INDUSTRY INITIATIVES
Hotels and airlines are fast recognising the importance of sleep for their customers’ well-being. Here are some of the ways they are trying to improve your rest.
BETTER BEDS
STARWOOD’S WESTIN BRAND was a pioneer in sleep quality, introducing its “Heavenly Bed” concept in 1999. Now it has a store selling custom-designed mattresses (about ₹ 1,75,000 for king size), pillows and 400-thread count cotton linen (sets from about ₹ 90,000).
westinstore.com
FOUR SEASONS has upgraded its beds with a custom-designed mattress that includes a “Gel Touch” foam centre to absorb heat and regulate body temperature. Like Goldilocks, guests can also choose from a soft, medium or firm mattress topper. The new beds are available in most US hotels, while the international roll-out should be completed over the next few years. You can also order one to take home. fourseasons.com
ETIHAD AIRWAYS collaborated with the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology in Abu Dhabi to develop its new sleep programme. It now offers first class passengers all-natural mattresses sourced from the Hevea rubber tree, 100 per cent cotton bedding and down duvets. etihad.com/comfortzone
PRESCRIPTION PILLOWS
THERE’S A REASON behind the trend for hotel pillow menus – sleep specialists believe the wrong pillow height throws the spine out of alignment and can lead to restlessness. One solution is buying a bespoke pillow online, designed by sleep guru and osteopath Sammy Margo, by filling out a questionnaire about your sleeping position, body size and preferences (about ₹ 1500). goodsleepexpert.co.uk
■ ALTERNATIVELY, make the most of the sleep menu on offer at most premium hotel brands. At the Dorsett Grand Labuan in Malaysia, you can choose from a water pillow, a magnetic pillow or one that plays music. dorsetthotels.com
■ WHAT YOU CONSUME throughout the day can improve your sleep quality by regulating your blood sugar levels. At London’s Corinthia hotel, a sleep menu devised by nutritional therapist Jeannette Hyde includes a turkey burger with beenleigh blue cheese and baby spinach, which is rich in tryptophan, used to make the sleep hormone melatonin, and magnesium-rich choices such as warm asparagus with orange hollandaise sauce, roasted sunflower seeds and golden berries, and baby red chard to ease muscle tension. It’s available to guests who opt for the two-day “Sleep Retreat”, which also includes a spa treatment.
corinthia.com
■ CROWNE PLAZA offers guests free podcasts from sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski.
crowneplaza.com
■ AT CHAMPNEYS’ UK RESORTS, Jason Ellis from Northumbria University holds specialist retreats throughout the year to look at your personal barriers to better rest, identifying your ideal bedtime and working out how much sleep you really need.
champneys.com
■ ITC HOTELS offers “sleep menus” that include a choice of pillow sizes and density, calming aromatherapy essential oil sprays, in-room foot massages, and a “dream kerchief” – a handkerchief doused in aromatherapy oil. itchotels.in
POWER-NAP PODS
■ SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT has free rest
areas with reclining seats.
changiairport.com ■ ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S Terminal 3 has egg-shaped “Go Sleep” pods that can be rented by the hour for Dhs 30-48 (about
₹ 500-800). They feature a chair that converts to a flat bed and secure storage for luggage, Wi-Fi and power points.
abudhabiairport.ae, gosleep.aero
■ DUBAI INTERNATIONAL Terminal 1 has 10 soundproofed “Snoozecubes”, bookable by the hour for Dhs 65 (about ₹ 1100). The units include a full-size mattress, TV, Wi-Fi and flight updates.
snoozecube.com
■ MOSCOW SHEREMETYEVO’S Four-sqm “Sleepboxes” house up to three bunk beds, bookable by half-hour periods. sleepbox.co.uk
■ “NAPCABS” AT MUNICH AIRPORT and “Sams Snooze at my Space” pods in Terminal 3 of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International are bookable by the hour, while Yotel cabins in Gatwick South Terminal and Heathrow T4 can be hired for four hours. napcabs.com newdelhiairport.in yotel.com
SLEEP CONCIERGES
■ AT LONDON’S
MONTCALM hotel, sleep concierges are on hand to help you choose the right pillow to suit your sleeping position, bring you a bedtime drink, or ensure your room is the perfect temperature and level of darkness.
themontcalm.com
■ NEW YORK’S BENJAMIN
HOTEL will set up a white noise machine to drown out background sound, and arrange a sleep-inducing prebed spa treatment. thebenjamin.com ■ AT THE WESTIN NEW YORK at Times Square, you can opt for a “rest well call”, which will remind you when it’s time to go to bed.
westinnymedia.com
QUIET FLOORS
■ MORE AND MORE HOTELS are creating business-only or quiet floors. Crowne Plaza properties have allocated zones from Sunday to Thursday with no children or leisure guests allowed. Rooms also include soundproofed walls and headboards, anti-snoring pillows and white noise machines. crowneplaza.com
WEIRD SCIENCE
■ DELTA AIR LINES recently showcased a “photon shower” prototype created by University of Oxford neuroscientist Russell Foster. The lightfilled cubicle is designed to instantly reset your body clock and eliminate jet lag.
fastcocreate.com, delta.com
■ BRITISH AIRWAYS has trialled a “happiness blanket” that connects to neuro-sensors that measure passengers’ brainwaves and changes from red to blue depending on how relaxed they are. The idea is that cabin crew could alter their routine according to a passenger’s mood (see June 30 news story at businesstraveller.com/ tags/british+airways). ba.com