 by Elizabeth Millard
Call it the Great Bed Battle: for the past few years, hotels have been engaged in a skirmish with each other, trying to win vacationers and business travelers alike with claims of the best beds in the industry. But which really has the title? Often, it really does depend on who you ask.
Frequent business traveler Greg Brandes, a professor of law and dean of faculty at Concord Law School, believes that the "king of bed mountain" prize should be shared by a number of contenders.
"The so-called 'Heavenly Bed' featured at most Westin Hotels lives up to its name and gets top honors from me," he says. "Every time there's a firm but cushy mattress covered with crisp linens and more pillows than you can possibly use, it's the best. A great hotel bed should feel like you're the first person to ever sleep there."
The Westin began touting its Heavenly Bed in 1999, emphasizing that the mattress was created just for the chain. Guests from Boston to Berlin to Beijing have swooned over the pillowy feel that was firm enough to keep them floating through dreamland. The custom-designed pillowtop mattress was created by Simmons, and sports 900 individual coils. On top is a down blanket—with three different versions to adjust for climate—and five goosedown pillows.
Although Westin may have led the way initially, it's certainly not the only option for catching up on sleep via a dreamy bed. According to a 2006 survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 69 percent of U.S. hotels had upgraded their bedding in the previous year. Since many hotel chains are international, it's likely that those upgrades are also being seen planet-wide.
Marriott International, which has hotels around the world, launched a $190 million initiative in 2005 to replace nearly every bed in eight of its branded hotel chains (628,000 beds at approximately 2,400 hotels worldwide). For the Marriott hotels, every king size bed was switched to 300 thread-count sheets, seven pillows, a pillowy mattress cover, and a white duvet. Radisson, meanwhile, bought 90,000 beds that allow each guest to adjust the firmness for their side of the mattress.
Not to be outdone, Hilton Hotels embarked on a $1 billion effort to revamp its rooms to include its own custom-designed creation, the Serenity Bed, which also features signature mattress pads, down pillows, linens, and decorative bed pillows.
Because of the demand for such upscale beds, it's expected that the Great Bed Battle will continue for some time, particularly because analysts have noted that some hotels can charge more per night with the promise of a better bed. And when it comes to customer loyalty, apparently having a comfortable bed makes a difference. According to customer surveys conducted by the major hoteliers, guests commented that new beds and bedding would increase their preference for a particular hotel brand.
Much like other kind of perks—like who has the best mini-bar selections, or the freshest in-room coffee—what's defined as the "best" is fairly subjective. But it's a good bet that if you're looking for a Heavenly experience or a touch of Serenity, you'll get a good's night sleep, no matter where you are in the world.
Hotel Beds: How They Stack Up (Travel & Leisure)
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