5 ways to improve your guests’ sleep experience
We at Millbrook Contract Beds understand thoroughly what goes into a good night’s sleep. Our years of experience in providing top quality and value contract beds for the hospitality industry has taught us a thing or two about how to provide the perfect night’s sleep for all of your guests. We thought we’d pass on a couple of top tips for how to create the ultimate sleeping setup, so without any further ado, here’s our top five!
1. Noise
It’s fairly safe to say that excessive noise is a huge cause of disturbed sleep in hotels across the country, especially in regards to city hotels with busy traffic circulating constantly nearby. Earplugs are an archaic solution and rather outdated – not to mention uncomfortable and potentially dangerous if they get stuck!
Many hotels around the world have invested in optional white noise generators – this curious phenomenon is taking off all over the world and helps to block out unnecessary and obtrusive sounds. Of course, double glazing your hotel’s windows can stop almost all exterior sounds, and would be recommended to any hoteliers looking at cutting down on disruptive noise.
2. Temperature
Generally an optimum sleeping environment is fairly cool, but sleeping with a window open may counteract the sound-reducing benefits of your newly installed double glazing. Individual thermostats and air conditioning systems may seem like an expensive solution at first but this extra touch is one all your customers will notice and appreciate.
3. Comfort
Every sleeper prefers a different sort of pillow – some like firm, some like soft, and different pillows are more suited to different sleeping positions than others. Many high-end hoteliers offer their guests a choice of pillows, fully customised to their sleeping needs, but even a choice of two is an extra feature that makes a difference and an impression.
Of course we need to mention how great an impact the quality of your hotel contract beds makes – this simply can’t be understated, so do go for the highest quality bed your budget allows for. Do contact us with details on any individual requests or specifications to make your hotel stand out even further.
4. Advice
Leaflets or booklets with advice and recommendations to your guests on how to make the most of their night’s sleep can lead to a marked increase in reported sleep quality. Information about relaxation techniques and general guidance (such as “don’t read, work or eat in your hotel contract bed!”) can be included, and this could be an opportunity to let your guests know what sleep assistance is available to them.
5. Extra Services
The idea of a pillow menu is quite an ingenious one, but there are many other potential sleep niches that could make your establishment stand out. Aromatherapy has been suggested to help with relaxation and so could be considered – some hotels also offer spa facilities to really relax their guests. For those with a more finite budget, a simple alarm call service is a friendly and helpful way to make a difference.
These are only a few of the virtually limitless options and services that an establishment such as yours could offer to improve customer satisfaction, so keep an eye on our blog for more ideas. Don’t forget to keep your hotel contract beds in tip-top condition too!
Dressing down your hotel contract beds in time for the 2012 Olympics
Yes, the countdown has truly begun to the start of the ceremony of ceremonies! London Olympics 2012 is within reaching distance. It’s only a few months to go until it arrives. For all the hoteliers out there; there is still time to get prepared.
The guests started booking their places months ago and the big hotel franchises are already beginning to turn away customers as they are booked out. If you want to compete on this level you have to step-up to their level!
Provide your guests with the best you can possibly give them. Invest in your hotel facilities and accommodations in order to bring in bigger and better business. It’s really that simple. Our specialty is of course contract beds, but that in no way overshadows the other elements of a hotel that need to be maintained or improved upon.
That said, hoteliers know that the quality of their hotel contract beds can mean the difference between a satisfied customer and a complaint. Sleep is an important factor in everyone’s lives and it is especially important for the hotel industry where positive customer satisfaction is crucial to a successful business. The hotel contract beds make all the difference by providing a focal point for any room and assist in creating the perfect holistic experience for guests. Word of mouth spreads if you provide a satisfying enough experience.
There’s still time to get those tongues wagging!
Busy hotels often need contract beds that offer longevity, universal comfort and versatility. Millbrook’s International Collection predominantly caters to hotel businesses with a range of sizes and a variety of options that can be customised to suit the practical and aesthetic requirements of individual hotel brands. If you are willing to offer the best in your hotel rooms then guests will want to stay with you for the duration of the Olympic Games.
Millbrook supplies its contract beds to businesses large and small where the quality and value of our designs can suit high end hotel chains or smaller independent bed and breakfasts. We know what makes a good contract bed, how to tailor them to the hospitality industry’s needs and how to ensure that they give a good night’s sleep to its guests.
Millbrook Contract Beds has been in the bed manufacturing game for more than 60 years and we understand this industry more than any other hotel contract bed supplier. Trust us to help you bring in more customer satisfaction and up your street cred in time for the biggest event in the world this year!
Getting healthier sleep at hotels with contract beds
When it comes to guests sleeping in hotels you’ll find that they often wonder who slept on their beds before they got there. It’s just one of those little niggles that lingers in the back of their minds which cannot necessarily ever be quashed. Millbrook Contract Beds take a closer look at the state of hotel guestrooms and the contract bedroom furniture within.
Did you know that the bedding and pillows on these beds have been identified as sources for bacteria build-up? This happens over the course of time (years even) especially if the bedding is never changed for new bedding on a month-by-month basis. Fresh bedding is a key starting place to address hygiene standards.
This is of course something that you might see implemented in high-end hotels because it is within their budget to do so. For small boutique hotels it might not be financially feasible to buy new bedding every month or two. However, you can’t really put a price on exemplary guest service. Well, you can to some extent, but to people staying at a hotel they expect certain standards to be met – and this means those demands need to be met if business is to continue being fruitful.
Providing hotel contract beds and rooms that live-up to these standards make all the difference. The goal is to give guests a healthy sleep and try to elate their worries about hygiene and sanitation. Keeping the room clean should be a priority and attended to on a regular basis. This is the mainstay of many hotels in terms of their quality and consistency.
Hotels tend to employ cleaning crews/maid services for vacuuming and disinfecting but on the grand scale of things most hotels only actually perform deep cleaning routines roughly four times a year on average. Most unsuspecting hotel guests aren’t prepared for the invisible problems that can be found in a hotel.
Although experts and studies say the risk of getting sick from hotel germs is relatively low hotels should still do their utmost to reduce these problems as much as possible…
—Hotel bedspreads are typically the most germ-laden items in a hotel room. These need to be cleaned after each guests.
—The use of sanitary wipes and disinfectant sprays should be used every day t wipe down surfaces and areas that come into a lot of human contact (phones, remotes, handles).
—Make sure your staff are fully prepared and are wearing suitable attire including sanitary gloves.
—Look for rust-coloured stains on sheets and bedspreads. It can be a sign that bedbugs are present.
This is all easily doable for a hotel to achieve; all it requires is a degree of tender love and care. Your guests will appreciate the efforts.
Are you thinking of getting a rating in 2012?
For many hoteliers, having the very best in terms of star classification ratings is extremely important. And during what is a tough economic time for many businesses, it is now more important than ever for you to maintain your level of customer service and comfort to guests.
The star rating system is an extremely effective way of telling potential guests about the standards that you have as a hotelier and can be the difference between what is considered ‘okay’ to what is deemed as ‘luxurious’.
Of course décor is extremely important along with the very best service and food, but the contract beds will also be important as that’s where your guests will be sleeping and indeed, any reviewer will be getting some shut-eye.
In terms of comfort, you can opt for lower budget contract beds, which will offer a quality of sleep that will be welcomed and certainly with Millbrook Contract Beds you will find the quality at this level to be extremely good. But for superior levels of ratings and luxurious guest comfort, you will need to invest to get the best.
The good news is that should you be thinking of improving your contract beds in your rooms, a mid to high range contract bed from Millbrook has longevity and is therefore a very good investment if you’re seriously looking at improving your star rating.
Ratings look at pretty much every aspect of what you do and how you do it, right down to the type of towels that you use, but surprisingly perhaps while many hoteliers maintain a high level of service across most aspects of their hotel, they often forget about the beds.
It seems that there is an assumption that a new bed and mattress (especially if it’s really cheap) is going to suffice. However, there are safety implications between using commercial beds and the types of beds purchased by the general public. It is these tiny details that hoteliers at times can get lost with, but that does not mean they should be ignored.
So, if you’re in the market for a contract bed, try not to opt for the cheapest if you’re serious about getting rated during 2012. Go for real comfort as an investment in your establishment’s future and you will be surprised at the difference it will make to what you achieve.
We all like a good night’s sleep and expect it when we stay in a hotel, as every little detail is important to us. We do not expect a bad back or neck ache, from an old contract bed and mattress that is past its use by date.
This will be even more important as we head towards the Olympics this year, when you can really optimise on people visiting the UK to watch the events, especially if you see it as a chance to really prove what you are and how you really excel against your competitors.
If you want advice on contract beds or you are preparing for updates in readiness to the Olympics or a star rating, do contact us for some impartial advice.
Revisiting the Millbrook Contract Beds collections – Hotel
It’s been a while since we here at Millbrook Contract Beds explored our collections in depth. Considering that the 2012 Olympics is just around the corner we should use this time to revisit our International Collection where innovation meets comfort. Hotel contract beds have been a specialty of ours here for many years and our collection is based on what we have learnt over that time about the demands of sleep, guests and hotel service. Continue reading »
Refreshing the hotel sector for 2012 – Advice from Millbrook Contract Beds
With the 2012 Olympics on the way a recent survey conducted across UK hotels has helped to quantify the anticipation for it as a good year for the British hospitality industry. What it seems to represent is the chance for building up and bringing back business to a fluctuating economical climate. The hospitality industry has been suffering from these shockwaves over the past few years. Continue reading »
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. Continue reading »
Feng shui in the bedroom – there’s an art behind it
In honour of the Chinese year of the dragon we thought we would take a look at how feng shui might help you improve the energy in your bedroom and how this can compliment your contract beds and contract bedroom furniture. These tips are applicable to both personal and commercial usage, at home or at the hotel. Continue reading »
Tips for the hospitality industry on preparing for the London Olympic Games 2012
In the previous blog we began exploring the hospitality industry’s role in regenerating and reinvigorating the UK economy in the build-up to London 2012 Olympics.
This is the perfect time for UK hoteliers to start thinking about how to approach the coming influx of business to the country, particularly the nation’s capital, and the best ways to maximise capacity potential and optimise aesthetic and practical considerations. Continue reading »
Take advantage of the Christmas period to refresh your contract beds
The approach of the new year means that you can look at your business with a fresh pair of eyes. You can start to consider how you might improve the accommodations and contract beds to attract more prospective tenants or guests. Millbrook Contract Beds believes that the hospitality industry and student accommodation can benefit from getting rid of any bedroom furniture to give a new lease of life to the room. You can take this opportunity to start replacing any contract beds that are near the end of their life; no-one likes sleeping on an old and uncomfortable contract bed! Continue reading »