Which Duvets Do Hotels Use?

The most memorable element of a guest’s hotel stay is often the quality of sleep they had in the bed provided. A comfortable bed can make or break a hotel experience; this is why the best hotel chains pay attention to the type of bedding they invest in for their guest’s rooms. If you’re in the industry, or someone seeking to replicate the hotel experience at home, knowing which duvets hotels use is invaluable information. 

Hotels use duvets of various types depending on the general standard of the hotel. To create the ultimate luxury bed, five-star hotels typically use goose down duvets; goose down is the optimum filling in terms of comfort, durability, and ease of washing. Mid-range and budget hotels may instead opt for high-quality synthetic duvets that provide a luxury sleeping experience at a more affordable price.

What is a Duvet?

On a bed, the duvet is the top blanketing layer, and is made from a cloth bag encasing a soft filling. Practically speaking, the purpose of a duvet is to cover you up and regulate your temperature when you’re asleep. The duvet and its cover also serves an aesthetic purpose as it is the focal point of the entire bed.

A duvet is an essential element of your bedding, regardless of whether you prefer a warm or cool bed. You may only think of a duvet as a means of making a bed warmer; however, a duvet can have either a warming or cooling effect depending on its tog, material, and most importantly, its filling. On that note, the filling of the duvet has the biggest influence in general on the type of sleeping experience it provides. 

Duvet fillings are made from a variety of materials, including synthetic materials like polyester, or natural fillings like feathers and down. Although synthetic duvets tend to be cheaper, they’re notably inferior to natural fillings in important aspects like quality and durability. Duvets with natural fillings are both more luxurious and longer lasting than their synthetic alternatives. 

Which Duvets Do Hotels Use?

Across the industry, different hotel chains use duvets of varying types, including synthetic, feather, and down duvets. The exact type of duvet a hotel uses will ultimately depend on the quality of the hotel itself. For example, luxury five-star hotels generally opt for higher-quality duvets made from natural materials like feathers and down. Mid-range and budget hotels are more likely to use duvets of synthetic origin as they tend to be more affordable. 

Hotels tend to use duvets and other elements of bedding that fit a certain criteria; not only must the duvets be comfortable and breathable, they must also be robust, durable, and easy to wash. And, as we’ve mentioned, the filling inside the duvet is the most influential factor on its overall quality. This is why goose down duvets are such a popular choice among the leading hotel chains; goose down duvets offer the height of luxuriousness and comfort while also lasting the longest compared to synthetic and feather alternatives. 

When goose down duvets are out of the budget, the next best option is to choose a high-quality synthetic alternative. Poorly manufactured synthetic duvets can be less reliable in terms of quality; however, this isn’t an issue if you purchase from a reputable supplier like us at Downland. For instance, our Hotel Quality Microfibre duvets are made from 100% microfibre, containing a 100% hollowfibre filling. The luxury hollowfibre filling creates a well-filled duvet that stays full for a long time. 

What Are the Different Duvet Filling Types?

To reiterate, the materials used in hotel duvet fillings include natural fillings like down and feathers, or synthetic materials like polyester. We explain each of these duvet fillings in more detail below. 

Down Duvets

Down is made from the soft undercoat of birds like geese, ducks, and swans. As a duvet filling, down offers the utmost in longevity and quality at a hotel standard. Down duvets are marked by their luxurious, fluffy, cloud-like feel; they are also easy to clean and come with the longest typical lifespans of any duvet filling.

Out of the different types of down available, goose down is the most popular choice among high-end hotel chains. Duck down is a common duvet filling alternative; however, duck down and duck feathers are smaller than geese down and feathers, making the duvets heavier-weight and less durable. Thanks to the naturally airy quality of the filling, goose down duvets are instead ideal for use in both the winter and summer seasons. This filling’s lofty texture creates a breathable bedding that effectively regulates the temperature of the sleeper without being weighty.

Feather Duvets

Feather duvets are made from the outer feather coat of the fowl. As they are heavier, the feathers that make up this filling create a bulkier, flatter duvet. Like down, feather duvets are great at retaining heat but at the cost of having a heavier weight on the sleeper. They are typically only used in hotels during the winter due to this filling’s limited capacity for breathability. 

Synthetic Duvets

The fillings in synthetic duvets are made from manmade materials like polyester, coming in the form of hollowfibre or microfibre. Synthetic duvets are designed to replicate the characteristics of a feather or down duvet without the natural filling. They are more affordable and accessible to those working with a lower budget. 

Where Do Hotels Buy Their Bedding?

Hotels typically buy their bedding from specialised retailers that can provide high quality products in large quantities. For instance, we at Downland Bedding provide hotel-standard bedding to a range of customers throughout the healthcare and hospitality industries. Our bedding is also popular with domestic customers seeking to create the experience of a five-star hotel bedroom at home. 

To create the ultimate hotel-grade bed, our range of Hotel Quality Duvets, Pillows, and Mattress Toppers are an ideal choice. Even still, all of our bedding products outside of this range can provide the luxury sleeping experience of a hotel bed. We provide hotel-standard bedding at affordable prices in a wide range of fillings and fabric to suit all requirements. Aside from our domestic customers, we supply bedding to hospitals, universities, and many of the world’s leading hotels.

Extra Tips for Creating a Luxury Hotel-Standard Bed

Beyond the duvet, there are some additional touches that hoteliers use in their bedrooms to achieve their luxury feel. Follow the simple tips we’ve provided below to complete your bedroom to an all-round luxury hotel standard.

1. Choose All-White Bed Linen

To achieve the aesthetic appeal of a five-star hotel bedroom, choose all-white bed linens. Pure white as a colour scheme is a common theme among luxury hotels; beyond the bedsheets, white is often used for the towels, robes, slippers, and other elements of luxury hotel suites. This is a simple detail that can instantly transform the feel of your bedroom.

It may seem counterintuitive to choose white bedding if you’re trying to maintain your bedroom to a hotel standard. Furthermore, this raises the question of why hotels opt for white bedding in the first place. This wasn’t always the case, as hotel bedding used to feature bright colours and patterns to conceal wear and tear. However, the industry standard changed in the 1990s after the Westin Hotel ran a trial of all-white bedding; feedback revealed that the hotel guests associated the bedding with both a sense of luxury and deeper more restful sleep. From then on, white bedding became the marker of luxury in hotel suites and home bedrooms alike. 

Theoretically, you could assume that white bedsheets are harder to keep clean, but this is a common misconception. White bed linens are actually easier to care for than coloured sheets as they don’t have any colours to lose. Even when the sheets start to look yellow or stained, you can easily remedy this with a DIY stain remover; for instance, you can whiten soiled sheets back up using natural treatments like vinegar and baking soda.

2. Get Bed Linen in 100% Pure Cotton

Another key quality of hotel-standard bedding is the physical feel of the material. Hotel beds tend to provide a distinctive sleeping experience, having cool sheets that are crisp and clean while remaining soft. To create this feeling with your home bedding, opt for bed linen made from 100% pure cotton.

Pure cotton sheets are the best choice for a comfortable sleep regardless of your textural preferences. If you prefer cool, crisp sheets, choose cotton percale; on the other hand, if you prefer a silkier texture, opt for cotton satin instead. Five-star hotels will use Egyptian cotton sheets as they last the longest and actually get softer each time they’re washed. 

3. Fit a Mattress Topper

The final element of a hotel-standard bed set is a thick mattress topper. Similar to a mattress protector, the mattress topper sits between the mattress and the bottom sheet. Your bedding should involve both elements as they serve different purposes; while a mattress protector is for the protection of the mattress, a mattress topper is primarily for enhancing its comfort. 

A high-quality mattress topper can significantly improve the comfort of your mattress, especially if it’s uncomfortable to begin with. The topper forms a plush, pillowy layer that creates a sumptuous bed for you to sink into. Using a topper is an easy way to get that five-star hotel sleeping experience as they’re a standard element of bedding in this industry. For instance, our Hotel Quality Quilted Mattress Topper is a popular choice among both our domestic and commercial customers; it’s made from a hypo-allergenic hollowfibre filling encased in a striped microfibre cover to provide a hotel-quality sleeping experience.