NORFOLK, VA—Paramount Sleep, an 80-year-old mattress company based here, has formed a partnership with Marlton, NJ-based Sheex bedding company for a line of mattresses featuring Sheex’s Performance Sleep System that, it says, is engineered to maximize the quality of sleep.
The Sheex story is about one of those “aha” moments. In 2007, co-founders and co-CEOs Michelle Brooke-Marciniak and Susan Walvius were coaching basketball at the University of South Carolina. According to Brooke-Marciniak, they had just finished a long day of teaching at camp and “we were sitting in the gym, exhausted. I was wearing my favorite performance fabric athletic gear, and Susan was also wearing the same gear. I liked it for its superior moisture-wicking and quick-dry features while working out. Susan stated that she loved the drape and the feel of the fabric against her skin, and then commented, ‘I would love to have bed sheets made out of this stuff.’ Without blinking an eye, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ So began our adventure to transform the bedding category and help people get a better night’s sleep on performance fabrics.”
It was that “better night’s sleep” that attracted Paramount, which supplies mattresses to Millennium, Club Quarters, 21c Museum Hotels and a range of boutique properties. “We base our program on performance and we are very focused on product that performs night after night for the sleeper,” said Richard Fleck, president of Paramount Sleep. “One of the things we have is a sleep doctor on staff and there are some key attributes that a bed has to have to create a better sleep environment. One is coolness. Sheex is all about performance-driven sheeting and is made with a component that keeps the product very cool.”
The collection will consist of three flat mattresses and a roll-packed mattress. “All products will have the Sheex technology in the fabric: the cooling fabric and copper latex for better blood circulation. The flat beds all feature a design of more than 1,000 coil pocket springs, which give low partner disturbance and better support.”
The new line will target higher-end boutique properties.
Before the Paramount partnership, Sheex concentrated on bedding products such as sheets, pillowcases and comforters, as well as a sleepwear line. The mattress collection will complete the sleep experience, said Brooke-Marciniak.
“The introduction of a Sheex mattress, in partnership with Paramount, has been an important component to realizing our goal of revolutionizing the total sleep and recovery experience for those obsessed with having the best sleeping environment,” she said. Continuing to innovate the sleep experience with a mattress and adding layers of performance product that relate to sleep helps us to achieve our mission to be the leader in the performance bedding category.”
So, what makes the Sheex products attractive for both retail and the hospitality industry? “Sheex is the world’s first performance fabric bedding company with global patents,” said Brooke-Marciniak. “Like your favorite athletic wear, Sheex products are made with the highest quality, comfortable performance fabrics with innovative technology. All of the products in the Sheex Performance Sleep System function to create the best-possible sleep environment to deliver deeper and better sleep. You fall asleep faster and achieve deeper sleep when your body temperature is able to naturally drop. Sheex Performance sleep products are breathable and cool to the touch. They wick moisture away from your skin and transport it through the fabric to evaporate quickly, ensuring you stay dry, cool and comfortable throughout the night. The addition of the performance mattresses and sleepwear complete the system, so we’ve got you covered from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.”
Fleck said Paramount will launch the Sheex mattresses at retail first, and then will go after hotels, commenting, “We have discussed it with some of the properties and they have expressed a high interest. So, that will be phase two.”
He added, “Our strategy will be focused on the higher-end boutique properties, similar to where we are today with our mattresses. The new products would likely be reserved for the luxury suite or the best rooms of the property.”
Brooke-Marciniak agreed with Fleck as to what hotels the collection would appeal to.
“I see our products being a good fit for higher-end boutique hotels and hotel brands who are interested in providing the best overall sleeping experience for their customers while staying at their properties. Those hotels that consider luxury and providing the best experience and products/services for their guests would be a good option for the Sheex brand.” HB
