Comfort zone – a guide for the hotel sector

It’s been a while since we covered the basics of comfort in hotels and hotel contract beds. Our main interests lie in helping people find their comfort zone when it comes to sleep. In the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics we think the pressure on hotels meeting the demands of service and quality is going to be pretty huge, so our back-to-basics advice on contract beds is probably timely.

To ensure that you supply hotel contract beds that meet the expectations of guests you need to think about what it is that they are looking for when it comes to a peaceful night’s sleep.

In this blog we’ll do some of thinking for you…

Think about your own sleeping arrangements and ask yourself:

–What kind of bed do you have? Are you a single person in a single bed? Or do you share a double bed with a partner? Or are you lucky enough to have it all to yourself?

–Is it a firm or soft mattress?

–Was the bed base sold separately or did it come with the mattress as a complete unit?

–Do you sleep well in it or do you toss and turn during the night?

–Do you get to read in bed at night with your back up against a soft, quilted headboard?

What applies to your own sleep can generally be applied to others. If your bed keeps you up nights, lacks the right comfort levels, creaks when you move in it, or seems to cause any body ache or back pain, then you have to concede defeat and get a new bed.

This same process applies to the hotel beds and contract beds that you use for business purposes. Hotels are rated, in part, on the basis of the quality of contract bedroom furniture in the rooms. If the contract beds don’t meet your own standards, or to put a finer point on it; if you as a hotelier, landlord, carer or residence manager wouldn’t sleep in it, why should any of your guests?

A person’s most naturally happy state is when they are asleep in a bed, which is why the contract beds you use need to be of the highest quality. Consider the key factors just as you would if you were selecting your own bed:

–SIZES: Single beds are approx. 3ft x 6ft 3inches; Double beds are approx; 4ft 6inches by 6ft 3inches; King size beds are approx; 5ft x 6ft 6inches; Super King size beds are approx; 6ft x 6ft 6inches.

–ADJUSTABILITY: if you deal with the elderly or sick on a regular basis, adjustable beds with remotes and five way adjustable actions must be considered. Read our blog on the importance of adjustable beds.

–BED BASE AND MATTRESS COMFORT LEVELS: Firm options, soft options, the only way to know what works is to try them out.

–DURABILITY: Will it pass the 7-10 year mark? Think about warranties

–SPACE: Zip & Link options that allow you to turn double rooms into twin rooms. Also consider contract beds that can save space in general. The Academic Collection was designed for this very purpose.

–SUPPORT: Remember, a person’s back is something that needs to be supported, especially during sleep. Contract bed bases are the key ingredient to assisting in this area. A lot of people forget about the importance of the bed-frame itself and the headboard. The strength of a bed depends almost entirely on the frame that supports it.

All commercial industries that supply accommodation of some kind should avoid entirely hand-me-down-mattresses at all costs. The only reason someone is getting rid of an old bed is because it is no longer comfortable or durable.

So think of your own sleeping environment and your own bed. Then think about the quality of comfort that you supply to customers, guests and residents. If it’s not good enough for you to sleep in, it’s not good enough for them.

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