Like sleeping on clouds

By Jun Kyoung-woo

There’s a saying, “sleep is the best remedy.” People with jobs that require them to travel often will know exactly what this means. So they’re likely to give better ratings to hotels that offer comfortable beds rather than those with unique interior design or an outstanding night view. The most important factor for sleep is the bed. Hotels, thus, invest heavily on furnishing cozy beds. It might just be a piece of furniture, but considerable amount of thought goes into securing the highest quality of rest.

/ Westin Chosun Seoul

Utmost comfort

The Westin Chosun Seoul, which celebrated its centennial anniversary this year, supplies guests with what they call “heavenly bed.”

What makes this bed special is that the bedding is meticulously made with 10 sheets layered on top of the mattress. A mattress cover, a thermal blanket, three-layered cotton sheet, goose feather blanket and white duvet are layered on top of the mattress, which already has 900 springs inside. Thus, the bed is fluffy as cotton-candy and is extremely stable – tightly supporting the body. The hotel, which is a global branch of the Starwood hotel chain, invested $30 million in this bed which dates back to 1999.

As the “heavenly bed” became renowned for providing the “sleeping on the clouds” experience, other hotels in Seoul started to show interest in bed marketing. As can be seen in Marriott’s “revive bed,” global hotel chains started introducing their own signature beds. Local hotels have only recently gained acumen in that area.

/ The Shilla Seoul

The Shilla Seoul, which opened after refurbishment last year, emphasizes “best sleep of one’s life.” It chose Simmons’ Beautyrest Primo mattress which is made of environmentally-friendly material with a built-in topper with memory foam that provides a new level of comfort. On top of this, goose feather pads are added under the sheets. The pad is made of Hungarian goose down of the highest quality. The beige-colored bedding provides emotional comfort and is soft as the skin of a child.

This is because the hotel upgraded the former 300TC model to 400TC. (TC or thread count refers to the number of threads in 1 square inch of fabric). Simmons’ Beautyrest mattress line dominates the domestic luxury hotel market, as over 80 percent of hotels use their bedding.

The Grand Hyatt Seoul, Park Hyatt Seoul and The Plaza hotels have

partnered with Korea’s popular bed brand, Ace Bed. The beds made by

Ace also have a global reputation for their comfort.

/ Lotte Hotel Seoul

Customized services

What hotels have in store for guests’ “good night sleep” are not only the beds. Conrad Seoul and the Plaza have rooms equipped with automatic curtains shutting off light entirely. A touch on the button of the control panel on the side of the bed engulfs the room into complete darkness.

Another factor ensuring deep sleep is the variety of pillows. The Lotte Hotel Seoul has a supply of Korean traditional pillows along with five different options such as Bio Pillow, Zen Buckwheat Pillow, Memory Foam Pillow and Woolen Pillow. The Shilla Seoul offers eight kinds of pillows including those of famous bedding brands, Temper and Lofty.

As emotional comfort can be a crucial factor for good night sleep, hotels’ detailed services can minimize the anxiety and discomfort one might feel in an alien city.

The Plaza / Jun Kyoung-woo

The Park Hyatt Seoul offers data-driven service based on data retrieved from a guest’s first visit. From television volume, frequented channels, bidet temperature to room temperature, guests’ preferences and habits are set exactly as their initial visit.

Water and remote control are also placed on the customer’s preferred side of the bed. The ironing, humidifier, air purifier and other conveniences that the customer used on his or her previous stay are also set based on the data of the prior visit. Even the pillows are arranged according to the individual’s liking. Such personalized service allows the customers to feel at home.

/ Park Hyatt Seoul

Business hotels

Business hotels, which are rapidly increasing in Seoul, are not as elaborately decorated or as spacious as the top-tier hotels, but their standard for beds almost matches that of luxury hotels.

Aloft Seoul, a sister brand of W Hotels, which is a Starwood chain, does not compromise its limited room space with smaller beds. They use Simmons mattresses that are similar in size and comfort to those at luxury hotels.

The Mercure Seoul Ambassador Gangnam Sodowe, which is frequented by businessmen in the area, also uses comfortable beddings that surpass the quality of those used in other Mercure chains.

The Shilla Stay Yeoksam, a business hotel brand of the Shilla Seoul which opened on Oct. 1, has 306 rooms equipped with the highest quality beds that match the standard of those at the Shilla Seoul.