Don’t snooze on bedding: Enhance guest experience with quilts, blankets & bedspreads

For any accommodation provider, bed comfortability is key. A poor night’s sleep in uncomfortable bedding can be a dealbreaker for guests, who will remember your accommodation for all the wrong reasons!

In fact, a recent survey of hotel guests found that 80.6 percent cited a comfortable bed as the single most important feature in a hotel room.

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For comparison, 5.6 percent said a good view from the balcony was the most important feature, while 5.1 percent listed attentive customer service.

When it came to getting a good night’s sleep, uncomfortable pillows, a lack of pillows, and poor duvet quality were all listed as issues leading to sleep disturbances.

In this feature, we’ll delve into the latest trends and styles of bed covers and discuss the importance of finding the perfect balance between durability and comfort when selecting commercial-grade options.

What’s trending?

Unlike domestic bedding and linen, trends in hospitality bedding generally stick to classic tones and quality materials.

Manager of Jason Commercial Vicki Lugg said the biggest trend within hospitality bedding at the moment was a renewed focus on local products.

“With the huge escalation in freight costs through COVID, there has been a definite trend for Australian-made products. We have invested in new machinery and technology in the past two years and are now proudly making Australian-made pillows and quilts” Ms Lugg said.

“Also important for businesses is easy-care bedding, freeing up staff.

“Products need to be easily launderable and quick drying, with minimal ironing and maintenance required. 

“A good blend of natural and man-made fibres offers a great balance to achieve ‘easy-care’ housekeeping solutions.”

Australian Linen Supply National Sales & Marketing Manager Helen Hurst said that while COVID had affected many aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry, trends in bedding had been largely unaffected.

“The style is still the same, many hotels are still using satin stripe triple sheeting,” Ms Hurst said.

“The biggest change we saw during and after COVID was the increase of sales in mattress protectors, both standard and waterproof, and our product design of the quilt protector, which is a fabulous item to use when triple sheeting.”

The benefits of commercial quality

With chain stores now offering bedding at competitive prices, it may be tempting to look to the retail market for your next bedding purchases. However, the quality of commercial bedding means it remains the best choice for the needs of the accommodation sector.

“Commercial quality bedding and linen are engineered to withstand a daily or frequent washing cycle at high drying temperatures,” Ms Lugg said.

“Therefore, it needs to be more robust than domestic quality products. Commercial products are tested and guaranteed, allowing a longer lifespan.”

Ms Hurst said ensuring commercial quality also needs to extend to guestroom towels.

“We use much stronger yarns to produce both our bedding and towelling, as the products need to be able to withstand harsh continuous washing,” she added.

How to stand out from the crowd

When it comes to trends in design, each accommodation operator will have different taste and aesthetic goals with their bedding. However, a few well-done design choices can go a long way in helping to exceed guest expectations.

Ms Hurst said that in caravan parks there had been an increased request for coloured and patterned comforters.

Additionally, crinkle-look bed covers were becoming a popular choice both from an interior design perspective and to reduce the workload for staff with no ironing required.

But guests will always continue to appreciate a classically well-made bed, with Ms Lugg saying that a firmly made bed never goes out of style. For a pop of colour, she suggested including coordinating bed runners and cushions.

She added: “Everyone expects the best possible value for money, no matter what the rating or level of their property is. Making sure you choose the correct bedding for your property will help you meet the expectations of your guests for a comfortable and relaxing stay.”

Blankets

A cosy blanket adds a luxurious feel to any guest’s stay. Perfect for snuggling under to watch a movie, or an essential if your accommodation is located in an area known to experience cold snaps.

Ms Hurst said a key consideration when purchasing a blanket for an accommodation setting, was ensuring it will be easy to launder.

She suggested luxurious ultra plush microfibre blankets were a popular choice with both guests and the housekeeping team as they have a luxurious feel but are also easy to wash and dry.

Ms Lugg echoed the sentiment that any blankets must be easy for the housekeeping team to clean and dry within a timely manner.

“A great blanket must offer what the guest is expecting; warmth, weight, comfort and texture,” she said.

“Depending on the climate in your location and the temperature of your rooms, choose a blanket to suit your budget and requirements.

“Make sure it is easily launderable, as blankets can hold up to five times their weight in water and can be bulky to wash and time-consuming to dry.”

Sustainability

For all areas of the hospitality and tourism industry, sustainability is a major focus.

When it comes to bedding, Ms Lugg suggested choosing natural fibres was a simple way to reduce your environmental impact, with natural cotton and bamboo proving popular choices.

Ms Hurst said that Australian Linen Supply was working towards developing a recycling system for old textiles to help accommodation operators meet their sustainability goals.

“The process will be to shred the textiles, separate the polyester from the cotton, wash and dry thoroughly, to then either turn the textiles into pellets or powder, both items can then be produced into more textiles or other products.

While Ms Hurst said the system was still in development, she hoped when operational in the future, it would help reduce the volume of textiles ending up in landfill.

Sarah Davison

Sarah is a freelance journalist with experience across print, digital and audio. After working for Multimedia Publishing as a contributing writer, she has recently joined the team in a part-time capacity for School News AU and AccomNews.