What Makes a Great Hotel? A Good Night's Sleep!

I recently embarked on turning our little mountain studio into an Air BnB location and had to ponder, what makes a great hotel room? Since I travel quite a bit, I should know right? I knew an awesome mattress was a given, but what else makes my stay at any given hotel exceptional? Here is a short list of the top 4 things that make a stay remarkable whether for work or play.

A LITTLE ROOM PLEASE

Having enough space to spread out and relax, read, watch puppy videos on Facebook, or take in a great view, really makes a difference. Whether it's doing a little yoga or hanging out on a comfy couch, people need some room to feel like they are living a little more luxuriously. Being crammed in a small hotel room is not the best way to unwind. The bigger hotel chains have definitely taken note, with their "all suite rooms" like Vdara in Las Vegas and "roomy rooms" like Hyatt Place hotels nationwide. A view of something besides the parking lot, is icing on the cake.

A KITCHENETTE WITH THE TOOLS TO USE IT

My last visit to Las Vegas was an exercise in frustration. I was so excited to have a kitchen, since I usually have to be there for a whole week for a trade show twice a year. Making a healthy breakfast and a bag lunch helps me keep my sanity for a week of crazy. However when I brought back my 2 bags of groceries from Whole Foods, I searched the cupboards and found nothing but emptiness. No plate, no silverware, no pots or pans. When I called down, they said they only stock upon request, and then not very well I might add. If we are going to be tempted with a stove, microwave, refrigerator and dining room, please provide the tools to keep the maid busy cleaning for 2 extra hours.

IRON, HAIR DRYER, FULL LENGTH MIRROR, LUGGAGE STAND

I can live without a lot of things, but not wet hair, wrinkled clothes, or the ability to see how I look before I embark out into the world. As bed bugs take over our cities, a luggage stand is both practical and a safety measure. I could pack a steam iron and travel hair dryer, however suitcase space has become a precious commodity with airlines charging for everything from a carry-on to a bad cup of in-flight coffee.

AN AWESOME MATTRESS AND COMFY SHEETS

While this does go without saying, in my years of traveling, it still amazes me how these are overlooked. Since I'm in the business of providing awesome latex mattresses to hotels, I have a particular bone to pick on this one. A good night's sleep is tantamount to my success on a business trip or pleasure on a vacation. Rolling into one's partner into the abyss of a bad mattress during the night ensures a cranky morning. Speaking of sleeping with a partner, do hoteliers really think two adults fit on a full size mattress? Full size mattresses are for kids, to be crammed into one at a hotel, makes sleeping in the rental car seem like a plausible alternative. Need a great night's sleep on your next trip? Check out the Ace Hotels and sleep sweetly!

Barn to Bedroom

Small Batch Wool comes to the Bedroom

To know me is to know how much I love good food. Whenever I travel, I search out the hidden gems across the country for local, fresh and unique restaurants. With the latest trends in our food and drink culture, the offerings are an exciting blend of locally produced, artisanal foods mixed with stories of their heritage and the dedicated purveyors behind their creation. During this season of sharing, I am thankful to be able to experience the simplicity of this Farm to Table, Snout to Tail, Small Batch, Handcrafted, Shop Small, Artisanal lifestyle. 

I keep coming back to the question: At what cost am I willing to buy products? Cost is a loaded term defined as price, value, sacrifice, loss;  the price is only one factor.  What's the cost to the environment?  To the people making it?  To my health?  And which definition am I considering?  A recent article in the New Yorker magazine highlighted Belcampo Meat Co. in California, a vertically integrated, organic, sustainable, humane, grass-fed, meat producer. The meat is healthier for people with higher Omega-3's, healthier for the environment using sustainable farming, and healthier for the animals using humane animal husbandry. Americans eat more meat than ever, but the quality has dramatically declined. The company's philosophy is simple; buy quality, not quantity.

All across the country, people want to trust that the products they buy are made with integrity. The Wall Street Journal published an article in November featuring American manufacturers of high-performance wool clothing. Like Suite Sleep, these entrepreneurs are also looking to the high-quality wool grown right here at home, which has revitalized our domestic wool industry. One such company is Farm to Feet, that manufactures 100% American wool socks. 

So why am I willing to pay more for fresh, local food direct from the farmer? This is the question I ask as I peruse the farmer's market Saturday afternoons. The answer is simple. Trust. 

Trust is the building block of our business. I can have a conversation with the person in charge of how it's grown, why it's done a certain way, what is and isn't in the product. Is it GMO free, pesticide free, organic, sustainable? Was it made in the US by our local labor force or by factory workers in China?  During so many visits to our retailers' showrooms engaging with sales associates and customers, I was delighted to hear more and more people asking about the story behind the products being sold. I have met more people who get their farm fresh eggs from friends and neighbors who have "backyard farms" and seek out local businesses for quality products.

As I watch this movement of bringing our producers closer to home, it's clear that the decision we made, to forego imported organic wool from factory farms across the globe, was the right decision. We love knowing that our growers are close to home, use only humane animal husbandry practices, and produce some of the best wool in the world. Our growers are small family farms that care about the health of their flock, the health of their land, and the health of their families. The first step was to look to our North American producers.  The next step is to delve deeper, and look to our local producers. Join us as our journey has just begun!