Sleep better in hotels with these 10 tips

Trying to sleep when you travel is a challenge – sure, some people may be born with the ability to sleep anywhere, but others (myself included) need a little more comfort to grab a good night’s sleep. In this list, you’ll find ten tried and tested tips for getting a better nights sleep in a hotel room.

Best of all – most of these tips don’t involve spending (too) much. So, check out these ten tips, and with a bit of luck, your next hotel stay will be a more relaxing experience!
Get rid of distractions

You don’t have to be insane to lose sleep over little things like noises or blinking lights – anything that is out of the ordinary can become a major distraction.

My personal pet peeve is poorly closing drapes – so I travel with a drape clip (a chip clip also works fine). Before I go to bed, I’ll close the drapes, and clip them shut so I don’t get an early wake up call from the sun coming through any gaps. Call me crazy, but I prefer that extra hour of sleep in the morning.

Fan / Air Conditioning for white noise

This is a personal favorite of mine – and one I don’t mind sharing! If you need a little white noise to fall asleep, set the “fan” switch on the thermostat to “on” instead of auto. This way the fan will provide background/white noise all night long – and it won’t sound as loud when the heat/ac turns on in the middle of the night.

Pick a hotel with a better mattress

Hotels know when they have a good mattress – and they’ll market the heck out of it. Everyone knows the Westin has Heavenly Beds, and that Hyatt offers the “Grand Bed”. This kind of marketing isn’t just for show – a good hotel bed is worth a fortune. If a good night’s sleep means a lot to you, find a hotel that has upgraded its beds – the extra couple of bucks will be well worth it.

Your own alarm clock

This one really only benefits you in the morning – but if you’ve ever been woken in the middle of the night by the hotel alarm clock, you’ll appreciate staying in control of your own wake-up time.

Any time I arrive in a hotel room, the first thing I do is check the alarm clock, and turn off any previously set times. With your own alarm clock, you don’t have to worry about learning how to set it, and you won’t have to worry about missing your wake-up call if you set it incorrectly. My personal favorite is the Moshi voice controlled alarm clock – I can set the alarm on this thing using spoken commands. Added bonus – it has soothing alarm sounds instead of the horrible buzzers on most cheap hotel clocks.

Stick to your usual schedule

Just because you are “on the road” does not mean you need to stay up later than usual. If you have a routine at home, use it on the road as well. The closer things feel to your usual routine, the easier it’ll be to fall asleep. Do you watch the Daily Show before sleepy time? Do it in your hotel room. If you can’t sleep without a nice cup of tea, call room service and splurge on that $8 cup of tea – anything that helps you fall asleep is worth a couple of bucks.

Create the perfect climate

A really good bed and comfortable linens won’t help you sleep well if the room is as dry as the Sahara. If you suffer from low humidity in the room, you could invest in a travel humidifier (about $50), or you could be creative and place some damp towels around the room in the hope that they help. Running a hot shower with the door open right before sleeping can also help.

Traveling by road? Bring your own pillow and blankets

If you are traveling by road (or just have plenty of open room in your luggage), you could consider bringing your own pillow and/or blankets. I’ve done this when I’m traveling to a hotel I know suffers from poor pillows. It may add a couple more pounds to my baggage, but I’ll gladly take that if it means a great night’s sleep.

Pick the right room

A quiet room starts when you check in. Ask for a room at the end of a hallway, away from elevators and on a high floor. Front desk staff usually know their own room layout quite well, and a smile along with a polite request will often get the best tips on a quiet room.

Improve the bed through housekeeping

Dislike the pillows? Prefer some more sheets? This is exactly why hotel phones have a housekeeping button. Unless your request is for a second mattress or someone to sing a lullaby, the housekeeping department will usually be able to help with most requests. A call for a synthetic pillow, or a few more down pillows won’t be a problem, and can usually be arranged any time of day.

White noise generator

Do you travel with a smartphone? Check for mobile versions of white noise/sleep noise generators. On my Android powered phone, I use “Sleepy Time”, an app with almost 100 different noises. I can set a sleep timer, turn the noise on, and drift off to a babbling brook, washing machine or even city noises. The apps are usually priced around $3.

Of course, you can still pop into your local Brookstone and pick up one of their popular devices – but why invest more when you can turn your phone into what you need.



Need help getting some sleep on a plane?

Check out these tips from airplane sleep expert Mike Barish!

Aerobed Sleep Tight for Kids review – the best “on the road” product for kids?

Travel with young kids is a challenge – you have to constantly remember their needs when you schedule things, which includes bed time. When it comes to sleeping on the road, you learn to rely heavily on rollaway beds, sleeper sofas or with the inconvenience of finding room for them between mommy and daddy.

There is a better solution out there – and I learned about it after a night at an Aloft hotel. The solution comes from Aerobed – the company behind the inflatable bed many of us have stored in a closet at home, for when guests show up in need of a bed for the night.

Unlike the grown up (and often slightly bulky) Aerobed products, the Aerobed “Sleep Tight for Kids” is an inflatable bed specifically designed for kids 3 and up. The bed features a raised safety cushion around the entire sides, and at 50″ x 25″, it is large enough for the most restless of kids.

Like other Aerobeds, the Sleep Tight for Kids comes with an AC powered inflation pump, and getting the bed set up takes no more than two minutes. The bed comes in a handy carrying bag with shoulder strap, along with a hypoallergenic cover with a fun moon and star pattern.

To inflate, you simply unroll the air bed, lay it on the floor and connect the pump. You then plug it in, and in about 45 seconds, it is fully inflated and ready to use. Deflating is quicker, thanks to a large valve – you simply open it up, and roll all the air out.

The uses for this kid friendly Aerobed are endless – it is compact enough to carry on a road trip, which also means you can check into any hotel you want, without having to worry about the availability of a rollaway or sofa bed.

This also means you don’t have to worry about safety when you have toddlers sleeping in a rusty old bed, and no risk of them falling out of it.

I was able to pack the Aerobed Sleep Tight for Kids, a comforter and a pillow inside a 22″ rolling suitcase – which means it can come along on your next flight and fit in the overhead bin. Of course, it may be easier (and cheaper) to box it up and ship it to your hotel.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating – and the best way to judge results of a product like this is to see how well it performs at its sole purpose – so we took it along on two trips and used it instead of a hotel sofabed.

There are two really good results from the Aerobed test – my daughter really enjoyed watching it inflate, and she slept all through the night. In the morning she happily reported that she “slept really well”. The real proof is that she now wants it in her bunkbed “clubhouse” for a once-a-week sleep party.

The Aerobed Sleep Tight for Kids costs $79.99 – a really good bargain for what you get. The bed comes with a 2 year limited warranty. It has a weight limit of 150 lbs and the entire bed, pump, bag and sheet weigh just over 11 lbs. The Aerobed is also available on Amazon for under $65, where is is one of the highest rated products on the site.

The story behind Air New Zealand’s new seats (with video)

Typically when an airline makes an advancement in their seat technology, a press release is sent out along with a few pictures. This week, Air New Zealand has given us a behind the scenes look at what went into their latest product.

They started the process using four design firms and narrowed their options down to a handful of layouts.

It was fascinating to see the research that went into the effort and sneak a peak at some of the abandoned layouts at their “Hangar 9” facility in Auckland where the prototype work took place.

When Gadling heard mumblings of these game-changing designs, we dropped everything to see for ourselves if Air New Zealand could match the early hype generated by the rumors. We were certainly impressed, and judging from the response of the media that attended the event, it seems they’ve set a new standard in airline innovation.
There’s a chance that other airlines who ordered the 787 have come up with similarly innovative designs that we just haven’t seen yet. But because Air New Zealand ordered 777-300s and 787s at the same time, we’re now seeing a tip of their hand as the 777s are approaching their November in-service date.

CEO Rob Fyfe and Project Manager Ed Sims briefed the crowds on Tuesdays event in Auckland, and demonstrated what makes the Skycouch economy seats so remarkable, and also showed us one of the designs that was rejected after nearly making the cut.

To see our more about the Skycoach seats, check out the coverage we did on Monday.

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Coach cabin revolution — Air New Zealand adds beds in economy

Innovation may have played a part in Air New Zealand’s eight-year quest for renewed profitability.

As Kathryn Gregory, director of marketing for the Americas region recently said, “We like to look at what the other airlines are doing in their marketing and then… don’t do that.”

If you’ve been keeping track of the Air New Zealand inflight safety demo and their recent matchmaking flights, it’s clear that they’re setting their own course while keeping the brand edgy and fresh.

But the company knows that it’s not all just marketing and promotions. Their inflight product needs to maintain the quality that recently earned them the coveted ATW Airline of the Year award.Air New Zealand currently offers a Premium Plus Economy seating that doesn’t stop at just a few more inches of legroom for the front part of the coach cabin. Dining options are also enhanced to mirror more of the business class meals on their long-haul service and it’s been very well received.

And two years ago, the airline added in-flight concierges who can assist everyone with their onward flight arrangements, itineraries they may wish to adjust at their destination, scheduling issues with weather disruption and managing their frequent flyer miles. This even includes passengers traveling in economy.

At a time when airlines strive to be just a smidgen better than their competition, it would seem Air New Zealand could rest easily with their comfortable lead over other airlines.

But Roger Poulton, vice president of the Americas for Air New Zealand, said that to stay ahead, it was important to forgo some of the standard Boeing options in aircraft seating and to spend the time and money needed to design their own product. They also realized that Economy and Economy Plus passengers shouldn’t be forsaken and that families flying together represented a large portion of their passengers.

A TOP SECRET THREE YEAR PLAN

It took years, but the results not only put Air New Zealand in the front of the industry but also might just change how other long-haul airlines look at the coach cabin in the future. Knowing that if word got out about their plans they would lose part of their lead, they’ve secretly been working on a new layout that has finally been revealed to the public.

The coach seats have been completely re-designed by Recaro, including eleven rows of three seats on each side of the cabin dubbed “Skycouches” that are available for families and couples who want the ability to buy an entire row. Couples who buy the third seat will only play need to pay half the price for the third seat.

Interior seats will not be able to convert to a Skycouch.

While it’s still not possible to stretch your legs out straight without them extending into the aisle, the Skycouch design will likely be very popular for economy travelers and especially for families traveling together. Parents could purchase two seats in the center of the cabin, and then a row of three across from them where the kids can lay out and sleep.

Internally at Air New Zealand, they’ve referred to the Skycouch seats as “Spoon Seats” since the design lends itself well to that sleeping position for couples.

To convert the seat, a button in the armrest allows you to pop up the modified footrest. It’s then necessary to snap the rest into place, making for a solid bed when all three are in place. The design is stressed for three hundred pounds, and it has a rather solid feel. The seat cushions align perfectly with each other, providing for a very smooth surface to stretch out on.

A foot net provides for more comfortable leg position options, presumably so your feet don’t impede the aisle.

Every economy seat will have an improved ‘sleep pillow’ headrest and PC power, USB and iPod connections.

A new feature has been added throughout the cabin, called Snacks on Demand, which allows passengers to order more food using the inflight entertainment screen in between the three course meal service.

After meals are served from the redesigned galley, ‘onboard events’ will be offered, including wine tasting, a destination seminar or kids story time using the 23″ mounted galley monitor. This area was modified to avoid looking like a kitchen and more like a lounge area where passengers can help themselves to snacks and drinks.

These changes apply to the new Boeing 777-300 aircraft that are being delivered starting in November of this year. Initially the Auckland to Los Angeles flight will see this aircraft and eventually this reconfiguration will make its way to other aircraft in the long-haul fleet.

Gadling had the opportunity to see the new seating configuration up close during the unveiling in Auckland at a building that had to be well hidden from the local press who have been relentlessly trying to learn details about the rumored seating changes. Recaro will be building the seats in Fort Worth, Texas.

If the prying media had only known that the building where the design work was being done was just two blocks from the Air New Zealand headquarters. The location was obvious on the morning of the event, when a huge sign that said “Hangar 9” and featured the Air New Zealand logo was unveiled and gave away the secret location.

Group General Manager, Ed Sims said that while the Skycouch experience is owned by Air New Zealand, other airlines that aren’t competing directly with the company would be able to license the design. He mentioned that when Boeing first viewed the work they’ve accomplished at Hangar 9, the airline manufacturer was convinced that this represented the future of air travel.

Initially, the company was working on a staggered seat design. They were pretty sure the offering would be a successful way to give people more room, but when they tested the mockup with focus groups, they found people uncomfortable with the lack of privacy from the people just behind or in front of them. There was a sense they needed to watch their belongings more and that people could see everything they were doing.

It wasn’t just Air New Zealand’s work in economy cabin that is going to change air travel. They have also redesigned their Premium Economy seats, creating a solution for passengers who want more privacy while at the same time satisfying those who prefer to sit together as a couple. Be sure to check out our video from the unveiling to see the Skycouch in action.

The pride in the new corporate culture at Air New Zealand is evident in every employee that we came across, from the flight attendants to management. They’re exceedingly proud of their country and many of the flight attendants told us they felt they had a responsibility at Air New Zealand to represent their country as well.

With this revolutionary design, it has become much easier for families to experience the Kiwi culture in person on what could be a restful twelve hour flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Auckland.

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Air New Zealand turns unsold coach seats into your new bed

Air New Zealand may be coming one step closer to solving the hell that is long haul coach. Starting next April, the airline plans to sell unsold coach class seats to passengers.

Now, an empty seat certainly is worth something, but the airline will take that one step further by turning these empty seats into a lie-flat bed.

The description does not go into too much detail, but apparently by sliding the seats forward and raising the foot rest, the seats will allow you to lie down flat and grab a couple of hours of sleep. The new seat design is the brainchild of Altitude Aerospace Interiors, an Air New Zealand subsidiary.

Empty seats will sell for $150, which is about in line with what I’d be willing to pay for the luxury of sleeping in coach.

According to aviation analysts, the design has the potential of earning the airline an additional $60 million each year.

If Air New Zealand can pull this off, they’ll be the first airline to offer lie-flat beds in coach, hopefully starting a trend that other airlines are eager to copy.