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Snooze tips from a NYC sleep concierge

by Amy Chen (RSS feed) on Mar 8th 2010 at 12:30PM

No matter how posh a hotel room is, sometimes it's hard to sleep well in new places.

Anya Orlanska, the Sleep Concierge at the Benjamin hotel in midtown Manhattan, shares some tips gleaned from 2.5 years of fielding requests from weary business travelers. Though 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets can help, there are other tricks to help you catch some Zs.

What do your guests always ask you?
I spend a lot of time recommending the appropriate pillow. The Benjamin's sleep menu is placed on the bed prior to the guest's arrival and any (or all) of the pillow options can be delivered to the room with just one call to me.

Are any pillows more popular than others?
Some of the most popular from our 12-pillow menu include the Swedish memory foam (conforms to the body and keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer), the water-filled pillow (for instant relief from headaches and neck pain, fill it with warm or cold water), the five-foot body cushion (helpful if you're used to sleeping with another person, also great for expectant mothers), and the "lullaby" pillow that you can plug an iPod into, so you can fall asleep to your own music.

What are some common mistakes that travelers make while on the road?
Doing work or eating in bed, eating a heavy meal or consuming a lot of alcohol and caffeine before bed--and making the room too hot (it's best to sleep in a cool environment).

Is there anything you can recommend for people who are fighting jet lag?
If you're staying in a hotel with a spa, get a massage before going to bed.

Booking Details: "The Art of Sleep" package at the Benjamin starts at $578 for two nights and includes a consultation with the Sleep Concierge, a nightly snack of PB&J finger sandwiches, 20 percent off a spa treatment at the on-site Wellness Spa, the National Sleep Foundation's sleep kit (eye mask, lavender bath salts, a CD, and a copy of A Good Night's Sleep), and late checkout at 2 p.m. Valid until Dec. 31.

Tip: Room service can deliver milk and cookies, but it'll cost you a whopping $20.14, with taxes and delivery charges. Each of the rooms at the Benjamin hotel have a microwave, so find a nearby bodega, stock up, and warm up your own snack before bedtime.

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Filed under: North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, Travel Health

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

TheFiveStar Mar 9th 2010 3:29PM

I have been told by many who work in the higher rated and more expensive hotels that they rarely wash the top cover: the bedspread.

I am told to remove it, dump it on the floor, and then wash my hands!

Renae Mar 9th 2010 4:08PM

AND why would you say that....I understand it is very relaxing...haha...just teasing. Seriously, I travel and refuse to use the sheets/comforters at all. I sanitize the rooms, and very often come up with very dirty nasty stuff...

Hope Mar 9th 2010 4:12PM

I had one of the worst nights of my life when in Jerusalem because I didn't realize I had feather pillows. I wound up sleeping on the floor with a chair cushion as a pillow until the next night when they were replaced with hypoallergenic ones. I never even thought to call the service desk.

Lo Mar 9th 2010 6:29PM

I also take the top bed spread off of the bed because I KNOW they don't wash that thing. Can you imagine what mess is on that thing. Let's put it this way, if they did wash those spreads they'd have to send every single last one of them to a drycleaners, or on-site dry cleaner and go through a whole process. I think they just change the sheets and then pop the top spread right back on there. I get rid of it and throw it in a corner.

Stel Mar 9th 2010 10:20PM

I agree with Lo, they don't wash the bed spreads all the time, I have a friend that works for a nice Hotel in Florida and she told me that they do send the bed spreads to wash only 4 times per year....that's bad.

ando Mar 9th 2010 6:54PM

you can buy a battery operated blacklight, wave it over the bed with the lights out , and find your suprises.I'll bet you freak out!

Angiebaby Mar 9th 2010 6:55PM

WTF? For $600 bucks you get pillow advice, a PB&J sammie, a spa coupon and little goodie bag? Just book a room for the cheapest price, order your special pillow before you get there, take a book on theory. (Any theory. Social theory. Political theory. Which ever theory sounds the most boring to you.) Now, on your way in the front door, stop off at the corner Stop 'N Go to pick up 3 bags of junk food for the $20 bucks you were gonna' pay for that effen' PB&J sammie. Settle in, dim the lights, snap open that package of chocolate HoHo's and by page 3 of your book, you'll be sawing logs like a professional lumberjack. Sleep concierge. I do believe I HAVE heard it all now.

Ron Fowler Mar 9th 2010 7:03PM

If you stay in a motel (any motel) be sure to wash the HVAC filters. Nine out of ten times they ARE DIRTY!!!!! I throw them in the shower to clean them and pat them dry with the floor towel. It is the simplest way to solve the problem.

kan Mar 9th 2010 8:09PM

Easy to miss, but it's eat and do work

Don Long Mar 9th 2010 11:33PM

What is an HVAC filter?

Marie Mar 10th 2010 2:07PM

Floor towel? You mean shower/bath mat? lol

Bob Mar 9th 2010 7:08PM

So, what are the two things you are not supposed to do in a hotel bed?? That part fell off the page!

Me Mar 9th 2010 7:29PM

Yeah, i wouldn't recommend laying on the Bedspread.

I worked in a Hotel for 2 years and new many of the housekeepers, and i can tell you they dont wash them...unless the hotel has recently remodeled, those things have never been taken out of the room for cleaning...think about it, have you ever seen a Housekeeping cart with a Bedspread in the hamper with the rest of the sheets...The answer is "No"

Me Mar 9th 2010 7:31PM

..and before anyone corrects me i just realized i wrote "new' instead of "knew"

My mistake =)

sexymercedes Mar 9th 2010 7:49PM

I worked at a large Hotel Chain for about 18 months. Not once in the WHOLE time that I worked was a bedspread washed!!! Housekeeping were allowed 15 minutes per room to completely clean and change sheets. I would recommend bringing Lysol and spraying everything down.