Hotels replace their mattresses an average of 3 to 5 years. And while hotel mattresses get more use than their home counterparts, you can still extend their life cycle with proper care and maintenance.
The Importance of Quality Hotel Mattresses
The hotel industry continues to become more competitive as more companies launch, and hotels offer more luxurious services. Last year airports recorded over 1.5 billion international arrivals (2019), not including travelers by vehicles, trains, and boats, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is true to say that this year has witnessed a slowdown due to the covid-19 pandemic, but it’s reasonable to expect that things are going to pick up soon, allowing for further growth in the sector.
Mattresses are one of the ways hotels can set themselves apart from the competition. This is part of the overall approach of making sure guests are comfy, peaceful and rested. To this end, choosing high-quality mattresses and properly maintaining them imposes itself as a logical solution.
What Are Hotel Guest Expectations?
The old adage that “The customer is always right” is still true today. Various studies show that some top priorities of hotel guests include:
- Personalized experiences
- Digital keys
- Friendly/Helpful staff
- High-quality customer service
- Mobile info
Even in the Digital Age of Wi-Fi, customers still look for some traditional features like clean rooms, hot showers, and comfortable beds. It’s all part of the process of putting customers first.
The ultimate goal of hotels should be to meet customers’ expectations. High customer satisfaction can help to build your brand and extend your company’s reach. It’s important to go above and beyond basic customer service. This can help your hotel stand apart from the competition.
Types of Hotel Mattresses
Hardness/Softness
While firm mattresses provide good back support, overfly-firm mattresses can cause the sleeper to toss and turn all night. When combined with the right firmness and mattress cleaning, this can offer customers a good night’s sleep, so make sure you find the sweet spot of firmness/softness.
Cool mattresses
Many experts recommend that bedroom temperature be about 65°F (18°C), which is somewhat lower than room temperature. It’s also important for hotel mattresses to help guests maintain comfy body temperature.
Some memory foam mattresses have a built-in cooling system, which can help guests to literally stay cool when they get shut-eye. These foam mattresses are also available in different sizes. This allows you to easily match up your hotel’s twin, queen, and king beds with appropriate mattresses.
Pain-reducing Mattresses
Back pain is quite common, and 8% of Americans have experienced some sort of back pain recently, according to a report by Health Policy Institute (HPI).
Foundation Mattress
This is the base mattress that supports items like memory foam toppers. Some of the most popular varieties include box spring and memory foam foundations. While box springs don’t include actual metal coils, they still have “slats” that provide the same benefit—minus weak coils.
Stylish & Attractive
The form should always follow function. However, taking steps like maintaining a room’s theme/color scheme and cleaning a mattress can have a big impact on the mattress’ appearance.
Importance of Hotel Mattress Maintenance
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
There’s some debate about the origins of the saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” However, several historical accounts seem to attribute it to the Ancient Egyptians. Today in a world of digital keys, it’s still important for hotel guests to experience a clean hotel room. In fact, it’s arguably the most important factor when maintaining hotel rooms and your hotel business.
Mattress Hygiene
There’s no question that running a hotel business can be tough. It’s not uncommon for hotel managers to work 16-hour days, 6-days/week, for example. It’s all about getting back to basics by keeping the hotel room and mattresses as neat and tidy as possible.
The mattress is actually one of the most overlooked hotel room pieces in the industry. Some basic cleaning/maintenance can help to boost customer satisfaction. It provides clean/hygienic travel accommodations, so they experience being “home away from home.”
Customer Impressions
You’ll certainly want your customers to have a positive experience when staying at your hotel. If you create a positive perception, this increases the chance they’ll be a repeat customer. Meanwhile, if the mattress is dirty and/or smelly, then it probably won’t happen.
The reason is a well-maintained mattress can also improve your hotel’s image. It’s important to protect your brand, and one way to do that is by maintaining clean hotel rooms, including the mattress, pillows, and beddings.
How to make the perfect hotel bed (video)
Top Cleaning Tips for Hotel Mattresses
Clean/Maintain after High Season
Seasonality in the hotel industry can depend of the region you operate in. Regardless of when it takes place, make sure to clean/maintain the mattresses after these times for the best results.
Perform Mattress Rejuvenation
There are different ways to rejuvenate mattresses, including:
- Vacuum without steam
- Place outdoors in the sun
- Side-turn for maintaining the shape
The exception is that some mattresses shouldn’t have sun exposure. Make sure to read the care instructions, so you’ll know what’s allowed and disallowed.
Avoid “Wet Cleaning”
This might seem like a practical option, but there are better options. Try to avoid various cleaning ingredients like water, detergents and steam.
The main problem here is moisture, so keep the cleaning process as dry as possible. It’s better for a professional cleaning service to do regular cleaning and stain removal.
Ventilate Mattress Regularly
Just like mattress cleaning, it’s also important to make sure the mattress is properly ventilated for cleanliness/hygienic purposes. Keep the door open during room service and remove all moisture from the mattress.
Indirect Ways to Protect Mattresses
While these issues aren’t directly linked to cleaning mattresses, they can indirectly keep them cleaner, so the process will be much easier when cleaning is performed:
- Provide customers with ironing equipment
- Offer a tray for dining on bed
- Give written rules to the housekeeping staff
Top Maintenance Tips for Hotel Mattresses
Invest in High-Quality Mattress
Maintenance is a lot easier when your hotel pick high-quality mattresses. This involves different issues like material and design. Your customers will get a better experience when you start with a good mattress from the get-go.
A related issue is that such mattresses will also require less overall maintenance. This, in turn, can make life easier for your hotel staff since cleaning a mattress will be easier.
Make Mattress Maintenance Automatic
When this is made into compulsory activity for hotel staff, it can have a positive effect on your customers. They’ll observe that you’re concerned about the hotel’s cleanliness. Customers will be satisfied when they realize you’re doing everything to maintain mattresses clean and comfy.
Set Standard Guidelines
This includes different procedures hotel staff should follow when maintaining mattresses, whether it’s daily or seasonal. If everyone is on the same page, it can help to ensure all mattresses are maintained properly.
Change Beddings Regularly
While this isn’t technically related to the mattress, it’s connected to the bed set. Make sure to change the beddings after every customer. This helps to make sure the next guest experiences a fresh set of sheets, blankets, quilt, etc.
It’s important for hotels to offer comfy and supportive mattresses to their clients so they feel at home away from home. With proper care and maintenance, you can extend their lifespan and save some precious money in doing so.
