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 »

A bed fit for a Queen

With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee just around the corner Millbrook Contract Beds thought it would be fun to look into just how the Queen lives it up when she travels the country (and others) during this momentous period in her history, and indeed Great Britain’s.

When she’s on the move, Queen Elizabeth II tends to stay in the best of the best (of course) and she’s not one for being stingy on the accommodation. The best of the best usually is a travelling accommodation train that goes with her everywhere, servants and all. It’s more exclusive than the Orient Express. The Royal Train is her home-away-from-home. It’s nine coaches long and can be alternated in number to suit the occasion.

The Queen’s quarters is over 30 years old and was brought into service back when the Silver Jubilee took place in 1977.

It has a bedroom, decorated in light pastel shades, with a 3ft-wide single bed in one corner made up with cotton sheets and woollen blankets. Amazingly and surprisingly there are no double beds on board – or no Queen-size beds as it were (hehe). The bedroom has its own en-suite too. Sounds pretty posh. However, if you look at a photo of the quarters (pictured below) you’ll see that it really is quite a humble little package and not as garish and decadent as one might imagine it to be.

Privacy is maintained by the curtains at every window and net drapes that enable the Queen to look out but which prevent anyone looking in. Her view changes from day-to-day, wherever they are heading becomes her knew outlook. There are double doors on both sides of the carriage so that the Queen can disembark in style.

It’s an enviable way of travelling; who wouldn’t want to have their own train service and private entourage with them everywhere they went?

This kind of luxury is not exclusive to Queen Elizabeth II of course. Many hotels and estates also pride themselves on luxury accommodation – some of which charge thousands of pounds per night. These are the ultimate high-end hotels of the world that cater to the super-wealthy, and where people like us will never even glimpse the inner-sanctums unless we were to win the lottery!

We’ve worked with a few of this high-end brands and our equivalent, contract bed wise, would be something like The President or The Club Class – contract beds designed to be fit for royalty but catering to anyone and everyone.

Beds that are fit for a Queen certainly are not hard to come by here at Millbrook. So it’s with great pride that we salute The Queen on her Jubilee tour and to all those of you who plan to enjoy the Jubilee weekend in style and comfort.

Are you upgrading your hotel contract beds for the London 2012 Olympics?

The Olympics are coming to London!  The world’s most revered sporting event is being hosted here in the UK for the first time since 1948, and we at Millbrook Contract Beds think every potential 400m runner or long jumper out there deserves a comfortable place to rest those tired legs after an exhausting practice session.  We spotted an opportunity for all of our customers, especially in the hotel industry, to make the most of this… Continue reading »

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.

A Contract Bed Guide – Millbrook Blog Recap Part 6

Millbrook Contract Beds has been blogging for a long time now. We thought that it would pertinent to recap what we have covered in order to create a index for readers to use as a contract bed guide. Our blog is more comprehensive than any FAQ section you could ever hope for!

This series has provided an insight into how we operate, who our products are designed for and what benefits they can offer different industries from hospitality to academic industries. To catch yourself up on where we are at in the series you can read PART 1 HERE, PART 2 HERE, PART 3 HERE and PART 4 HERE.

So to continue where we left off from Blog Recap PART 5:

33. A Contract Bed Guide for Hoteliers: Establishing Need

This blog provided an insightful guide into how best to use contract beds for hotel industries that are required to meet high standards all year around. This was Part 1 of a 2 part series.

34. A Contract Bed Guide for Hoteliers: Meeting Demand

The sequel to “Establishing Need” required a deeper investigation of how to identify problems and assess quality control within the scope of a hotel and leisure business. The conclusion drawn from what was important to test and check on contract beds was ultimately their degree of comfort, age and suitability.

35. Hotel contract bed range – The President

The start of a new blog series began by tackling the inherent importance of each contract bed offered in the Millbrook range. We got the ball rolling by addressing the International Collection and putting one of our most popular contract beds at the forefront – The President. The bed was profiled and its features explored. While we have covered the Millbrook ranges before, we never had gone into as much detail before.

36. Hotel contract bed range – The Executive

And so the series continued… in profile this time was The Executive contract bed. A high quality design with benefits that could only be effectively optimised by Millbrook’s handcrafted design philosophy.

37. Hotel contract bed range – The Club Class

Next on the list of International Collection contract beds in profile was The Club Class. This blog discussed the flexibility and the materials of this bed and why it was so special.

38. Hotel contract bed range – The Hotel

The Hotel contract bed was next under the Millbrook blog microscope and was studied exhaustively in detail to find out why it’s apt title was so… well, apt. The profile on The Hotel bed rounded off the first part of this blog series and in so doing brought the exploration of our International Collection to a grand close for the final time.

39. Rising costs and their effects on hotel contract beds

This blog addressed the current economic climate and went on to assess the effects of a downturn on the hotel and hospitality industry. The goal was to provide advice on how to keep a business’ costs down.

And that is where we leave you for this part in the Millbrook contract beds blog series. We’ve thrown down the gauntlet here and there is still much to cover across our blog spectrum.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our blog feel free to Contact Us for further information or alternatively you can follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. Don’t hesitate to ask for our help.

Hotel contract beds – The Club Class

Quality hotel contract beds are in major demand in the hotel and hospitality industry. For good reason too. Guests don’t want to stay in a hotel that gives them luxury in everything else except the contract beds. Millbrook contract beds is about rectifying any potential problems that hoteliers face in this area, or lending our advice on matters relating to hotel contract beds and guests getting that perfect sleep. This on-going series of blogs are profiling each individual hotel contract bed in our International Range so hoteliers can see the variances and differences between each make.

The previous blogs profiled The President and The Executive, which are both top range hotel contract beds from Millbrook, but far be it the only two. This blog profiles The Club Class. If ever a hotel contract bed needed its own blog, this is the one. It’s a design that is very popular with clients, especially hotels and bed and breakfasts. The Club Class gives you economy and quality with flexibility in terms of design, mattress plus various other options too.

The Club Class offers 1000 individually pocketed springs and is filled with layers of cotton and wool, offering both wonderful design and comfort. The primary benefit of this hotel contract bed is the fact it is designed to be very durable, offering hotels a long-term and economical solution to their guest bedrooms. Additionally, it offers a degree of flexibility in terms the choices in bed base, the leg and fabric options (on the divan base), so the aesthetic can be achieved that will fit your hotel’s branding with a greater sense of ease. The Club Class comes in a variety of sizes as with our entire International Collection. Specifically, the sizes include; single, double, king size, super king and zip and link allowing you to turn your double room into a twin room quickly. This is always handy when trying to maximise fill rates.

The Club Class hotel contract bed

The need for flexibility within the hotel industry is clear. Millbrook Contract Beds has been in the game for more than 60 years and we understand this industry more than any other contract bed supplier. The Club Class is so popular with clients because it offers such an economical choice and quality. It’s certainly a good choice in a year that has seen VAT increase to 20%.

If you require further information or would like to learn more about our range please contact us and we will be happy to help. Otherwise, keep your eye out for the next blog in this hotel contract bed series on the aptly named bed – The Hotel.

Hotel contract beds – The Executive

Hotel contract beds are at the forefront of what we do here at Millbrook contract beds. We’ve been catering to the hospitality industry for over 60 years. That’s a long time to be in the game. In that time we have accumulated a vast level of experience. In this latest series of blogs we are profiling each individual hotel contract bed in our International Range so hoteliers can see the variances and differences between each make.

The previous blog profiled The President, which is one of our top of the range beds on offer. This blog will profile The Executive. This contract bed offers exceptional value ad provides wonderful economy, particularly in the hotel sector. If you’re a buy hotel, B&B or guest house, you probably find that you need contract beds that are not just comfortable but versatile as well. Those short notice bookings or last minute requests are a mainstay of the industry and they need to be catered to. You want to be able to maximise bookings and ensure every room is booked where possible. This is where The Executive comes into play. It is suited, quite perfectly, to meet this need.

The Executive hotel contract bed

It comes in a formidable range of sizes including; single, double, king size and super king, The Executive comes with an incredibly handy and economical zip and link option. The zip and link gives you the flexibility of turning a double bedroom into a twin very quickly, allowing you to say ‘yes’ when you may have previously had to say ‘no’ to a potential booking. This why it can be a prominent choice of hotel contract bed if you tend to worry about space.

The Executive is designed to some extent for hotels that are conscious of buying a contract bed that is aesthetically pleasing. This contract bed would look at home in a five star hotel in a metropolitan city or a boutique hotel with specific branding. It comes with a choice of base, leg and fabric options, meaning that you can find solutions to match your current decor more easily. Tailor your contract beds to blend or help define your hotel’s look, feel and ultimate image.

If you would like to know whether a contract bed in the Millbrook Contract Bed range will suit your needs, we are happy to offer free, impartial advice to guide you, including removal of any old beds too! Millbrook Contract Beds has provided contract beds to a variety of hotels all over the UK, and we never lie down on the job.

In our next blog we shall profile the features and details of The Club Class hotel contract bed from the International Collection.

Maintaining quality control over your contract beds

In the last two blogs, The Sleep Council’s suggestion that beds should be replaced every seven years, gave us an opportunity to discuss the impact of that particular information on the hotel and leisure industry.

In this third part of the series we will be looking at the best contract beds on offer to implement once the old ones have been moved out, followed by suggestions for improving and maintaining the quality control over the contract beds.

The first thing a guest may do when they arrive in their hotel room is to try out the contract bed; its softness and bounce. Any reputable hotel should be able to give the information on the mattresses and linens being used in the rooms. This information should be easily available and it’s a good idea to make sure your staff know!  The best way to ensure this is by purchasing the best quality contract beds you can find for the finest economical value so we’ve basically put together a little list of what we consider to be good choices when buying a contract bed from our range.

Our International Collection gives you variety and economy and you may want to check the prices out here.

1. The President 2000 is a contract bed that is used quite often in the hotel industry. It is a bed crafted with great care and is available in two different contract mattress types and a variety of sizes that offer comfort, versatility and longevity. Once you factor in the guest experience it should be clear that contract beds are the only way to go.
2. The Executive Contract Bed comes with a zip and link option in a variety of different sizes from single right through to super king. This particular contract bed is very aesthetically pleasing indeed, which can be of importance to a hotel’s overall image and branding.
3. The Club Class is durable and offers long-term reliability. It has a wide range of choice in terms of the base, leg and fabric options so there is a lot more opportunities available to make the contract bed directly reflect the branding of your hotel.
4. The Hotel isn’t called The Hotel for nothing! It has a proven track record and is incredibly popular within the hotel industry. It is the classic firm option bed with open coil springs and a deep mattress.

Compromising on price does not mean compromising on quality if you buy contract beds from a legitimate and reliable source such as Millbrook contract beds.  The difference between an independent B&B and a boutique hotel in the four star range need not be so different when it comes to the contract beds that they have. The B&B needn’t worry about immense cost in order to obtain great quality and the boutique hotel needn’t be concerned with losing any sophistication in style or luxury just because the cost is low. Contract beds are made to last and designed for maximum comfort at affordable prices to fit anyone’s budget.

Guests want to sleep in comfort and in order to give them that level of luxury and satisfaction, all the contract beds need to be considered, looked after and replaced before they become too unsuitable for use so perhaps it is time to introduce a “contract bed quality control” in the management scheme of your hotel. Overall policy could be amended to set-up a new system where beds are turned regularly each month and quality checks are carried out for wear and tear regularly. You could hold a 12 month review which includes guest feedback, if any, that could help to further identify or highlight any problems involving the beds.

The Replacement Cycle that The Sleep Council has suggested will help to increase customer satisfaction and limit complaints handling. Look at the best available contract beds, particularly the ones aimed at the hotelier and leisure industry. Millbrook Contract Beds provide a very choice selection that could help to elevate hotel standards to new heights and make it much easier to manage quality control.

For more information on the ranges of contract beds available please contact us.