Cloth woven from the fibers of the flax plant, and by extension the sheets, tablecloths and napkins of a hotel or home, whatever their fiber.
Linen is cloth woven from flax, a fiber taken from the bast, or skin, of the flax plant’s stem. Retting frees it: moisture, dew and sunlight help microorganisms in the soil break down the pectose that binds the fibers to the woody core, before scutching and hackling clean and comb them for spinning. The Getty vocabulary notes that flax fibers are thinner and longer than cotton, with thicker walls that make a stronger thread. On a US fiber-content label, linen is the fiber’s generic name, listed in the FTC’s Textile Rules beside cotton, rayon and silk.
Hotels use a second sense. Linens are the items for the bed and the table, such as sheets, tablecloths and napkins, named for the cloth they were once made of; the American Heritage Dictionary notes that they are now usually made of other fabrics, especially cotton.
In job listings
Listings almost always mean the household sense. Linen attendants and linen managers in hotel housekeeping launder, inspect, repair and organize linen, textiles and uniforms for the rooms, restaurants and spa, manage stock and work with outside laundries. Room attendants change bed linen, and restaurant teams set and restock table linen. See current linen roles.
