Preparing for the influx of summer students this year?

It’s not just the Olympics that will be bringing people to our shores in 2012. Summer in the UK brings with it a huge influx of tourism and foreign students. They come from all over the world, packing up their cases and heading for the airport to make the most of their summer studying in the UK.

With all these extra numbers flooding to our sunny shores in search of a place to stay, it can be a struggle to keep up with the demand for beds. Campuses all across the country will be looking to make the most of the space available by choosing the most compact, space-saving beds available, which is why Millbrook Contract Beds have designed an entire range of beds specifically targeted towards Academic Residences.

Each of the contract beds in this dedicated Academic range are ideally suited to the unique challenges posed by an academic setting, being highly durable and hardwearing while at the same time representing an economical option.

The first solution in our practical range of Academic Contract Beds is the Conference bed, available in a range of sizes from Single to Super King Size – in fact we even offer the convenient option of bespoke non-standard sizes made to fit your needs perfectly. The Conference’s open coil and woollen felt stuffed mattress design ensure a comfortable night’s sleep, while the breathable fabric is sure to keep you cool on even the hottest summer night. The solid metal frame and wipe-clean mattress style also mean this bed will last for many Summer seasons to come.

Next on the list of Millbrook’s dedicated Academic Contract Bed collection is the stylish Residence bed, available in the space-saving Single size of 90cm x 190cm. The sophisticated wooden headboard of this elegant design is sure to add a touch of class to any academic residence and fit in with any decor scheme without breaking the bank. At the same time, the easily cleanable PVC covered mattress perfectly addresses the paramount priority of hygienic bedding solutions.

Finally, Millbrook’s Academic collection is rounded off with the Campus bed design, a comfortable and versatile contract bed with an open coil type mattress and the option of detachable or fixed legs, allowing you to adjust the height of the bed to best suit your accommodation needs. As with all Millbrook’s Academic styles, the Campus is easy to clean to save you time preparing your rooms. What’s more, it’s also available in a wide range of sizes to fit every room.

Whichever of these quality student contract beds is right for your Academic Residence, we hope we at Millbrook beds can help you ensure your busy summer season ahead goes by without a hitch.

Revisiting the Millbrook Contract Beds collections – Academic

At Millbrook Contract Beds we’ve started down a road of revisiting our contract bed collections to refresh our customers on just what makes us such leading experts in sleep and comfort. With the anticipation alive for the 2012 Olympics this year, we thought it pertinent to get back to the basics of our business. Read what we had to say about our International Collection for the hospitality industry HERE. Continue reading »

Student sleep cycles versus Millbrook contract beds

Sleep studies are suggesting that students of the college and university variety are losing sleep due to overindulgence in party lifestyles, bad diet regimes and ramshackle sleep cycles. This comes as no surprise to anyone we’re sure. Part of the attraction to being a student for younger people is the pure unadulterated freedom to act out and go wild. Millbrook Contract Beds would like to step in to give our two cents on this particular matter – and no we’re not old granddads without any sense of fun over here! We just know that sleep matters… A lot. Continue reading »

Quality of sleep affects students academic performance – Millbrook Contract Beds

Recent studies by medical and health professionals have indicated that the amount of sleep that students receive each night can affect their academic performance.

Millbrook Contracts Beds has investigated further into this by undertaking some research of our own into this area.

From what multiple studies we have found, teenagers who sleep between 7-8 hours per night score significantly higher in exams than students who sleep too much or too little. This is clearly down to a lack of sleep inhibiting normal growth and development of the brain. In turn this affects the synapses need for communication.

Sleep deprivation during the most sensitive time for development during adolescence can lead to even more serious learning and functioning problems further down the line.

So what is it that students are doing wrong to cause themselves such restless sleep cycles?

Well, the first and most obvious factor involved here is their lifestyle choices. Late nights spent watching television, eating junk foods, having many distractions in the bedroom from internet access to computer consoles, all contribute to bad sleep cycles.

How can we help?

Millbrook specialise in contract beds that are handmade to create the ultimate in luxury sleep. Our 60 years experience has given us the blueprint from which to base our incomparable designs. When it comes to the comfort needs of the academic industry we offer our Academic Collection.

Essentially, this collection combines practicality, comfort and economy to create an ideal sleep scenario for younger persons who need to get a good night’s sleep. There are models to suit every situation and location with durable and hard wearing mattresses and frames.

There are multiple choices available for bed frames and legs with these contract beds giving them a flexibility and space-saving potential that most other beds cannot provide.

The Campus contract bed is one of the most popular choices for academic residences from boarding schools to university campuses where smart design features, open coil springs and a fresh mattress give the precise level of comfort required.

The Campus Contract Bed

Students MUST have high quality beds and they MUST be maintained to the same standard of quality.

However, at the end of the day when all is said and done, we can only offer the most comfortable option for students to help them get the best sleep possible, but it is up to the individuals to make sure they regulate their sleep environments to make them fit for a peaceful night ahead. Get rid of the distractions in the room, set yourself regular sleep hours and avoid all the pitfalls of sleep affecting behaviour.

For a list of top tips on what to do and what not to do before bed CLICK to read our “What makes a good night’s sleep” blog HERE.

Contact Us for more information on our Academic Collection or any of our other contract beds.

Contract beds for children

If you’re a family run establishment or if you are a youth based service holiday provider, then you may not always consider the impact of the right kind of contract bed for guests.

In reality it is the contract beds that young guests actually sleep in that gives them the blissful good-night’s rest they very much need and perhaps (although not always) a good way of getting them settled more easily.

A decent night’s sleep for a child is essential to their development in terms of learning, and their psychical and emotional growth and a lot of parents these days, put considerable emphasis not only on their own sleeping arrangements while on holiday, but that of their children.  It is important to provide children with the benefits of a good sleep which focuses their minds, releases growth hormones and encourages bodily development. When considering a child’s sleep, you must factor in the environment that surrounds them and the contract bed that you put them to sleep in. So what is the best option for children in terms of contract beds?

Contract beds should be comfortable but also provide enough storage space beneath the sleeping surface for any toys or games that they may have with them. The right mattress is essential to give the correct support for growing muscles and bones. Millbrook contract beds offer suitable bed and mattress types in the Academic Collection that offer support, comfort and space.

The Residence contract bed has a PVC mattress cover and is highly practical and durable in many types of locations. It is hard wearing and comfortable with non standard sizes available to suit a child’s individual size requirements.

The Residence

The Campus is similarly appropriate, featuring open coil springs with a bed frame available with fixed or detachable legs. Once again, there are non-standard size options to suit particular child requirements.

The Campus

Practicality needs to be combined with economy in some cases and the Academic collection is a fine choice to suit the needs and requirements of both of those things. All of the bases are sturdy and there is a veritable choice selection of bed frames and legs. The Space-Saver designs can also give you the flexibility to provide extra beds if you are required to do so.

Always buy contract beds for children brand new! Never give a child a hand-me-down mattress. Second hand items such as this will only cause the very problems you are trying to avoid for growing children.

The main tips for making children’s sleep experience as safe and sound as possible when providing for their sleeping facilities are:

Gently vacuum the contract bed and mattress regularly to suck up any dust or fluff, particularly if the child suffers from a form of asthma. It is always important to establish when children are staying in a room if there are any ailments, illnesses or allergies that they may suffer from in order to prepare the room accordingly.

If the sprung mattress is a non-turn, it should be turned over once a week for the first month and thereafter every three months. Refer to manufacture details for particular specifics. Turning helps the fillings to settle down evenly.

Do not let the child jump up and down or bounce on the mattress, for the obvious safety reasons, but also because it damages the mattress. It is not just the sole responsibility of the parents, carers and/or guardians to ensure that the children behave sensibly at bedtime when staying in your establishment. Every child needs to go to bed at a reasonable time and if you have other guests, you do not want them to be disturbed. This only emphasises the vital importance of providing the best contract beds for kids. The better and more appropriate the contract bed, the longer and deeper the sleep of the child.

Caring for children’s contract beds should require the same care and consideration that goes into caring for adult contract beds. Parents appreciate when their children go to bed so they can have some time to themselves and it can be a blessing to them if the children are comfortably asleep with a reassurance that they are tucked up in the right kind of contract bed. As a hotelier you can increase your capacity for clientele and your annual business by becoming more family-friendly through providing the appropriate contract beds with the ability to turn a single room into a twin, or a double room into a family room share.

Contact Millbrook Contract Beds for more information or advice.

Contract beds for children