Hotels should have a bed rating system.
Beds overflowing with soft pillows and a soft mattress. 1*.
Firm pillows and a firm mattress. 5*.
Many hotels beds are far superior to any store bought alternatives.
I remember one of my first ever stays at a high-end hotel for business when flipping through the information book I found the bed was for sale.
For a recent graduate, it wasn’t cheap.
Then I started looking at the prices of hotel beds and quickly realised the bed I saw for sale was, in fact, relatively cheap.
Methodology
I used prices for mattresses from Casper, a popular mattress delivery company, as a baseline. I chose Casper as the company offers three types of mattresses that can be broadly classed into price points; basic to premium.
For hotel mattress prices, I went directly to the hotel for prices. If the hotel was not able to directly provide a price on their website, I did not include the mattress in this analysis. In total I selected 22 mattresses from 6 hotel chains.
All prices used are for full priced California King mattresses (I want total luxury after all!).
Results
Cost of Casper Californian King Mattresses
| Model | Cal King Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| The Essential | $795 |
| The Casper | $1,195 |
| The Wave | $2,695 |
Full table (inc. links to buy).
Cost of Californian King Mattresses by Hotel (December 2019)
| Bed name | Hotel Chain | Mattress Price USD |
|---|---|---|
| Omni Suite Pillow Top Bed | Omni Hotels and Resorts | 1,114.00 |
| Cape Breton Plush Mattress | Wyndham | 1,323.50 |
| Cape Breton Pillow Top Mattress | Wyndham | 1,523.81 |
| Hilton Bed | Hilton Worldwide | 1,795.00 |
| The Sweet Dreams Bed | Hilton Worldwide | 1,795.00 |
| Hampton Bed | Hilton Worldwide | 1,795.00 |
| Sheraton Bed | Marriott International | 1,795.00 |
| The Heavenly Bed | Marriott International | 1,895.00 |
| Pillow Top Mattress | Marriott International | 1,989.00 |
| Euro Top Mattress | Marriott International | 1,989.00 |
| Home2 Mattress | Hilton Worldwide | 1,995.00 |
| Sofitel Bed | Accor Hotels | 1,999.00 |
| The Marriott Bed | Marriott International | 2,150.00 |
| Courtyard Bed | Marriott International | 2,150.00 |
| The JW Bed | Marriott International | 2,150.00 |
| Waldorf Astoria Bed | Hilton Worldwide | 2,195.00 |
| The Ritz-Carlton Bed | Marriott International | 2,995.00 |
| The St. Regis Mattress | Marriott International | 3,495.00 |
| The Luxury Collection Bed | Marriott International | 3,495.00 |
| Signature Mattress | Four Seasons | 3,999.00 |
| Signature Plush Mattress | Four Seasons | 3,999.00 |
| Signature Firm Mattress | Four Seasons | 3,999.00 |
Full table (inc. links to buy).
Of the 22 hotel mattresses considered, all are more expensive than the Essential Casper mattress ($795).
Only 1 is hotel mattress is cheaper than The Casper mattress ($1,195), the Omni Hotels, Omni Suite Pillow Top Bed.
Perhaps surprisingly though, 6 are more expensive than The Wave Casper Mattress ($2695). The Wave is competing with some high end 5* hotel beds including those offered by the Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Four Seasons chains.
The Ultimate Luxury
| Item | Hotel Chain | Mattress Price USD | Quantity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signature Firm Mattress | Four Seasons | 3,999.00 | 1 | 3999 |
| Sheet Set | Four Seasons | 599.00 | 1 | 599 |
| Down & Feather Pillow | Four Seasons | 199.00 | 4 | 796 |
| Duvet Cover Set | Four Seasons | 649.00 | 1 | 649 |
| All Seasons Duvet | Four Seasons | 499.00 | 1 | 499 |
Full table (inc. links to buy).
Now that you’re convinced you need the ultimate in luxury, here’s what it will cost to buy…
$6,542
… and that figure doesn’t include the bed frame.
Cost to kit out a hotel
According to this article (2011), the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is the largest Four Seasons resort in the world.
The property boasts 444 rooms, 40 Four Seasons Residence Club units, and 90 Four Seasons Private Residence — about 574 beds in total.
Excluding bed frames, that’s $3,755,108 ($6,542*574) worth of bedding at retail price.
Improvements
Price does not equal quality. It would be really interesting, should the data exist, to compare the reviews and prices of hotel mattresses to other retail manufacturers.
tl;dr
A Four Seasons mattress and bedding (excluding bed frame) will cost you $6,542 to bring home.