AUSTIN, TX—The newly opened Miraval Austin—the brand’s first location to open outside its flagship property in Tucson, AZ—is bringing its wellness-minded approach to the Lone Star State’s capital.
Amid the brand’s expansion, the new property is set on 220 acres of land on Lake Travis, home to the Miraval Life in Balance Spa, wellness and culinary offerings and the Cypress Creek Ranch.
While local flavors and landscapes are setting the new digs apart, brand values are making their way into Miraval Austin’s 117 guestrooms and suites, each adorned with wellness amenities of their own—starting with sleep. Consistent across the brand, Miraval’s signature bedding collection not only promotes a healthy sleep, but enhances the entire experience with unique amenities.
“The Miraval bedding ensemble is a curated collection that we have put together to create an amazing, cloud-like bed,” said Philippe Brenot, senior director of retail procurement for Miraval Group. “Guests describe the bed as a cloud, butter and heaven. It simply cradles the body and has good weight to it.”
Both supportive and soft, the featherbed is made of both down and feather with a 100% cotton twill ticking, preventing the materials from mixing. Brenot said the collection will also make its way into the Miraval Berkshires property with its completion in Lenox, MA, later this year.
Along with the signature bedding, the other amenities found in the guestrooms include blackout shades; a cellphone sleeping bag; and a meditation cushion, videos and Tibetan singing bowls for meditation practice. Each amenity is designed to work in tandem with the bedding, promoting rest even before rest takes place.
The phone sleeping bag, specifically, is meant to induce mental relaxation. With guests physically depositing their phones in a designated compartment, they’re actively disengaging from not only content, but light that can trigger the mind and divert from sleep.
While this is important every night regardless of location or hotel, it’s in keeping with the Miraval’s brand commitment to mind and body awareness while traveling.
“Being on vacation is a wonderful time to unplug, wrap yourself in comfort, relax and honor the need to rest,” he said.
The cellphone sleeping bags are especially useful for logging off, quite literally, and Miraval encourages guests to make use of them at any point during their stay to revel in their surroundings.
“Foundational to Miraval is the practice of mindfulness,” Brenot said. “Mindfulness is simply being aware, living, experiencing the present moment without judgment. Smartphones and digital devices represent a distraction and prevent our ability to experience all that there is to experience at Miraval in the present moment—including sleep. When guests connect and experience Miraval with this mindfulness, free from digital distractions, beautiful moments are created.”
According to Brenot, what’s available in the rooms is available for purchase, helping guests to continue on their path to mindfulness beyond the hotel stay. Everything from the singing bowls to the cotton drawstring cellphone sleeping bags is up for grabs.
A full bedding ensemble for guests includes the featherbed, comforter, four pillows, fitted and flat sheet and four pillowcases.
“The beds are made up of 300 thread count, 100 pure cotton sheets and duvet, pillows produced in Italy, a featherbed constructed of a down/feather blend and a 366 thread count Swiss Batiste cotton cambric with 650 fill power Hungarian down comforter,” he said.
Brenot said that the most popular item is the down comforter, and if guests don’t want to splurge on the entire ensemble, he suggests purchasing this and the sheet set to best recreate the Miraval experience at home.
“When designing our rooms at Miraval, we wanted to make sure sleep was a priority as it is an integral part of overall mind, body and spirit wellness,” Brenot said. “Traveling can take a huge toll on your body, so we wanted to provide a space to relieve that stress. The majority of our guests are traveling for pleasure or with a corporate group looking for a wellness-focused getaway. Regardless, all of our guests have come to expect a restful night’s sleep as an integral part of the Miraval experience.”
Restorative and luxurious, the entire collection encapsulates Miraval’s brand ethos of integrating wellness into all aspects of the stay.
“Its comfort honors our bodies’ need for rest and renewal,” Brenot said.
He added, “Sleep is such an integral part of our daily lives and has a direct correlation with our overall well-being. Guests want to feel comfortable and refreshed every morning to get the most out of their Miraval experience. Hotels should be a home away from home when traveling and should provide the same level of comfort—if not better—when it comes to the sleep experience.” HB