Four Seasons #Hospitality #Revolution #Introducing Industry's First Fully Customizable #Sleep #Experience

Introducing The Four Seasons Bed - the next evolution of the iconic Four Seasons sleep experience and the first fully customizable hotel bed, offering travellers the opportunity to effectively choose their own bed and personalize their sleep during every Four Seasons stay. With an innovative mattress system developed by Four Seasons in partnership with leading bed manufacturer Simmons, each guest can have their bed personalized to their unique preference in minutes. A choice of three different levels of firmness will be offered, along with a variety of pillows and bedside amenities for customized comfort.

"From the day we welcomed our very first guests for the night more than five decades ago, we have placed supreme importance on creating optimal sleep conditions, along with the intuitive service that has always been the hallmark of Four Seasons," says Chris Hunsberger, Executive Vice President, Product and Innovation. "This new research supports what our guests have told us - everyone has different sleep needs, but the desire for a good night's rest is a universal passion. That's why we're making it as easy as possible to fully customize the sleep experience when you stay with Four Seasons."

Four Seasons has long been known for its signature beds - a cult favourite that while never advertised, has been purchased by tens of thousands of happy sleepers wanting to replicate the perfect Four Seasons sleep in their own homes. With the introduction of the industry's first fully customizable sleep experience, Four Seasons continues to revolutionize the hospitality industry with innovations and creative approaches to enhance each guest's experience.

Director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health Dr. Carol Ash agrees with Four Seasons on the importance of a good night's sleep:

"Beyond benefits of increased productivity during business travel and maximizing enjoyment of a holiday, there are serious reasons to get the optimal 7-9 hours of sleep each night, even when travelling," notes Dr. Ash. "Sleep restores our brain to a baseline level of strength. It is essential for learning and allows us to strengthen our memories. Sleep is important to maintain critical thinking, judgment, spatial orientation, reaction times, and emotional stability. Lack of it impairs your ability to deal with stress, and strains your relationships."

Sleep Survey Highlights

The survey, conducted by Ipsos* in late 2013 among travellers from the US, Great Britain, Russia and China who have stayed in any hotel, shared insights on what helps them sleep well on the road. Highlights include:

-- 92% of respondents expressed distinct preferences on the firmness of a
bed. Only 7% of respondents had no opinion on the firmness of the
mattress, with 50% saying they like medium, followed by 28% preferring
firm and 14% soft.

-- 30% said they have requested a room change or taken other action - a
handful even opting to sleep on the floor or in the bathtub! - when
their hotel bed didn't suit their needs. In general, travellers under 35
are the most likely to speak up, indicating an increasing demand for
customization in the future.

-- 44% said they wished they could make their bed at home the same way it's
made in a hotel, and 31% have wanted to take home the bed or linens - a
desire that Four Seasons will happily arrange upon request.

-- Pre-bedtime rituals also varied widely, with Russians and Chinese
favouring a hot shower or bath, the British tucking in to bed with a
good book, and more than half of Americans saying they like to watch tv
before sleeping.

-- From a list of a dozen nighttime amenities, the favourites were bath
salts and oils (23%), room scents (22%) and herbal tea (21%); desired
bedside conveniences ranged from electrical outlets for personal devices
and smart phones (56%) to a master switch for the window blinds (13%).
Younger travellers were most likely to want an iPod dock.

-- The one thing just about everybody has in common? 72% said they like to
sleep on the same side of the bed they are used to at home.
For complete survey results, including what travellers like to have at bedside and what they like to do most before tucking in for the night, and a closer look at interesting regional variations, click here.

The Bed is Just the Beginning

Survey respondents also indicated that bedding was just one factor in creating their idea of a perfect night's sleep. Noise levels, the ability to adjust temperature, the availability of fresh air, the need to create a completely dark environment at any time of day, and the inevitable jet lag play key roles that vary by nationality, gender and age.

"One of the interesting findings in the survey is that the younger the traveller, the more likely they are to have specific preferences, and to say so," says Dana Kalczak, Four Seasons Vice President, Design. "As we create new hotels and continually review all our properties, we have a detailed checklist that includes everything from headboard placement to technologies that are intuitive and easy to figure out, silent light switches, and sealing doors to block light and noise from the hallway."

Kalczak, who is also a trained architect and interior designer, notes that the development of every new Four Seasons hotel includes creation of an offsite model guest room early in the process, and every possible scenario is tested to anticipate guests' every need.

"We lie on the bed to make sure it's in the best position to enjoy views and watch tv; that there's good light for reading; and that everything a guest might need is within easy reach," she says. "Frankly, we are obsessed."