After a long day of leisure or business activities, guests retire to their guestroom beds hoping for that perfect night’s sleep. Blackout shades help, as do noise machines, eye masks and other sleep aids.
In an effort to create the optimal sleep environment, a partnership between Intelity and FreshBed enables guests to tailor their own sleep experience by enabling them to control the temperature of their bed, allowing for a cooler or hotter mattress depending on their preference, from a smart-room tablet or mobile app.
“FreshBed is a unique sleep system that ensures a safe, allergy-free sleep climate, improving health and sleep quality and unparalleled hygiene night after night,” said Barry van Doornewaard, founder/CEO. “It is designed exclusively for sleepers, based on and inspired by scientific sleep research, and equipped with state-of-the-art technology for additional and individual needs.”
According to the CEO, FreshBed maintains an optimal skin temperature, “which has been shown to potentially double the duration of deep sleep, optimize the sleep cycle and minimize early awakenings.” It also regulates humidity levels within the mattress, duvet and bed textiles; purifies the air by utilizing built-in HEPA filters; and prevents perspiration during sleep to maintain a dry and fresh mattress.
For Intelity, the partnership adds another feature to its in-room tablets, which have allowed guests to access in-room controls, view hotel information, make reservations and more.
“Enabling guests to customize their bed for a night of better sleep, selecting FreshBed to partner with for this venture was a natural selection,” said Matthew Lynch, VP, product, Intelity. “Using our Intelity in-room tablet platform on a FreshBed, guests can unlock the perfect night’s sleep during their stay.” He added that the partnership was Intelity’s first with a bed manufacturer.
FreshBed clients include The Dylan Amsterdam, Amanpuri in Thailand and Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. RH Guesthouse in New York was the first hotel to incorporate Intelity tablets and FreshBeds in its guestrooms.
“Our hospitality partners are five-star luxury and boutique hotels that offer signature suites, focus on health/wellness and are interested in a 360-degree approach to sleep,” said van Doornewaard. “Currently, we have established solid collaborations with international hospitality partners offering the best deep sleep experience to well over 20,000 sleepers across the globe.”
In each suite at RH Guesthouse, a bespoke luxury hotel in Manhattan designed and developed by Restoration Hardware, “guests can simply adjust the room through a targeted Sleep Mode, which automatically sets up the FreshBed and the entire room from the tablet for every aspect of a perfect night’s sleep,” said the FreshBed CEO.
The target segments for the Intelity and FreshBed partnership, according to Lynch, “encompass a specific category of hotels that share a unique vision—one that seamlessly blends high-end luxury with cutting-edge technology. These hotels are not just places to stay. They are immersive experiences designed to cater to discerning guests who seek the utmost in comfort, convenience and sophistication during their stay.”
He added, “These hotels understand that today’s travelers are not merely looking for a place to lay their heads, but are in search of an exceptional and memorable journey. They are establishments that recognize the importance of staying at the forefront of technological innovation while providing the highest level of hospitality and luxury. With the growing popularity of sleep tourism and wellness travel, properties that offer sleep-enhancement amenities and innovative ways for guests to feel well-rested are redefining luxury in hospitality.”
FreshBed is always creating new ways to improve the sleep experience, noted van Doornewaard, who added, “All innovations we implement should meet our sustainability standards: extending longevity—our mattresses have a longer lifespan due to humidity control—and energy savings since there is less dependence on heating and/or air conditioning resulting in a reduction of energy consumption in the bedroom.”
Recent FreshBed innovations include Promote Falling Asleep, which temporarily increases the temperature in the bed to assist relaxation and promote falling asleep; Promote Waking Up, which wakes guests gently by lowering the temperature and increasing the ventilation; and the Bed Hygiene Boost, which guests select before or after sleep to temporarily increase the ventilation in the bed, or to heat and dry the FreshBed intensively. Stand-by Mode will overrule any other schedules and activate a guest’s personalized settings.
The company is also developing a bed bug treatment kit, which is expected to be available next year. “[The kit] will enable the hotel to heat the entire bed to eliminate any potential bed bugs in a natural/non-chemical way,” said van Doornewaard. “This way, we can guarantee a safe and healthy sleep for each guest night after night.”
