Consumers say their beds beat hotel beds in comfort

Mattress Metrics: Hotel Ratings

David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2012

The National Sleep Foundation broke new ground when it asked consumers to compare their mattress with the mattress in a quality hotel. We've never seen this issue addressed before, and we find the results fascinating.

     This question plays off a popular bit of industry wisdom that holds that consumers should think about replacing their mattress if they are sleeping better in hotel beds than in their own bedroom. That's good advice, we believe.
     The survey results give a strong endorsement to the quality of beds that consumers have in their bedrooms, with 55% of the consumers saying the element of the sleep experience stemming from a comfortable mattress is better in their own bedroom. In contrast, 29% of consumers say the mattress experience is equal in their bedroom and in a quality hotel room, while just 16% say the mattress experience is better in a quality hotel.
     The results were similar for pillows and sheets, with the overwhelming majority of consumers saying the pillows and sheets in their own bedroom provide a better sleep experience than those they find in quality hotels.
     These results are especially significant, given the fact that many hotels have stepped up their commitment to quality mattresses, pillows and sheets. The bar is higher, yet consumers say their own beds, pillows and sheets more than meet the challenge. That's good news for bedding and sleep accessories producers.

Key take-away

These results show that consumers are generally pleased with their mattresses, compared to the mattresses they experience in quality hotels. That indicates they have done a good job of finding beds that give them a good, comfortable night of sleep. In other words, their mattress shopping produced good results for them.