Contract Bed Buying Tips | Hypnos Contract Beds

Hotel Bed Buying Tips

1. Comfort is king - your guests’ comfort and their sleep experience is paramount in achieving the highest satisfaction levels. Ultimately it is a comfortable bed that underpins this experience, allowing guests not only to enjoy a memorable night’s sleep, but to recommend your hotel to others and to come back time and time again. Remember not all customers are created equal and one bed type may not be right for everyone, so consider specifying more luxurious beds for your best bedrooms.

Intuitive pockets springs and natural fillings - while synthetic foam mattresses have been popular, they are poor at regulating body temperature, with guests often sleeping ‘hot’, unlike spring beds with natural breathable fillings that help control body temperature and wick away moisture. A pocket sprung mattress and sprung divan provide the most supportive and most comfortable night’s sleep, with each pocket spring independently hugging your guest’s entire body, sensing and adjusting to their every movement.

Safety and fit for purpose - ensure that you comply with fire safety regulations and specify a bed set that meets the BS 7177 Medium Hazard (Crib 5) Fire Retardancy Standards for hotel beds and BS 7176 Medium Hazard Fire Retardancy Standards for sofa beds.

2. Size matters - most UK guests are used to sleeping on at least a 135x190cm (4’6” double) bed at home. Even the budget hotels get great accolades for their large beds, very often because it’s a 150x200cm (5’ king size). Make sure your bed looks and feels big, ensuring plenty of room for two people.

3. Housekeeping assistance - ensure beds come with seasonal turning labels, which confirm when to turn and rotate mattresses to ensure even wear and maximize the life of the mattress.

4. Flexible occupancy - maximize occupancy levels through a choice of flexible solutions that enable a standard double room to be converted into a family room or a twin room. A ‘Zip and Link’ bed allows a double or king size bed to be easily unzipped and split to form twin beds. A ‘Space-Saver divan base’ can store an extra bed on retractable legs under the bed. Alternatively choose a sofa bed or a ‘Z-bed’ and create family rooms to easily accommodate children too.

5. Built to last – with hotel beds being used day in and day out, a robust and quality bed is a must in order to avoid paying out for early replacements. Ask about the guarantee that comes with the bed – most hotel beds are replaced on average every 5 years, so look for a five year guarantee.

6. Bespoke centerpiece - a unique bed can add a touch of glamour and individuality to any room. Themed rooms can especially benefit from having a bed designed specifically for that space. Divans provide a strong design statement when customers specify their own divan fabric to complement the interior design scheme. A unique and large headboard crowns the bed and provides a stunning focal point. Specify matching divan and headboard fabric for a striking look - a Euro-style headboard, fully upholstered to the floor, looks fantastic.

7. Hygiene - protect your new bed investment by fitting a mattress protector that encapsulates the top and sides of the mattress. This will prevent stains and smells and will ensure the bed lasts longer.

8. Installation, disposal and recycling - having specified your bed and created a unique look and feel, ask your bed supplier to take away your old beds and install the new beds. Hypnos provides a unique range of services that extends from initial bed survey, design and manufacturing, to installation, bed disposal and bed recycling. Hypnos’s dedicated installation team meets the highest on-site health and safety standards, ensuring minimum disruption, maximum efficiency and minimum waste. Hypnos’ old bed disposal and recycling service is carbon neutral and ensures 100% landfill avoidance.

9. Cash in - an increasing number of guests are checking in to a hotel and checking out ... with the bed. Don't miss out on this opportunity and make sure your customers know that if they enjoyed their sleep, they can purchase the bed – ask about Hypnos’s ‘Take Your Bed Home Service’.

10. Sleep extras - use fine cotton linen and offer a choice of pillows to provide extra 'homely' comfort. Also consider providing a “better sleep kit” made up of eye mask, ear plugs and aromatherapy oils. Some guests will also make use of air purifiers and ambient sound machines if available.

Don’t forget even with the most comfortable bed in the world a great night’s sleep can be ruined by inadequate bedroom temperature control; poor sound proofing from outside noise and from noisy guests in the corridors; plus the inability to completely ‘black-out’ and block light entering the room via windows. All these ‘environmental’ areas can disturb your guest’s slumber.