A nightmare on your street – Millbrook Contract Beds talks about nightmares

Dreams are complex little mysteries. They have the power to surprise us, make us happy and fulfil our fantasies. But where there are dreams, there are often nightmares lurking around the corner. Nightmares are terrifying dreams that cause our hearts to race; even after you wake up and realise that it was all a dream, your heart continues to pound and the fear stays with you in the darkness of the bedroom. Millbrook Contract Beds is fascinated with every aspect of dreaming, especially nightmares. They’re fascinating things. Continue reading »

Making your guests comfortable this summer…

If you’re a hotel owner you’re no doubt bracing yourself for the summer months.  Aside from being a busy time of year you will see an influx of people staying at your establishment and hopefully putting their heads down for a night or two in your contract beds!

However, with the glorious summer comes a bit of an issue for a lot of hoteliers and that’s the lighter evenings.  While we all remember the misery of dark evenings and cold mornings in the winter time, when summer finally comes, the sun doesn’t go down until past 9pm and it rises much earlier in the morning.

This can be a real issue for light sleepers – and all the best contract beds in the world won’t help someone with sensitivity to light!

Continue reading »

A contract bed guide for hoteliers: Establishing need

As a hotelier, or someone who works in the hotel and leisure industry, you have to be very much aware of what goes into your hotel contract beds and how long you’ve had them for. Many of the blogs here on Millbrook Contract Beds serve as guides to dispense advice on what problems and scenarios exist with hotel contract beds and the potential resolutions to those problems and explanations of those scenarios. Millbrook’s holistic advice comes from over 60 years worth of experience, so if you want the best recommendations and knowledge on the subject of contract bed buying, disposal, and the industry specific ranges available, this is the right place to be.

Recent studies have shown us that a substantial amount of people only get approximately six hours of sleep a night, sometimes even less than that. This is not good for many reasons, the most important being that it is simply not good for general overall health. The key factor here is definitely the hotel contract bed. The Furniture Industry Research Association has said that “a bed can deteriorate by as much as 70% after ten years.”  That is to say, from its brand new state to ‘worn down’ in that time. This is the principal contribution and cause to lack of sleep. For paying guests it is just simply unacceptable.

So what do you do if you have dozens to hundreds of rooms, all with hotel contract beds of different sizes, ages, shapes and makes? How do you test them all to ensure that they are adequate to provide the right sleep experience for guests? It sounds like a big job, but it doesn’t have to be. All it requires is some scheduling, careful staff redistribution and time-efficient planning. It is still surprising that as a business, some people still don’t make the connection between their guest’s complaints and that of the condition of their hotel contract beds – which may have been in use for a considerable length of time without being flipped or thrown out and changed.

The best way to tell is if your guests begin telling you that they have woken up with neck or back ache, or that they had a terrible night’s sleep. This is a clear indication that the contract beds you’re offering are not giving the correct level of support or comfort and need replacing. Most people need seven or eight hours of sleep a night to function properly the next day but with beds often being put far down on the list of what causes a sleepless night, it’s about time we started to focus on how important they really are in terms of reducing stress and helping people to function more acutely the next day.

Millbrook Contract Beds addresses how to begin resolving these issues in the next part of our blog guide. For more information or direct advice, please contact us here.

Ensuring you keep your reputation with good contract beds

As we approach the summer months, it’s usually not necessarily the time you’ll think about your contract beds. However, the reality is they get used (hopefully regularly) and while it’s often a necessity to ignore the need for upkeep during your busier months, this is not always a good idea.

The reality is that if something needs fixing you should fix it. After all, if you had half the roof hanging off your hotel you wouldn’t leave that until the quieter months would you?

Quality contract beds in your hotel are vital for keeping your guests happy, providing comfort and great sleep throughout the time someone stays with you and are vitally important in getting good feedback.  It may be surprising but a staggering number of hotel guests around the world that write online reviews often mention the bed and how comfortable it was when they stayed.

This is why it is so important to make sure that your contract beds are up to scratch!

A normal bed is likely to last up to ten years, but that’s assuming it is regularly maintained and turned, but this is not always the same for contract beds.  As they get more use, they usually last up to 7 years, but it is important to get that longevity with regular cleaning and maintenance routines.

We know that turning mattresses is not always something you can give to housekeeping to do as they are heavy, but nevertheless it’s the one action that will help keep your contract beds comfortable.

If you’ve not changed your contract beds for a while we recommend you give them a mini bed MOT and assess the following:

How firm is the mattress?  Does it have any ‘bumps’ or ‘ lumps’ in it?

Does the mattress make you roll inwards when you are on the bed?

Does the mattress look worn or frayed at the edges?

Does the frame creak when you sit on the bed?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you really need to think about changing your contract beds sooner rather than later.

Contract beds at Millbrook Beds are perfect for hotels and are surprisingly cheaper than you’d imagine and start at just £197, so giving your guests top comfort is much easier than you think.

If you are unsure about any aspects of your contract beds condition why not contact us and we’ll talk you through some options!  We’ll even help you sort out how to dispose of any contract beds too.

When your good mood gets left behind in slumber

It might sound made-up, but there was a revelation recently that will blow your mind if you’re part of a couple. We’ve all had moments in relationships where we’ve warred and rowed; one of the most common causes of arguments in the bedroom is the question of who gets to sleep where in the bed. Choosing your side is the first big drama thrown up by a burgeoning relationship because each person has to feel comfortable in their new domestic situation. As if that wasn’t enough, it now turns out that sleeping on a certain side can heavily influence your state of mind in the day. Continue reading »

Sleep tourism is on the rise

Have you heard about sleep tourism? It’s the latest trend in tourism and travel right now. It sounds strange but it really is a genuine concept. Millbrook Contract Beds investigates this unusual craze.

Right now, all around the world there are hotels, spas and accommodations that are designed to act as sleepaways for sleep-deprived clientele. Insomnia and sleep deprivation problems afflict many people around the world and many of these “sleep experience accommodations” cater specifically to those who have difficulty drifting off to the land of nod.

Some of the getaways have added extras such as private consultations with sleep experts, aromatherapy treatments and massage therapies. It’s pretty innovative thinking. In addition to these optional extras many of these sleep tourist hotspots offer sleep-deprived clientele pillow menus.

Specialist hotels provide light and sound systems designed to help guests fall asleep and stay asleep plus zero gravity chairs or massage beds to snooze in. Count in the development of snore absorption rooms that literally do absorb the sound of snoring and you’ve got yourself a new emerging part of the tourism industry!

Catering to the sleep needs and the sleep problems of travellers seems to be on the rise, and we here at Millbrook Contract Beds think this can only be a good thing.

With the development of many new technologies and innovative ideas related to the world of sleep it appears that the ability to achieve a better, deeper, more satisfying sleep is open to everyone, or at least soon will be. At the moment, sleep tourism caters to people who can afford to spend on mega-impressive hotels with advanced facilities and amenities. Enough time needs to pass in order to bring these new sleep assistance technologies down to a more amicable price and to a more open market so that we all may experience sleep tourism.

In the meantime, there really is no reason why people and businesses cannot adopt the ideas of sleep tourism for their own purposes and benefits. Creating relaxing environments where sleep can be optimised really is what we’re all about at Millbrook once you get to the very heart of it.

As an individual you can create your own DIY sleep holiday that requires zero packing and zero expense. Unplug from the technologies already in your life such as phones, computers, internet, television, tablets etc. These devices have gone from being lounge-bound items (or for use outside the home) and somehow we have brought them into our bedrooms where the only real purpose of a bedroom should be to sleep! Unplug yourself from this world for an evening. Take the time to turn your bedroom into a more relaxing, open and de-cluttered space. We have written many blogs on how to achieve this before.

For hoteliers, you too can offer a slice of the sleep tourism experience by offering more from your contract beds and contract bed choices and sleep paraphernalia available. You don’t have to be a hotel of the future in order to offer your guests maximum comfort.

Sleep tourism is only growing bigger and more popular. This is the beginning of a new form of tourism altogether and while it is very specific and, arguably, strange, it seems like it is going to be a facet of the hospitality industry that’s here to stay.

Don’t let your bedroom become a domain of distractions

Millbrook Contract Beds has experience in quality beds and mattresses and we know our stuff when it comes to getting a restful and peaceful night’s sleep. One of the biggest causes of insomnia is the blurring of the line between bedroom and living room. Since televisions, smartphones and laptops became a driving force in our lives, we are no longer limited to specific locations when we want to watch a show, listen to music or check our Facebook pages. The line between living room and bedroom is almost invisible now and bringing these distractions into our bedroom suddenly stops the bedroom from being a quiet and restful place. It suddenly becomes a domain of distractions.

Continue reading »

What your sleeping position says about you

Our blog today is a little bit more light-hearted. We’ve been asking everyone in both the Millbrook Beds and Millbrook Contract Beds teams a simple question this week: what’s your favourite position?

Understandably, people were shocked at first, but we are talking about the positions you sleep in every night. According to some great research and infographics, the position you sleep in tells you a lot about your personality. So when you go to sleep tonight in your contract bed or Millbrook Bed at home, keep it in mind and keep a record when you wake up. You’ll be very surprised at the revelations.

Continue reading »

Back to basics – advice from Millbrook Contract Beds on maintaining your beds – part two

Millbrook Contract Beds is getting back to basics!

In the last blog we wanted to go over the essential bed care tips that will help you maintain a better quality of care over your contract beds, whether they have been bought from us here at Millbrook, or from an alternative source. You can read the first part of this blog HERE.

In this follow-up we will continue the countdown of top tips for bed care. The mattress is one of the key factors to consider when it comes to caring for your bed, but we can’t forget about looking after the bed base itself which is the mattress’ support structure. In this second half of our list of tips we give you a little bit of info on both.

So, what happens if you’ve been sleeping in your bed for quite some time now?

Every breath you take – Did you know that your body generates over a pint of moisture during every night you are in bed? Allow your bed to breathe. By the simple act of turning down your sheets and bedding in the morning you give the bed a chance to air out and for the moisture to dissipate.

Protect and preserve – Millbrook advises that you protect your mattress with a suitable natural fibre mattress cover. This is not a technique that everyone likes to employ but it does wonders for your bed’s lifespan. The natural fibre cover helps to protect the surface of your mattress from contact with moisture and even better, it protects it from the risks of staining. Mattress covers are enormously useful in helping your mattress to stay pristine and aesthetically appealing for years to come.

What’s under the bed? – Consider what is under the bed base itself. Make sure you check to see what’s going on underneath every once in a while. Check the wheels (if it has wheels) plus castors. Avoid excessive force when you check these elements of a bed base, but still check to make sure the underneath is just as healthy and well-maintained as the mattress surface itself. Search for tears, rips and degraded materials.

Let’s call it a drawer – Not all contract beds have drawers but some do. These drawers have been designed to accommodate mostly lightweight items. The worst thing you can do is overload the drawers. Excessive weight or bulky items can cause damage to the runners and jam the drawer or simply overload the bed base itself causing other kinds of damage.

Chemical reaction – Millbrook Contract Beds strongly advises against the use of detergents and chemical cleaners on your mattress or any of the contract bed materials. You can easily bleach or disintegrate the fabric causing irreparable harm to your bed.

And those are the top tips to better bed care of your contract beds. This advice applies to individuals as well as businesses that rent rooms such as hoteliers in the hospitality industry, carers in the healthcare profession and landlords/lettings agents who rent out academic residences.

These Back to Basics tips are essential to taking care of your contract beds. Contact Us for more information on this topic. You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with the world of Millbrook Contract Beds.

Back to Basics – advice from Millbrook Contract Beds about maintaining your beds Part 1

As we emerge from the winter and head towards the Spring Millbrook Contract Beds thought it was time to get back to basics. That is, the basics of bed care. This is the first part of a two-part blog that will help you to take good care of your investment in a bed.

Contract beds should be made to last, however, they do require care and attention in order to ensure they stand the test of time. The lifespan of a bed depends very much on how well you look after it. So join us as we revisit the importance of bed care and how to go about breathing new life into a bed that has seen a few years go by already.

If you got your contract beds from Millbrook then you will most likely know that they have been made from the finest natural materials and handcrafted to the highest standards of workmanship. That’s why they’re so comfortable! However, some of you reading this blog may have bought your contract beds elsewhere, but it doesn’t really matter. This bed care advice is pretty much universal and can be applied to all beds – at least beds that were of good quality when you originally purchased them.

So let’s start off with the essentials:

1. Settling down – if the contract beds you own are not all that old, and you have recently purchased them, you might have noticed that strange feeling when you first laid down on it because it has never been slept in before. Your body needs to adjust to the bed and the bed needs to adjust to your body. It’s like breaking in a new pair of shoes.

2. Filling you in – Millbrook fillings are particularly sumptuous and because all our beds are individually handcrafted, it is one of a kind. No one else has the same bed as you! We can’t speak for other beds but our fillings include silk, lambswool and cashmere. Due to their naturally fine qualities you might experience some gradual migration of them to the surface of the mattress. If you experience this just lightly brush them away. Whatever you do, DO NOT vacuum the mattress. Generally speaking, vacuuming is never good for mattresses.

3. Turning point – The number one rule of increasing a mattress’ longevity and maintaining its comfort levels is to turn it regularly. It helps to even out filling settlement. If you have had the contract bed for a while you should be turning it every month. For those that have non-turn mattresses then be sure to rotate it instead.

4. A little help from your friends – Following up from this point about turning the mattress regularly, Millbrook Contract Beds recommends against a person doing it alone. Ask for some assistance from friends or family to help you turn it. This isn’t just about risk of injury, it is also about risk of damage to the springs inside the mattress.

5. Roll with it – Avoid any unnecessary rolling, bending or distortion of the mattress full stop. Unfortunately, it can be very easy to bang, bend or roll a mattress in the wrong way, which displaces the fillings and/or springs affecting future use. This kind of treatment can invalidate your guarantee.

And there you have the first of our back to basics tips on maintaining your contract beds. The next blog will conclude our top tips for the best bed care.

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