How Does Your Mattress Compare to a Hotel Bed?

David Perry, a writer for Furniture Today, recently brought up a subject matter that I repeatedly end up discussing with potential consumers – how does their own bed compare to a quality hotel bed.

Consumers often ask me “Do you carry (X Brand) mattress that (X Brand) hotels have in their rooms? It was extremely comfortable and I haven’t slept that good in years?”

I am a firm believer in the idea that a couple of nights on a certain hotel mattress doesn’t always equal the best mattress choice for purchasing. In fact most people in my opinion don’t really understand how worn their mattress really is.

Mattress over Eight – Time to Replace

The Sheraton Park Tower, London, England, UK : LUXURY COLLECTION : Photo by Ugg Boy and Ugg Girl

Mattress Firm has been stressing the importance of replacing exhausted worn-out mattresses with their “If your mattress is over eight years old, it’s time to replace” marketing campaign.

Recently a question that had never been posed before was asked of consumers: Compare your current mattress to that of quality hotels in which you have recently stayed.

As a salesman I guess I am biased because I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture like this question did, I was only addressing the few people complained that their mattress didn’t feel as good as the hotels they stayed in.

The Answer to the Question was Fascinating

The question addresses a common industry belief that people should consider replacing their mattress if they are sleeping better in a hotel than they are on their own bed. This is advise I don’t disagree with.   The recent survey results showed a strong liking to the quality of beds they owned personally compared to those at hotels.

• 55% of the people surveyed said the sleep experience in their own bedroom was better.
• In contrast, 29% thought the sleep experience was at least equal to their bedroom at home
• Surprisingly only 16% said the mattress sleep experience was actually better at a quality hotel.

Interestingly, when asked about the  bedding they nestle up in – like pillows and sheets – the results were very similar. An overwhelming majority of the people polled said that the sheets and pillows used on their own mattresses provided an overall  better sleep experience.

In recent years not just quality hotels but hotels in general have committed to looking for new ways to gain a a competitive edge. Their commitment to step up their game and commit to higher quality mattresses, sheets and pillows have been a very large part of their marketing strategy. Even with the bar now set higher, consumers still said that their own bedding more than meet the challenge of the question asked. This is a win win for nearly everyone but the hospitality industry.

The Results:

Mattress owners are generally pleased with their mattresses, especially when compared to the beds that they experience while sleeping at quality hotels. Perhaps in light of all the negatives concerning mattress shopping, overall their experience has produced good mattress shopping results for them in their own bedroom.

Source: National Sleep Foundation 2012 Bedroom Poll

Source: Furniture Today Magazine David Perry