotel guest rooms have many obstacles such as beds, tables and other furnishings. On spacious guest room floors the >>BS360<< will be fine if you have the space for a 36cm wide head and staff have the ability to use a tall 7.9kg machine.
If a 36cm wide head is OK, but you would appreciate a slightly lighter machine, one not as tall, and one with a user-changeable flex, look at the >>Evolution 350<<. If that machine appeals but a 30cm standard head is OK, look at the >>Evolution 300<<.
If a 36cm wide head is OK, but again you would appreciate a slightly lighter machine than a BS360, one not as tall, and one with automatic height control and a very durable finish, look at the >>XP20<<. If that machine appeals but a 30cm standard head is OK, look at the >>XP10<<. If you prefer the lowest-priced basic gloss white version of the X machines look at the >>X7 standard<<.
If you want maximum maneuverability, the ability to convert the machine into a machine you can walk around with and hold in one hand, but also an effective twin motor machine (albeit slightly more quirky and with a slight learning curve to using it) the very reasonably priced >>Sebo Dart<< may be for you. The Dart is a machine that tends to grow on you the more you use it.
If you need cordless, the BP60 is the one to go for.
If you need attachments is another consideration while you are buying. Most Sebo commercial machines only come with a couple of onboard tools and a short hose. If you need longer extension hoses, >>we sell those<< too. In fact, we sell any and all extras and accessories you may need for your application. You’ll find them in the ‘related items’ below the machine of your choice on our shop.
Need more advice? Feel free to ask for a recommendation on our >>discussion and advice forums<<, or if you prefer, >>get in touch with us<< outlining your needs in detail if your questions are not answered here. If you are in the north west, why not call in and see us? >>Here<< is our location. We have machines from each range you have read about above as demonstrator machines you can try on the shop floor. If travelling, we have public toilets, a spiffy coffee machine (German as well, naturally) and even a vacuum museum. Not to mention the expert staff. We are the largest independent vacuum dealer in the north.
The Sebo Shop are approved Sebo dealers offering next day UK delivery on all domestic and commercial Sebo vacuum cleaners. You can shop for Sebo commercial vacuum cleaners by clicking >>this link<<.