What do you look for in a hotel room? Soft sheets, a balcony, a decent rate?
AmericInn, a fast-growing mid-range chain based in Minnesota, is betting you’re also looking for quiet. The company began advertising a new sleeping amenity called SoundGuard at its 213 hotels. SoundGard is a construction material — instead of using wood-frame construction, the company uses masonry blocks filled with “sound-deadening foam,” plus thicker-than-usual drywall.
The result? A better night’s sleep, or so they’re hoping. Other hotels have made attempts to silence noise from traffic, pipes, and that loving couple next door by implementing double-paned windows, “quiet floors” for daytime sleepers, and softer heating and cooling systems.
As a patron of the never-quiet youth hostels, I find that earplugs are a much cheaper way to get a quiet night’s rest.
[via NY Times]