How Much Does Quality Sleep Really Matter to Hotels—and Their Guests?

Sleep Quality: Why It’s the Real Dream Amenity

(and What Actually Keeps Hotel Owners and Operators Up at Night)

At SSB Hospitality, we’re obsessed with one thing: helping hotel guests drift off into the kind of deep, restorative sleep that leaves them refreshed and ready for whatever the day brings. That’s why, for a second year, we teamed up with the Global Wellness Institute’s Sleep Initiative and Hotel Management to dig into the science (and secrets) of hotel sleep. We didn’t just talk to frequent travelers about how much a good night’s sleep matters when they’re on the road—we also checked in with hotel owners and operators to get the inside scoop on what’s driving their decisions. Here’s what our wake-up-call of a survey revealed:

Among guests who travel at least monthly and sleep in hotels regularly:

• More than 91% said that the quality of their sleep is the bedrock of their overall travel experience—bad sleep can ruin a trip, while great sleep makes everything better.
• 21% of guests confessed that they struggle with very low or low-quality sleep when away from home.
• When asked what makes or breaks a night’s rest, mattresses and pillows were named as the top essentials for catching high-quality ZZZs on the road.

But it’s not just guests tossing and turning over sleep quality. Hotel owners and operators told us:

• Guest sleep quality is absolutely mission-critical to their brand—it’s the secret ingredient in guest satisfaction.
• 96% said that boosting guest sleep quality is a top priority when deciding where to invest in guest rooms.

The bottom line? Sleep isn’t just a perk. It’s the heart of the guest experience—and the smartest investment a hotel can make.