SleepBetter.org

Imagine checking into a hotel, and instead of the front desk telling you about their bed-turning-down routine in the evening (with the chocolates gingerly placed on propped pillows), they tell you about a new amenity: human bed warmers. As in, they send someone dressed in a special all-in-one sleeper suit to curl up in your bed for five minutes to heat the sheets up.

Sound absurd? Well, it’s not. Starting at the end of January, the U.K.’s Holiday Inns in London and Manchester will test out this program in an attempt to outshine others in the crowded hotel industry.

Granted, there’s nothing like getting into a warm bed. A cool bedroom combined with a warm bed is the perfect recipe for dozing off to a good night’s sleep as the body’s temperature takes a dip. But I wonder if there are other ways to stand out without resorting to this weird, human-required strategy? How about:

• A smart phone application that lets you control your bed’s temperature or alert the front desk when to turn on the
  electric blanket.
• A sterile, non-human device that can be used to warm up the bed quickly when placed on top of it (note: no need to soil the actual sheets), like a big heated brick.
• More amenities elsewhere: a swankier bathroom, free wi-fi, more TV channels, a plusher mattress and blankets, etc.

I mean, really, who wants to get into a fresh bed that’s already been used, albeit briefly, by a stranger? What if that person has a cold coming on and sneezes into your sheets and pillow when “incubating” your bed?

This is something for which the consumer electronics industry and sleep industry should combine forces. There must be a gadget that can do the same thing and give hotel guests more peace of mind. Besides, what if you run into your human bed warmer on your way back to your room (who happens to be chatty) and you just don’t feel like engaging in conversation?

Maybe it is just me but this feels a little weird.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

Click here to see Dr. Breus’s list of recommended sleep products. Click here to order his book, Beauty Sleep, on Amazon or Kindle, or here to buy it for the Barnes & Noble Nook.