Quality of care with Millbrook Contract Beds

The media spotlight has been on the healthcare industry for the past few months, particularly adult social care homes. Reports of mismanagement and poor quality care for elderly or disabled residents in a very small minority of care homes were hot potato topics in the news early this year, prompting the need on behalf of regulatory bodies and the government to have a review of the healthcare industry as a whole.

Millbrook Contract Beds has been researching national statistics that show a steep rise in the demand for adult social care, yet more cutbacks in this area and recent controversy over the suitability of some care facilities have not helped matters improve.

When it comes to taking care of people there needs to be an emphasis on the quality of care more than anything else. Unfortunately, budgetary restrictions can equal a limited number of options for healthcare professionals. However, there is a solution to one piece of this puzzling dilemma.

Our Healthcare Collection has been designed to be ideal for both care and residential homes as well as provide a cost effective solution to help combat affordability restrictions. Our 60 years plus experience has given us a great deal of time to communicate with and understand the healthcare industry, its needs and its necessities.

Pundits have stated that the key to improved quality of care in homes across the UK is dependent upon the use of modernised, sanitary facilities and fully trained and experienced care workers. Of course one of the most important factors in any care home is the contract bedroom furniture. This is after all supposed to be a home to its residents. One of the most shocking things seen in the documentaries and news reports about the state of a minority care homes for the elderly and the disabled was the condition of some of the rooms. Second hand furniture, unwashed bedding, collapsing bed frames, filthy floors and walls, not enough space per room etc. These are such crucial parts to maintaining a person’s well-being, dignity and overall health that they should not be considered as trivial things.

Millbrook Contract Beds has always manufactured its contract beds with due attention to the people each collection is designed for – in the case of our Healthcare Collection our task was to design beds that would be the optimal choices for those who needed support, comfort and control during recovery and rest. The Therapy presents an exemplary example of how a bed for healthcare industries should function. It is an adjustable pocket spring bed that includes het sensitive memory foam and fully responds to body contours. Its five-way adjustable position operated by a handset control gives the freedom of control back to the user. The massage option is a fantastic addition to this bed that helps to sooth and relax.

The Therapy Contract Bed

In a time when care homes need all the help they can get in order to run efficiently and operate to the best of their capabilities, Millbrook Contract Beds is always available to give its advice on improving the quality of rest and recovery with our Healthcare Collection and experience with the industry. Contact Us if you would like to know more.

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The aftermath of student living and the damages inflicted to the contract bedroom furniture

If you’re a private landlord or a lettings agency that lets out to students you may well be aware of the potential risks or indeed already accustomed to renting properties out to groups of students. Remember, for some of them it is their first time away from home and living with people of a similar age to them results in providing plenty of opportunities to party. Not to say you can label all young students as crazy party-goers; there are many that are a pleasure to have as tenants, but there will always be those that cause considerable problems for a landlord or lettings agency.

The issues that properties can often suffer from are noise pollution, late payments for rent and sometimes damage to the property itself from the interiors, exteriors and contract bedroom furniture.

Millbrook Contract Beds wants to address what happens if you find that during the academic seasons that a property you are letting has incurred damage to its contract beds, its table, chairs, carpets etc. You only need to perform a quick search on the Internet to see and read some of the nightmare stories of landlord clean-ups after wild students vacate a property. Some don’t even care that they won’t see their deposit returned. This creates the problem of what to do next. You may have the money available from the non-refunded deposits to afford new contract bedroom furniture but you have to consider your options.

As one of the best contract bed suppliers in the business, Millbrook knows where you can start – by contacting us!

We have extensive experience in the business of contract bed replacement where once the old contract beds have worn out their welcome or been treated with poor care, we deliver the new beds and get rid of the old ones for you. This can help many lettings agencies and landlords sidestep the landmine of what to do with those contract beds that have been decimated by their previous tenants.

The Academic Collection is a Millbrook favourite that can be sued as temporary or permanent replacements in a student house.

Temporary solutions to contract bed problems can be found with the use of The Residence – a highly practical and durable bed with PVC mattress that is hardwearing in many types of locations. It has no drawers, which means there is space for storage beneath it. This type of contract bed is better as short-term solution to bed problems or as a “back-up” bed to help create extra sleeping space.

The Campus contract bed is designed especially for student residences and campuses (hence its name). In a crisis you need to ensure that you have the right contract bed replacement option available to you. it’s a smart design with open coil springs and standard comfort level. The bed frame is available with fixed or detachable legs with a mattress that has a fresh design in an easy to clean stitchbond cover.

Millbrook Contract Beds is always open to giving people impartial advice on their contract bed options. Contact Us for more information or you can always follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook and ask us your questions there.

Changing rooms – Give your hotel a make-over with good quality contract bedroom furniture

In the world of hoteliers there should always be an emphasis on quality. As far as contract bedroom furniture goes, Millbrook Contract Beds likes to be at the top of the game. We decided to take a look at the hospitality industry and explore just what really constitutes genuine quality commercial beds and commercial furniture.

To thrive in these hard times a hotel needs to be different and have something ‘extra’ to offer beyond the standard trimmings. This is what gives a hotel the upper hand in very competitive times. So if you are looking to become a leader in quality, on whatever scale you are operating on, it’s time to face up to the state of your premises, the aesthetics of the place and its commercial furniture!

Individuality between hotels, B&B’s and boutiques should be a high priority and can make all the difference when it comes to profit margins. It’s vital to be able to stand out from the crowd – see our previous blog on Boutique Hotels HERE for more information on how uniqueness and niche qualities will be of great benefit in the coming months.

Hotel rooms consist of your standard contract bedroom furniture from wardrobes to desks to chairs to beds. Everything in these rooms should be thoroughly maintained without any excuses. Guests demand bang for their buck! As a contract bed supplier, Millbrook is an authority on this particular matter.

Take a fresh look at your hotel and recognise where its weaknesses lie. A majority of the problems begin with design and facilities, but the one aspect of a hotel that should never be subpar is the quality of the furniture. If your contract beds are lousy, your guest experience is lousy too, no matter how much you pride yourself on good service. Real good service begins with making it a place fit for people to sleep!

So take that look around and imagine yourself as a customer coming in to book a room. Ask yourself; “Would I want to sleep here for the night?” Try out the rooms, sit and lie down on the bed, experience your hotel from the other side. We can’t stress enough how much difference a bed makes to a hotel room.

Our contract bed ranges have been developed and manufactured to suit a variety of industries from healthcare to academic. The International Collection is very much targeted towards the hospitality sector and the International contract beds very much reflect that in their function and design. What makes our contract bedroom furniture superior to our competitors is that all beds are hand-crafted with individually wrapped springs and are made from the finest materials. Due to our design philosophy our beds such as The Hotel contract bed, The Executive, The Club Class and The President are tailor-made for hotels looking to offer that extra “something.”

For hotels on tight budgets it may come down to a choice of only being financially able to replenish or improve certain aspects of the hotel. Think about what you can accomplish on the budget you have and what would create a better guest experience. Style, comfort and cleanliness are top considerations to take into account. There’s nothing worse than an institutional hotel so don’t underestimate layout and colour scheme either.

Give your hotel a make-over with new contract bedroom furniture, experiment with colour, keep it immaculate and put an emphasis on providing the best guest experience you possibly can. That’s the secret to making a hotel stand-out.

Contact Us for more information on our contract bed ranges and don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

The boom of boutique hotels – Millbrook Contract Beds

Millbrook Contract Beds has been looking to the future recently in terms of the hospitality industry to try and determine if it will be looking at a real boom period in the coming months and years. We took you through what to expect from the 2012 Olympics next year in London in a previous blog series, which can be read HERE, but what of the immediate future? What can the hotel industry in particular look set to expect?

According to recent projections and studies carried out, the boutique hotel sector is set to lead the way as the UK hotel industry lurches into recovery. The research has revealed that boutique is the fastest growing hotel segment in London right now and is set to nearly double in size by 2013.

The emergence of boutique hotels became common in the 1980’s within major cities like London and New York. Their purpose was to offer an intimate, unique hotel experience and environment that was as good as anything a franchise could offer but with its own flavour and sense of character.

Accommodation was personalised as was the services and facilities, sometimes with themed or stylish qualities to them. For many years the boutiques battled it out with the big brands until they themselves became enfranchised, losing some degree of that uniqueness that made so popular to begin with.

Somewhere along the way, boutique hotels have began to return to their roots. Since the economic climate shifted, boutique hotels have actually gone through a period of expansion not recession. They are more popular now than they ever were before, which begs the question; will it last?

According to reports the answer is very much definitely “Yes!”

As a contract bed supplier, Millbrook Contract Beds is incredibly supportive of these developments. Boutique hotels can be a more accurate representation and ambassador, come the 2012 Olympics next year, to a place and time than the large franchises.

Maintaining that degree of uniqueness for each boutique means having its own identity. Due to strong competition (what else is new in hospitality?), the boutique hotel sector needs to work harder to separate their services and alternative guest experiences from the mainstream hotel markets. This seems to be of greater appeal to travellers, tourists and guests in this day and age.

Millbrook Contract Beds has always kept its finger on the pulse when it comes to customer satisfaction and delivering products and services that ultimately benefit and reward them, which is why as the demand for boutique hotels increase, so too will boutique hotel standards of quality become of greater importance.

To prosper in 2013, boutique hotels, especially in the capital, need to nurture quality as if the future depended on it. People are asking if the boutique hotel sector can live up to this “boom market” hype and if it can really perform in the big leagues.

Millbrook Contract Beds believes it can! And will. Just you wait and see…

Looking after your Commercial Beds

If you’ve had a busy summer you may now be looking at renovations of your business and therefore you may already have purchased your new contract beds or indeed you’ve got better things to do than worry about some maintenance.

It’s a big investment for any business a purchase of any product and even in a competitive market-place quality is a massive concern for buyers, who need the best for their pounds so we always try to encourage a mixture of good buying and looking after your contract beds to help you get the very best from your contract and commercial beds.

If you have invested in a new contract bed and have taken the best advice in terms of the type of bed you actually need, it’s important to spend a bit of time thinking about how you can look after it once you’ve had it installed in the room.

So let’s start with the basics.  If you’ve purchased recently, then you may be interested to know that a contract bed mattress can last up to approximately 7 years.  However, you have to remember that more use (or less use) will affect the life span.

But another area which is often forgotten about is the amount of care you give to your contract bed mattresses.  This can actually have a bearing on its lifespan, along with size and weight of those sleeping in the bed!

Mattresses with more individual pockets are generally considered the best quality and of course the way in which the mattresses are crafted also matters.  A machine built mattress will generally not be as good as a hand crafted one, because that has been individually stitched.

A good quality pocket sprung mattress will generally offer exceptional sleep to your guests and will last a reasonable length of time if you look after it.  Simply turning a mattress regularly will help it last a lot longer and you may even consider things like mattress protectors that are washable and will help to keep the fabric clean but also a good vacuum will help!

While it can be difficult during busy times to undertake maintenance, as it gets a bit quieter before Christmas, it’s probably worth trying to give your contract bed mattresses young and older a bit of TLC.

And of course one final piece of advice is to ensure your guests don’t treat the bed like a trampoline (it does happen).  Obviously a contract bed is not designed for this kind of use, so it’s always worth politely informing guests of this if you’re concerned.

For advice of any kind you can always contact us for information on our contract beds and commercial beds or indeed if you’re wondering how you can rejuvenate your rooms on a budget, then it’s always worth looking at our latest ‘trade only ‘ offers.

Fuelling the demand for UK hotels – Millbrook Contract Beds

A drop in overseas travel this year has seen an increase in the demand for UK hotels. Millbrook  Contract Beds has been keeping an eye on the goings-on of the travel and hospitality industry in order to stay in step with what the needs are from people and businesses for this year and next.

Key tourist destinations in the UK such as London have welcomed the stronger demand from within the country for internal holidays from British travellers.  The Office for National Statistics stated that holidays to the UK had hit their highest levels since the early 1960’s. This is not just from British residents but also from overseas visitors, which is a very positive thing.

Millbrook Contract Beds has taken a closer look at the figures from 2010 and listed them here…

The countries who visited the UK the most in 2010:

• France 3.6 million
• Germany 3.0 million
• USA 2.7 million
• Irish Republic 2.6 million
• Spain 1.8 million
• Netherlands 1.8 million
• Italy 1.5 million
• Belgium 1.1 million
• Poland 1.1 million
• Australia 1.0 million

These statistics have continued a positive growth into 2011, and are set for an even bigger increase when the London Olympic Games begin in 2012 (see our Hoteliers Guide to the 2012 Olympics HERE). The nation’s capital, London, attracts a large majority of the overseas visitors, making it the most visited city in Britain. The next most popular holiday hotspots in this country are Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

These encouraging signs for British tourism show that we are still very much open for business.

But how do we meet this demand effectively? The events of the London Riots tarnished this good news somewhat by projecting a negative image of the UK to the rest of the world, but that image is recovering as we head towards the end of 2011 with the aspirations of 2012 being a booming success for the country, in particular the hospitality industries.

Millbrook Contract Beds believes that the answer in living up to the expectations and continuing a prosperous growth into the future is quality. For sixty years we have been delivering quality to all of our customers with our contract bedroom furniture which goes a long way to creating a great guest experience. If you’re a hotelier looking to capitalise on what’s ahead, reflect on what can be improved and optimised within your business.

If it ever comes to a problem with your hotel beds, you know who to contact to get them replaced. Millbrook Contract Beds has a fine selection for you to view HERE, or alternatively, Contact Us for some free, impartial advice. You can always like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to join our community too.

Buying a Contract Bed could get you some tax savings

You could be forgiven if you’ve missed a few significant things over the summer.  Especially if you’ve been busy keeping guests happy and running your hotels.

We’ve seen many hoteliers have a reasonable summer and they have had good fill rates overall and some at least have had brand new contract beds, which the feedback so far is telling us has reduced their complaints from guests – so we’re glad to see things are working well.

However, while we like to see clients do well in their business, we also like to keep an eye on the industry and bring you news which we feel is of interest to clients – especially when it can save them money!

So, we’ve got some news which you may find has some bearing on what you spend on any upkeep or renovations at your hotels over the autumn period.

So what’s the news then?

Basically from April 2012, capital expenditure allowances for businesses will drop to £25’000, which for anyone who is planning to spend money on expensive refits etc. will want to know about.

If you take note now and integrate your spending in line with what’s going to happen, then you could actually still get a lot of benefit from it in relation to your tax relief.

If you’re a business looking for a combination of ‘autumn improvements’ while making some significant savings on the tax you pay on your (hopefully successful year) then it’s worth making some purchases before April this year for sure.

In 2010, many businesses were able to gain benefit from tax relief on the first £50’000 of their purchases, which was potentially very good for business and while that amount increased this year (2011) to £100’000 the drop in April could really make a difference as it’s quite a cut in the scheme of things.

Further Advice

For more information on this it will be worth speaking to your accountants for specific information as there is even talk of benefits to businesses who shorten their tax year – but obviously Millbrook Contract Beds specialises in contract beds and not tax, so we’re merely pointing out an opportunity which you’ll hopefully get a chance to make the most of.

So, if you are looking at reinvesting your money in to your hotel for Christmas and beyond and feel that contract beds will be something you’d like to look at updating, do Contact Us for some free and totally impartial advice on the matter and remember to speak to your accountants for advice on tax relief as it could be the best purchase you make in a while.

We can help you through the options and also advise you on how to dispose of your old contract beds and you can always look through our blog to get information on looking after your contract bed too!

New Term, New Beds – A Guide to Choosing Contract Beds for your Halls of Residence

As we mentioned in the last blog article, it’s rapidly approaching that time of year when a whole new crop of eager students say goodbye to their parents and head for a new life at University.

For owners of student residences across the country, this means time is running out to choose, order and install a new set of contract beds. We already led you through exactly why you’ll benefit from replacing the beds in your academic halls of residence in our last blog, by mentioning the fact that students have become more hard working and more sensitive to the need for a good night’s sleep.

Now, however, we’re moving on to the next stage in the process; how to make your choices once you’ve decided on bringing in a new set of beds.

We offer three different ranges of contract bed designs especially for an academic setting at Millbrook Contract Beds, so there’s bound to be a model to suit your academic halls wherever they are located. Each of these different beds have been specifically designed to provide the perfect balance between quality and affordability, providing a rare touch of class to the task of buying beds in bulk.

The Millbrook Academic collection consists of three different beds, named the Conference, the Campus and the Residence, each with its own unique special features to meet your needs. Both the Campus and the Conference options are available in a range of sizes, from the standard single to a giant Super King size, plus the option of custom sizes to fit individual rooms.

A zip and link design which allows a double bed to be transformed into two singles is another handy alternative. This can come in especially useful if your halls are rented out as tourist accommodation or conference suites outside of the academic year, when twin rooms and double rooms are more likely to be needed than they are for students.

Each of the beds is designed to include space beneath it as an extra place for students to store their belongings. However, if a lower bed is needed, for instance if the room already contains a low bedside table, or even if you want to avoid hard-to-vacuum areas under the bed, the Campus design’s removable legs mean it can be effortlessly lowered.

Mattress material is another important thing to consider. The Campus and Residence designs are expertly stuffed with warming woollen felt for an affordable way to create a comfortable sleep experience. The Conference is a little more luxurious, on the other hand, and is made using decadent lambswool, cotton and soft white fibres to dissipate body heat more effectively.

All options are built using an open coil design to support the sleeper’s back and have wipe-clean surfaces for hygiene in a variety of different patterned or plain designs. There’s also a choice of material where the bed-frame and headboard are concerned, where wood, metal and fabric-covered options are all available.

If all these choices seem a bit much for you however, why not just contact Millbrook’s dedicated team for specialist advice on which of our range would suit your academic institution best? Just make sure to get in there fast, as before you know it, the new students will already be walking through your doors, ready for an exciting year ahead.

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So it’s back to school? Some educational advice from Millbrook Contract Beds

As we all accept the fact that this summer hasn’t been the best on record, the student A’Level results this year were pretty good, which has offered some consolation at least to a few parents and students alike.

However, this of course has lead to an increase in new academic students this year, all eagerly looking forward to their first term in halls of residence, away from home.

If you’re looking at keeping budgets low, it’s very easy to assume that students should put up with their halls – whether they’re next door to a group that is partying every night or indeed if they’re using a contract bed that’s old.  After all, isn’t that what student life is about?

Perhaps surprisingly, many students want to do well in their studies and as has been indicated by many professionals over the years, lack of sleep in a good bed can have an affect on academic results.  It’s one thing to say that a student can’t concentrate if they have burned the midnight oil too many times, but to have someone say it because they were in an uncomfortably contract bed is something else.

So while you’re preparing for all the Freshers in the next three weeks or so, perhaps you can take a look at your contract beds in your halls of residence.  Have they seen better days?

Remember that a contract bed is supposed to last up to 7 years.  If you try and imagine a set of students every single year using a contract bed in the halls of residence and then during the summer a lot of delegates using that same contract bed – how long do you think it should last?

If you are looking for a contract bed for halls of residence or indeed any educational establishment, you may like to take a look at our Academic Collection or other ranges for some useful advice on what you can expect.

Equally, if you’re after completely impartial advice on contract beds for the academic industries we are always happy to offer this free of charge so do CONTACT US. Don’t forget that Millbrook Contract Beds is now on Twitter and Facebook too.