Luxury hotel sheets are usually 300TC or 400TC cotton, with a tight percale or sateen weave to achieve the sought-after softness. For the same reason, you won't find bamboo bed sheets higher than 500TC (Australian standards).
Frette. Quite possibly the gold standard when it comes to luxurious hotel linens, Frette has been producing the most famous Italian sheets available for over 160 years. You'll find these perfect linens lining the beds of the world's best hotel brands, including Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton.
Wear and tear is not the only reason that hotels skip fitted sheets, they also opt out for inventory purposes—it's just easier to have flat sheets for everything—and for laundering. "With fitted sheets, they can't be pressed or folded, whereas with a flat sheet it's much easier," Shah said.
They are usually made from a higher quality of fabric than home bedding and often have a higher thread count. The sheets may also be treated with a special finish that helps to resist wrinkles and stains. In addition to being more durable, hotel style sheets often have a more luxurious feel than home bedding.
Can You Make Your Bed at Home Feel like a Hotel Bed? Hotels opt for a percale weave over sateen as percale epitomizes the cool, crisp feeling typical of a luxury hotel suite. A percale weave is also naturally longer lasting as by definition, it's a tighter weave.
In most boutique and luxury hotels, the sheets are high-quality in a sateen or percale weave with a high thread count. 100% cotton sheets with a thread count of over 300 are popular in luxury hotels because they are affordable, breathable and withstand commercial washing.
Where do hotels get their bedding from? While most of us may pop to the shops for some new bedding, hotels usually look to specialised retailers that can supply bedding in large quantities. So, hey, that's retailers like us – Vision Linens!
One of the main reasons why hotel beds are so deliciously comfortable is because they are covered in luxurious and premium soft sheets. The management opts for light, silky, breathable, and crisp material such as silk or Egyptian cotton with a thread count of 300 or higher because of their excellent softness.
Some people may believe that all hotels change the bedroom and bathroom linens in each of their rooms on a daily basis. However, although it used to be that many hotels would automatically change sheets and towels each day, this is no longer the case.
One of the most well-known secrets of the hotel industry in keeping their sheets enviably is peroxide-based detergents. Bleach is also added to the mix. While these chemicals are truly effective in preventing white linens from greying or turning yellow, they do require some level of expertise.
Generally, most hotels have cotton and linen sheets in their bedrooms since both fabrics are durable, breathable, and low maintenance. At the same time, they have a crisp and luxurious feel. Microfiber sheets simply can't withstand the amount of wear and tear they'd receive at a hotel.
Large pressing machines called flatwork ironers are the main secret to wrinkle-free sheets in hotels. These industrial sized irons can run entire sheets under the roller against a hot plate to completely smooth any wrinkles.
White sheets are one effective way for hotels to prove their standards of cleanliness. Much like how the wealthy used to wear all white to show that they could afford to keep it clean, hotels use all white linens to show luxury. (Although, admittedly, even less luxurious hotels use white sheets.)
While big hotel chains usually buy from big linen stores, smaller hotels and B&Bs often shop locally. Granted, some of these places also shop at the major linen stores.
Comfortable, durable, luxury sheets – the ones that you reach for again and again that become even softer and more wonderful after years of use and washing – usually have thread counts from 200 to 600, depending on the material and finishing used for the product.
Marriott Hotels designed a set of percale sheets made from a cotton blend for durability and incredible softness.
15/5 rule: When a guest is within 15 feet their presence should be acknowledged through some means whether a smile or head nod. Similarly, when a guest is within 5 feet they should be greeted in an appropriate manner whether that be a “hello”, “good morning”, or “good evening.”
It's probably safe to say that all major hotel chains, including Hampton, instruct their housekeepers to change sheets between guests. Yes, you'll always find some no-tell motel out in the sticks that tries to skip a guest or two, but as a general rule, the sheets are swapped out.
Make sure bed sheets are clean
If they look stained, crumpled or have hair on them, ask for a change immediately (or, better still, find a different hotel). Your nose can also be useful here – if they smell, it's a no-no. Check to see if the sheets have fold marks, and whether they feel crisp or soft and sticky.
100% cotton is the most popular because it's soft, strong and comfortable to lie on. Polyester or cotton/polyester blends are often more durable and less expensive, but they don't feel as natural. You can also choose from novelty fibers (like lyocell or linen) for a unique feel.
“They've finished their useful life, they are ripped or torn, and they cannot be put into use anymore. That particular hotel uses them for rags or donates them to shelters, but there are a lot going to waste.”
Down Duvets and Goose Down Duvets
Goose down in duvets is very often used to fill the duvets in luxury hotels, as it is light and has a fluffy, cloud-like feel.
(Plus a fitted sheet makes three, hence “triple.”) Top sheets are more cost effective and less labor intensive for hotels than duvet covers, and triple sheeting also offers guests hygienic assurance, as their skin avoids contact with insulating items that are not necessarily washed between each guests' stay.