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Why are high-end hotel beds particularly comfortable? Light Science Popularization on Bedding Selection

The bed is a place for us to relax, rest, and be alone. We spend one-third of our lives in bed, and the quality of our sleep directly affects our mental state and health. That's why choosing a good bed is so important. If you still feel exhausted after a long sleep or often wake up due to neck and shoulder pain, then you need to carefully check your bed.

The choice of bedding is also very important. Narrowly speaking, bedding usually includes bedding sets, blankets, pillows, mattresses, etc. For example, the China Textile Association divides bedding into four categories: covers, pillows, bedding, and sets. In a broad sense, lighting systems, fragrances, etc. are all part of a complete and comfortable sleep system. The reason why we can have a more comfortable sleep experience in hotels is because they value the creation of a sleep system.

Ergonomics in Sleep

As a respondent in the field of industrial design, I will now discuss sleep from the perspective of ergonomics in industrial design. Ergonomics aims to establish a harmonious relationship between people and objects (products) by studying the structural and functional dimensions of the human body to enhance comfort and happiness.

Ergonomics plays a crucial role in whether we can sleep well, and I will discuss it separately in the following sections.

1. Mattress

Mattresses are very important for sleep, and comfortable mattresses help reduce the stress points on our body. We usually change our sleeping posture 30 to 60 times during the sleep process, and maintaining a relaxed spine always puts high demands on the mattress. Mattresses that are too soft or too hard can cause us to toss and turn during sleep, resulting in poor rest. The ideal mattress should achieve both soothing and supportive functions, allowing it to fully adapt to the body. Mattresses should have high elasticity, which can prolong sleep time.

2. Pillow

Although we all have our preferred sleeping position, we usually change our position every 90 minutes. This requires pillows to fully support our head and neck during sleep, preventing the neck from continuously bending sideways or forward, or excessively stretching backward

A pillow that is too soft is prone to deformation and cannot support our head and neck; A hard pillow can make the scalp uncomfortable. Pillows that are too high or too low can easily damage the cervical spine.

A pillow of moderate height, whether lying to the left or right, maintains consistent curvature of our cervical spine, allowing it to remain in a neutral position.

The filling material of the pillow is another factor we need to consider. The common types of pillow fillers on the market include: memory cotton, buckwheat shell, down, polyester fiber, PE hose, wool, etc. Down is usually divided into duck down and goose down. Pillows used in hotels usually use white goose down as a filling, which combines the fluffiness and support of memory cotton, while being lightweight, breathable, and not stuffy.

3. Quilt

The quilt is related to ergonomics in terms of its warmth retention. The blanket needs to be filled in different zones to make the shoulders and neck fit better and achieve better insulation effect.

When choosing a quilt, we pay attention to its filling material. Sometimes when we wake up sweating profusely, it's possible that the material of the blanket filling is not good. According to the filling material of the quilt, it is mainly divided into two categories: synthetic fiber filling and filling. The former includes polyester fiber quilts, soybean fiber quilts, four hole quilts, seven hole quilts, etc; The latter includes cotton quilts, silk quilts, wool quilts, down quilts, etc.

The filling material of synthetic fiber bedding is synthetic fiber, which has poor texture, heat resistance, and breathability, but the advantage is its lower price. The common categories of synthetic fiber quilts include four hole quilts, seven hole quilts, nine hole quilts, and space quilts. The larger the number of holes, the more pores there are, and the warmer it is. Chemical fiber is not recommended here.

As for the quilt with filling material:

(1) Cotton is a traditional insulation material, and cotton quilts are also common quilts. Its drawbacks are obvious: heavy.

(2) The silk quilt is close to the body and has good warmth retention. However, silk fibers are long, prone to tangling, and difficult to maintain.

(3) Wool is elastic. But the breathability is poor, so careful selection is needed for hair.

(4) Among them, down comforters can be said to be lightweight quilts, filled with duck down or goose down. The best quality is goose down, which has large down petals, small feather stems, good quality, sufficient elasticity, and strong warmth retention, followed by duck down. The hotel uses goose down bedding. Good warmth retention and strong breathability.

Down has a lightweight texture, and with the same volume, the weight of a down comforter is only one-third of that of a cotton quilt

Overall, the ranking of these 5 types of quilts should be: down comforter>silk comforter>wool comforter>cotton comforter>synthetic comforter.

4. Bedding kit

Bedding kits typically include bed sheets, duvet covers, pillows, pillowcases, etc. These bedding items come into direct contact with our bodies, so they are very important.

The previous discussion mainly focused on ergonomics, and for bedding sets, we mainly talked about fabrics. In terms of fabrics, there are currently three main types: pure cotton, linen, and polyester cotton. The good one is pure cotton, which has good moisture absorption, soft hand feel, and durability. And among all pure cotton materials, long staple cotton is also the choice of hotels. And the longer the cotton fiber, the more breathable and softer it is, mainly suitable for all seasons.

Long staple cotton has long sunshine hours, high maturity, long cotton fibers, and good hand feel.

Another indicator is the fabric count. High count and high-density fabrics are softer, smoother, and have a glossy finish. The fabric count can be simply understood as the thickness of the yarn. Obviously, the finer the yarn, the softer and smoother the bedding. We see that 40s, 60s, and 80s in the product parameters refer to the count when selecting bedding. The hotel has 60s and 80s, and the suites in the hotel, such as the Ritz Carlton room, can last up to 120s.

The secret of hotel sleep - a complete sleep system

The secret to the comfort we feel when staying in a hotel is that the hotel designs bedding from the perspective of a complete sleep system.

1. Comfortable bedding

A survey of hotel guests shows that "getting a full night's sleep" is an important service that hotels should provide to their guests. Bedding is the key and core to creating a sleep system. Each hotel brand has its own bed system. For example, The Westin Hotel once launched a huge project to create a "sleep experience" - investing $30 million to build the Heavenly Bed. The bed consists of 10 layers, including Westin duvet covers, down comforters, custom spring mattresses, Egyptian cotton bed sheets, 13 inch double mattress, and luxurious five different pillows and pillows.

2. Warm lighting creates an atmosphere

Warm lighting with a Kelvin temperature of 2700 or lower makes the room feel more comfortable. Unlike the fluorescent lamps we usually use, the warm light is softer and more soothing to our eyes.

3. Color matching

In the hotel industry, the color that resonates with luxury is undoubtedly white. White has always represented purity and flawlessness, which used to be exclusive to the wealthy. At the same time, one thing that people often overlook is the color of bedding: we usually choose bedding colors based on our personal preferences, but in fact, light colors are helpful for healthy sleep. By matching with light colored blankets, pillowcases, etc., a more harmonious visual effect can also be achieved, which is more in line with the current white home style.

Current white home style: clean and simple

Reliable bedding? I believe that in addition to meeting the ergonomics requirements mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is also necessary to undergo millions of tests and gain unanimous recognition from everyone. The hotel beds have been continuously enriched and improved over the course of the hotel's century long development and guest inspections.