It’s not just about the destination anymore. All the best hotels are now offering sleep vacations to help you catch up on your zzzzzs.
One of the greatest luxuries a hotel can offer is good night’s sleep, and most desirable destinations sink mega-millions into bespoke bedding with all the trimmings to ensure guests get their 40 winks in style. But even a handmade Hästens mattress woven with 22-carat gold thread won’t guarantee uninterrupted slumber when you’re jetlagged, you have a big meeting first thing in the morning, or you’re just one of those people who struggles to sleep in a strange environment, no matter how high the linen thread count might be.
Hotels are waking up to this, and it’s high time, too. With sleep deprivation at epidemic levels, a whole ‘exhaustion economy’ is booming: according to a recent McKinsey report, the global market for sleep health is estimated to be worth between $30 and $40 billion. And multiple studies over recent years have revealed that a solid night’s kip — between seven and nine hours — is essential to both physical and mental health. Forget about bragging that you can get by on four hours a night — ugh, so ’80s! — because science has confirmed that quality sleep improves our memory, learning ability and mood. REM-rich slumber, it seems, is the key to happiness. To make sure guests are well-rested happy campers, many high-end hotels are now offering custom sleep amenities ranging from relaxing aromatic oils to technology engineered to help reset guests’ circadian rhythms, as well as comprehensive sleep programs informed by medical experts in the field. The Montcalm London Marble Arch, for instance, provides a lavender turndown service as well as special room temperature and lighting adjustments to cultivate the ideal sleeping environment. Swisshôtel Berlin has a Deep Sleep Package designed by a somnologist that includes light therapy and visits to the hotel’s PowerNap Lounge. Sleep ambassadors host private yogic sleep sessions at most Six Senses spas, while at the Kamalaya Koh Samui in Thailand you can indulge in sleep therapies incorporating naturopathy, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.
Who knew sleep was in such demand? Among the first to spot its potential were the proprietors at The Benjamin hotel in midtown Manhattan, who back in 2013 appointed Dr Rebecca Robbins, a sleep researcher at NYU School of Medicine, to oversee a dedicated Sleep Team. “We’ve gone too long fooling ourselves that we can get by on insufficient sleep,” Dr Robbins asserts, “and we can only stretch so far before we revert to an awareness that sleep is a physiological need. We can’t deprive ourselves of it any more than we can nourishment.”
The Benjamin features a Rest and Renew program that includes a comprehensive pillow menu (a total of 10 are available, tailored to your preferred sleep position), on-demand guided 10-minute meditation sessions, a slumber-friendly Bedtime Bites menu and even a “work down” call service, the opposite of a wake-up call, in which guests are prompted to start powering down and preparing to hit the sack. Each staff member, from the hotel manager to busboy, has been trained in sleep health — just call the front desk for 24/7 advice on best sleep practices or to arrange a personalized pillow consultation.
Across town, the West Side's shiny new Hudson Yards development, luxury fitness brand Equinox has launched its first-ever hotel — and if The Benjamin is your sage sleep whisperer, then Equinox Hotel is your goals-driven personal trainer. All guests have access to an on-call certified behavioural sleep coach for one-on-one consultations. Rooms are designed to be quiet, cool and dark, thanks to heavy cork padding, next-gen blackout systems and a thermostat set to a soporific 18 ̊C. Alongside the ultra-posh naturally temperature-regulating bed sits a chaise lounge, a dedicated relaxation space for that essential pre-slumber wind-down.
And the mini-bar is stocked with goodies designed to transport you to the land of nod, from elixirs that promise to combat jetlag and banish brain fog to magnesium-based sleep supplements and melatonin-rich snacks.
“There is a rapidly growing audience of travellers who ‘want it all,’” says Equinox Hotels CEO Christopher Norton. “They want to be stronger, smarter, healthier and achieve their goals within a community of like-minded individuals. Sleep is absolutely essential to high-performance living, so we aim to help guests maximize their potential.” And, most of all, to get their beauty rest.
