New Hotel Bed Allows Guests to Customize Sleeping Preferences
The Four Seasons hotel group takes their zzzs very seriously.
March 3, 2014— -- A new bed being unveiled at an international hotel chain will attempt to personalize each guest's sleeping experience to his or her preferences.
The Four Seasons Bed, a collaboration between the Four Seasons hotel group and bed manufacturer Simmons, will feature a new mattress system that can shift between three levels of firmness. After guests choose between soft, medium or firm mattress toppers, a selection of pillows and other bedside amenities will be available to completely customize the experience before arrival.
“From the day we welcomed our very first guests for the night more than five decades ago, we have placed supreme importance on creating optimal sleep conditions," said Chris Hunsberger, executive vice president of product and innovation at Four Seasons, in a statement. "Everyone has different sleep needs, but the desire for a good night’s rest is a universal passion. That’s why we’re making it as easy as possible to fully customize the sleep experience when you stay with Four Seasons."
WATCH: Hotels go to Extremes to Give Guests a Good Night Sleep
The new Four Seasons Bed, which is available at several locations in the United States, will replace beds at all Four Seasons locations over the next few years, the company said. The announcement came at the beginning of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 2-9) and on the heels of a sleep study commissioned by the hotel group, which found that "92 percent of respondents expressed distinct preferences on the firmness of a bed."
Not only that, but 30 percent of respondents had at some point requested to switch rooms, switch hotels or resorted to alternatives such as sleeping on the floor when a hotel bed did not meet their needs.
Other interesting findings noted in the survey included the fact that "44 percent said they wished they could make their bed at home the same way it’s made in a hotel, and 31 percent have wanted to take home the bed or linens."
WATCH: Get a Hotel Bed at Home
But if many travelers are united in their desire for a good night's sleep, they are divided by how they choose to wind down beforehand, according to the announcement.
"Pre-bedtime rituals also varied widely," the survey noted, "with Russians and Chinese favoring a hot shower or bath, the British tucking in to bed with a good book, and more than half of Americans saying they like to watch TV before sleeping."
