Analyzing the Comfort of Hotel Beds

After a long day or night of traveling, the hotel bed is the most welcome sight to any traveler. In fact, hotels pride themselves and some even advertise about the comfort and quality of the beds within each hotel room. There is obviously more than one type of bed used in a hotel room. The difference is in size, features, and materials that have a direct effect on the bed's comfort.

Types of Bed Sizes

Hotel beds come in three sizes, queen, king and twin sizes. You may see a full sized bed in a small hotel, but these beds are rare. Typical sizes for the beds are as follows, the twin 39 inches wide and 75 inches long, a queen is 60 inches by 80 inches, the king is 76 inches by 80 inches. Some hotels may have a California king sized mattress which is shorter slimmer than a king mattress, but bigger than a queen.

Mattress Types

Hotels tend to use innerspring mattresses that have a pillow top. The innerspring mattress has wire coils that are placed in rows between the top and the bottom layers or mattress ticking. The type of coil varies, but its duties are the same. The coils provide the support for your body as it lays on the mattress. Beneath the coils is a thin layer of ticking. On the top, however, is often a plush padding called a pillow top. The pillow top provides extra support and the soft cushioning that many travelers seek after a long trip. The pillow top is the surface of the mattress.

Other Mattress Types

Some mattresses have foam tops on their mattresses instead of pillow tops. This gives travelers some of the comfort and firmness of a foam mattress without sacrificing support (because the coil mattress in underneath the foam). Sleep Number beds are also used in some luxury hotels. Sleep Number brand of beds come with controls that allow adjustment to either side of the bed. You can have the firmness that you love, while your partner has a soft mattress that he or she desires, all of this without sleeping in separate beds.

Beds to Accommodate Special Guests

In addition to the Sleep Number bed, you can ask the hotel for special mattresses, like an extra long king or queen sized mattress. Just call the concierge or arrange it before leaving on your trip. Hotels like the Westin Hotels and Resorts sell mattresses that they use in their hotel rooms. Again, contact the concierge at the Westin.