NATIONAL REPORT—I should begin by coming clean. I am a self-proclaimed sleep snob. In the last few years, I transformed the bedroom of my house into a dedicated recovery room. The only technology allowed? Those items that promote transformative sleep—sound machines on each side of the bed that envelope it in white noise to block out all other sleep disturbing sound; lighting that self-adjusts from calming, dim light prior to sleep to lights that mimic daylight and slowly illuminate at dawn to rouse me from sleep. There’s also high quality, comfortable linens that sit atop an innovative Beautyrest Black® bed, the foundation of my nightly sleep experience. No alarm required. Ever. I wake up every morning, refreshed and ready to take on the day. At home, I sleep like a baby.
On the road, however, it’s a whole different ballgame. Given the time and detail I’ve invested in creating the ultimate sleep experience, this isn’t really a surprise. However, it does pose very real challenges for me that can be frustrating—and of course, others. As I see it, it also affords a real opportunity for hotels to step up their game to elevate the quality of the guest sleep experience they deliver. At a time when guest satisfaction—or not—can immediately trigger reviews, it’s certainly should be a defining priority for many.
Creating a Recovery Room
Guest wellness continues to be a hot trend in the hospitality industry—and sleep is certainly a big factor in that equation. Experts continue to stress the importance of getting the required amount of sleep in order to avoid serious health issues down the road. But nowhere is the need for a good night’s sleep more important than when you’re a business traveler. Your work performance suffers when sleep suffers. Period.
Certainly, given the number of factors outside of a hotel’s control, designing a guest room that rivals a home bedroom is a challenging proposition. However, there are a number of details—many fairly cost effective—that could go a long way to ensuring guests have a restful, comfortable night’s sleep when they are away from home. Here’s a few ideas:
The Bed
The bed remains the heart of the guestroom and a key investment toward achieving your guest sleep experience goals. Hospitality sleep solutions are different by design because they have to be. They have to stand up to years of guest use—and abuse. At Serta Simmons Bedding, our sleep technologies are designed to be commercial-grade, so they provide reliable performance and durability. They also include exceptional warranties and are backed by responsive customer service to minimize business disruptions.
Bedding technology continues to evolve. The latest innovation in mattress technology is all about temperature management design—from the inside out. For example, our Beautyrest® Hospitality lineup features exclusive DualCool™ fiber technology, providing the first layer of temperature control with antimicrobial silver, to absorb and wick away moisture. Below that, AirCool® foams allow for the circulation of air, keeping heat from accumulating in the mattress. All of this technology keeps the bed cooler, ensures lasting performance and allows guests to sleep cooler and more comfortably.
Connected Sleep
Connected sleep and all its potential benefits is certainly on the horizon and squarely in our sights as an industry leading sleep solutions company. Given the amount of time a person spends asleep—a third of your life!—imagine what a connected bed could do and learn about you? One that adapts to you, your sleep environment – whether at home or in a hotel of your choice—and works in harmony with other connected devices to deliver the best sleep and recovery possible. A connected sleep system could track not only how you sleep, but also your heart rate and potentially other biomarkers, all while remaining hidden (no device to wear).
The sensor technology exists now for hotels to create a truly personalized, innovative guest sleep experience. Are you ready to take yours to the next level?
—JD Velilla, head of sleep experience, Serta Simmons Bedding