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The Milestone London's 'Sleep Sound' Package Needs Some Work

So, your hotel room is decked out with Frette linens, a mattress so soft that even the heroine of The Princess and the Pea would find it suitable, and is bathed in soft lighting for the ultimate sleep-friendly ambiance. Just say, "Aaah"? Not if you're a hard core insomniac. For the perpetually sleep-deprived, these fluffy touches are all for nought.

Those who toss, turn, and find themselves waking in the wee hours of the morning often find time away from home more anxiety inducing than soothing on the circadian rhythms.

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Hotel Technology / Sleep Programs / → All Tags

Sleep Technology: Blue Light Means Wake Up Now

At the recent Hotel Show in Dubai, there was a fair bit of talk about being behind the eight ball on hotel technology--but a lot of it came from the companies who have the most to win when hotels start buying up this technology, like the people at Zyken--the guys who make the NightCove sleeping system.

The point they wanted to make is hotels have to attract us guests by providing cool technology. So the question is, do us guests want a sleeping system? This NightCove gadget has red lights and particular sounds to help us fall asleep and blue lights and other sounds to wake us up. Okay ...

Maybe it works. The price is astronomical (somewhere over $2,000) but if we're just staying in a hotel, at least we don't have to pay it--but the hotel is going to pass that cost on to us somehow. We're hoping hotels focus on technology we're really needing (WiFi! Please!) and skip the magic sleep therapy.

[Photo: Zyken]

Sleep Programs / AKA Hotels / Korman Communities / → All Tags

AKA Hotels Wants You To Sleep a Little Better

The weary business traveler is an old cliché. Many of the 70 million Americans with a sleep problem travel for work. These carpetbaggers find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings atop scratchy linens. They lay awake agonizing over the 9 a.m. PowerPoint presentation instead of resting their brains in preparation for the challenges of the day ahead.

In response, AKA, a division of the Korman Communities chain of extended-stay hotels, has created the AKA Sleep School. The project is a partnership of New York University School of Medicine Sleep Disorders Center and the New York Sleep Institute. Guests can choose customized accommodations, participate in evening "sleep school" seminars, and receive in-room screenings with board-certified sleep specialists.

AKA's accommodations also focus on the subtle factors that contribute to sleep deprivation. After all, who hasn't lain awake fuming over some irritating buzzing noise emanating from the radiator? Says Larry Korman, co-president and director of general operations for AKA:

"While many in the hospitality industry focus on the bed, we learned from our partners at NYU and the New York Sleep Institute that all aspects of the room, from the lighting to mirrors to alarms clocks, must be taken into consideration," he continued.  "Since AKA's extended-stay guests typically stay 30 days or more, our sleep-school students will have a healthy amount of time to put what they learn into practice."

They say practice makes perfect, and we like the sound of exercise that requires us to relax more often.

[Photo: Quick & Simple]

Related Stories:
· National Sleep Foundation [Official Site]
· AKA Hotels [Official Site]