Warm Bedding: The Best Bedding for Colder Months
As the chilly winter nights draw in, it’s important that your hotel offers guests a sanctuary from the cold temperatures and wild weather, providing a warm place for them to rest, relax, and get a good night’s sleep.
In a study by Harvard Medical School, guest sleep satisfaction was found to be a strong predictor of guest satisfaction, demonstrating how important a comfortable bed is to the guest experience. The bed is often the first thing a customer notices when they enter a hotel room, and presenting clean, soft, high quality bedding is essential to give a sense of luxury, hygiene and comfort.
Not only should hotel bedding match up to high quest expectations, but it should also change with the seasons, becoming warmer for the chilly winter months. In this blog, we’ll explore how to keep customers warm in the colder months and take you through all the must-have bedding buys.
How can the bedding you choose affect guest warmth and comfort?
There are several perfect ingredients for a warm and cosy bed that will make sure guests don’t feel the cold and can get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Bed sheets
Bed sheets are an essential requirement for hygiene, comfort and warmth, providing a layer of protection and warmth against the mattress. Whether you choose a flat sheet or fitted sheet, soft, smooth fabrics are essential. When shopping for warm bed sheets, pay attention to thread count - the higher it is, the softer and more luxurious the material.
Another important factor to consider is a mattress protector underneath the bed sheet. Not only is this an important hygiene measure, but it also provides another barrier from the mattress and adds more warmth on a chilly night.
Mattress
While cosy bedding is probably the first thing that comes to mind with winter bedding, the type of mattress also has an impact on temperature. Mattresses trap the heat from your body to keep you warm at night. Choosing a high grade filling provides extra comfort and support for guests.
Mattress toppers
Mattress toppers add insulation and offer another barrier of protection from the mattress, not to mention extra padding and comfort. Opting for a quilted mattress topper traps pockets of air to lock in the heat.
Duvets and duvet covers
As your body temperature naturally starts to fall as you prepare for sleep, staying at a comfortable warm temperature with a quality bedding set is important to ensure a peaceful night. Duvets trap the warm air generated by your body, keeping the cold out. Choose a thicker duvet in the winter months - the higher the tog, the warmer it will be.
A duvet cover set is essential for hygiene and adds more warmth. Investing in quality here is important, as these are one the main things your guest will judge you on.
What bedding material will keep you cosy?
When shopping for the perfect winter bedding collection for your hotel, choice of material is important. A cotton duvet cover is not only beautifully soft and long-lasting, but a good all-rounder, keeping guests cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Cotton bedding offers good insulation, natural breathability, and a luxurious feel.
For a more affordable option, consider polycotton - a mixture of polyester and cotton. While it’s not quite as soft or luxurious, it keeps guests nice and cosy at a lower cost.
What’s the best tog for a warm duvet?
The tog (thermal overall grade) of a duvet refers to its thermal resistance. The tog scale runs from one to 15 - the higher the tog, the warmer the duvet will be. Opt for 10.5 togs or more for guest duvets in the colder months.
Duvets with natural fillings, like goose down, or fibres such as wool or silk, tend to be warmer than synthetic fillings but can be more expensive. However, there are plenty of high quality synthetic alternatives on the market capable of keeping your guests nice and toasty.
What to look for in a mattress or mattress topper
When looking for the perfect mattress, pay attention to pocket springs. Products with upwards of 1,000 pocket springs offer a good level of structure and support.
If you’re adding a mattress topper for an extra layer of indulgence, pay attention to the GSM - the weight - of the fabric, and opt for a high GSM for extra padding and warmth. Yet again, cotton offers the softest and most luxurious feel, but there are good quality polycotton and microfibre alternatives on the market for a smaller budget.
Extra top tips for keeping guest rooms warm
Alongside the winter bedding essentials, here are other key considerations to help keep your guests toasty and warm in the winter:
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Sufficient heating through the hotel - According to the CIBSE Guide B, UK hotel rooms should be maintained between 20°C and 28°C.
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Extra layers - Blankets and throws offer an optional extra layer of warmth should guests need it, adding another layer of weight and warmth to the duvet. Adding a throw to plain white winter bedding is also a great way to add some character, colour or texture to the room.
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Move the bed away from the window - The right guest bedroom layout is essential. The window is usually the coldest part of the room, so move the bed away from it if you can to help guests stay warm.
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Invest in quality thermal curtains or a thermal blind - These trap the air and insulate the windows.
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Introduce warm tones to the room - For a cosy contract to the dark and bitter cold outside, consider adding warm lighting to the room or touches of warm colour with cushions, throws and curtains.
Explore Star Linens winter bedding
Whether you’re going all-out to prepare your hotel for the cold winter nights, or you’re making a few final finishing touches, Star Linen’s bedding and bed linen ranges provide the best quality products to ensure guests stay warm and cosy during their stay.
Shop the range here, or if you need help finding the warmest bedding for winter to complement your hotel’s style and budget, get in touch.