Have you noticed how well you sleep when you stay at a hotel? Have you ever wondered why?

A Hotel Provides an Environment Curated for Your Sleep Comfort

When you sleep away from home, you can experience the “first-night effect,” which causes you to sleep worse on your first night somewhere new. “Whether it’s new sounds or smells, our brains are on high-alert and scanning the hotel room as unfamiliar terrain,” according to an article on “The science of getting a good night’s sleep in hotels,” in National Geographic.

Following a J.D. Power survey in 2019, which found “that quality of sleep is one of the most important components of the guest experience,” hotels that had not already been focused on sleep began to direct their effort to overcoming that “first-night effect” and providing their guests with great sleep throughout their stays.

We’ve discovered some of the ways hotels design their guestrooms to help with the transition to a new sleep environment, as well as a few things you can do yourself to ease the transition. After all, whether you’re traveling for work or play, everything is better when you start the day well rested. 

1. The beds are made with quality fresh bedding 

One thing all luxury hotel rooms have in common is a delicious bed. That means a bed that looks crisply made and beautiful. However, a great night’s sleep requires more than a beautiful-looking bed.

Hotel owners begin with mattresses that will meet the needs of a variety of guests with different sleep positions and preferences. They regularly clean and inspect the mattresses and consistently use waterproof mattress protectors like our lily pads® to protect the mattresses and to keep them fresh and comfortable for guests. 

You’ll also notice a variety of pillows to satisfy different sleep styles. Some hotels offer pillow menus from which you can select the pillow style of your choice. If that is not the case, and your room does not have the type or number of pillows you prefer, don’t hesitate to reach out to housekeeping. Like mattresses, once hotels have invested in quality pillows, they will keep them (and you) protected from the inevitable sweat and drool with the consistent use of zippered pillow protectors.  

After that, the “secrets to a cozy bed” are not so secret: we list them in our article, linked below. They include breathable and comfortably cool linens, a fluffy comforter, and pillow options (that will support sitting up and lying down). Finally, it’s the pop of color and texture added by throw blankets and decorative pillows that complete the room. You can create a hotel-quality bed at home with these essentials.

2. The guestrooms are controlled for temperature, darkness, and quiet

Hotels follow expert recommendations of a dark, cool, quiet room for their guests’ best sleep. That’s why guestrooms are equipped with multiple lights that can be dimmed, as well as blackout drapes to eliminate both natural and artificial light for sleep. Full returns prevent the light that creeps in at the sides of draperies. We always recommend traveling with one of our silk eye masks in the event you can’t eliminate all of the ambient light from your room. 

A cool room, between 60 to 67° F, is beneficial to sleep. You might not be able to set the temperature of your bedroom at home, but you can usually adjust the thermostat in your hotel room.

Hopefully, your hotel room is designed to keep noise down, from both inside and outside sources. We suggest “5 Ways to Ensure a Quiet Hotel Room,” in our article, linked below. However, we recognize that not all noise is within the hotel’s control so be prepared with earplugs or white noise options on your cellphone.

3. Someone other than you is responsible for tidying up

Clutter can be overwhelming in a variety of ways we discuss in a recent article, linked below. It can also cause you to feel anxiety that keeps you from sleeping well. Hotel rooms are tidy and uncluttered, and the housekeeping staff work hard to keep them that way by refreshing the guest bed and bathrooms at least once each day.

4. You can perform your bedtime routine uninterrupted

Even when you are away from home, you should continue your bedtime routine as much as possible. If you simply never have the time to do anything but fall into bed at home, a hotel visit is the time to begin some of the rituals that can help you sleep.

Even if your destination is not a spa retreat devoted to improving your sleep with special “sleep suites” like those offered by the Park Hyatt New York, most hotels offer options to help you relax. Luxury hotels in the U.S. and abroad have partnered with specialists and companies to provide services and amenities to enhance their guests’ sleep beyond the pillows and bedding. These can range from providing meditation recordings and bedtime teas as part of turndown service to preparing evening baths and providing in-room massages.

Baths can soothe away the stresses of the day and begin a calming bedtime routine. Hotel baths are typically stocked with robes, towels, and bath amenities that encourage a relaxing bath. Incorporating tea into your bedtime routine can help you sleep. It may already be stocked in your room. If not, reach out to room service to find out what they offer. You won’t know what your hotel offers until you ask.

5.  You can leave the day-to-day stresses behind

A hotel stay offers a mental break from your responsibilities at home. While you’re at the hotel, you can focus on yourself. That might mean taking the opportunity to workout in the gym or to schedule a massage in the hotel spa. It can also mean enjoying the calm of sitting in the lobby reading the newspaper or people watching as time goes by.

We wish you refreshing sleep during all your hotel stays.

-Team at down etc

Read more:

Does a Cluttered Bedroom Hurt Your Sleep?

5 Ways to Create and Enjoy Hotel Hospitality at Home

What Are the Secrets to a Cozy Bed?

5 Ways to Ensure a Quiet Hotel Room

About down etc

For over twenty years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers in hotels around the world to provide pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night’s sleep, whether at home or away.

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