The hotel staff and a luxury linen expert will show you how to make your five-star bed stylish and comfortable

One of the undisputed joys of a luxury hotel is sleeping in a ridiculously comfortable bed.

For those who are missing this dreamlike experience – and we would imagine some people would be – here are some top tips from the hotel staff, a design expert, and the founder of a linen company that supplies some of the classiest properties in the world for making your bed at home five-star stylish and comfortable.

From ideal sheet counts (and the famous hotels that use them) to hospital corner art, and from toppers to numbers, here’s how to sleep in the Presidential Suite – every night!

Don’t lose the thread

To be successful in finding a five-star hotel bed in heaven, it’s important to put cotton on linen thread – and remember that bigger isn’t always better.

Robert Lancaster-Gaye, the founder of Tielle Love Luxury, which supplies laundry to thousands of five-star hotels, including London-based Savoy and Connaught, revealed it all.

He told MailOnline Travel, “A lot of people believe that the myth that bigger is better is better when it comes to thread count. The thread count is not a measure of quality. It is a pure construction term. High-quality products depend on the quality of the yarn, processing and finishing.

‘For the best five-star hotels, we usually recommend a high 300 or 400 thread count. This is because thread count is the number of threads in one square inch of fabric. If you squeeze in more, the yarn needs to be finer, which tends to mean the yarn is of higher quality.

“But at some point the number of threads is so tightly packed that the fabric becomes impermeable. This means that it may not be cleaned as thoroughly as lower thread count fabric because water cannot pass through it.”

Robert revealed the fabric feel and look of the thread counts that matter – and famous hotels that use them.

He recommends a 200 thread count “If you are looking for a cool and crisp, matte finish”.

“It’s a simple, classic construction and it’s located in the Lanesborough Hotel in London,” he explained.

Would you like a semi-matt, smooth and satined fabric? Then go for one 300 thread countas seen at Firmdale Hotels, which has a portfolio that includes London’s Ham Yard and Soho hotels and The Pig hotels.

Would you like a semi-matt, smooth and satined fabric for your bed linen? Then go for 300 thread count, said Robert Lancaster-Gaye, as seen at Firmdale Hotels. Pictured is a room in the group’s Soho Hotel in London

In the Dorchester shown you will find linen with a thread count of 400

Robert said, “Three hundred threads are harder to wash domestically than a hotel, but not impossible, and a good choice if you are mailing the laundry.”

He continued: “For a satin finish, smooth, soft with a higher sheen, the thread count is the same 400as this is easiest to wash in-house and use an iron to get the hotel’s glazed sheen on the laundry, just like at the Dorchester in London. ‘

Four hundred too low?

‘Six hundred is the highest thread count that we offer our customers because if the quality is good enough you don’t have to go any higher! ‘said Robert. “It really is the crème de la crème of luxury linen. It has a superior drape, sheen and silk feel to the skin and is used by our customers in their most exclusive suites. ‘

Bed whispers

We spend a third of our lives with our heads on a pillow – so be careful when buying one

Robert considers the pillow to be the most important part of the bed – “after all, we spend a third of our lives with our heads buried in it”.

He recommends first looking for pillows from suppliers who work with members of the European Down and Feather Association and who only use the highest quality feathers and down.

Then choose a pillow that suits your sleeping habits.

Side sleeper?

“Use a firm, high pillow to balance your spine and neck,” said Robert. His Tielle choice: Marquis Duck Feather and down pillows.

Front sleeper?

“Protect your back and neck with a soft pillow,” said Robert. His Tielle choice: European goose down pillow.

Back sleeper?

“Relieve your neck with a soft down pillow,” said Robert. His Tielle choice: Duck Down Pillow.

Mixed or combination sleepers?

“Take a medium-high pillow with a balance of support and superficiality,” said Robert. His Tielle choice: Savoy Duck Feather and down pillows.

Layers of comfort

Use a mattress topper as recommended by Almudena Gomez, Executive Housekeeper at The Savoy

Mark Hardy, General Manager at the Cavendish London Hotel, recommends a Memory foam mattress as “they’re great for back support and pressure relief”.

Also use a Mattress padas recommended by Almudena Gomez, the housekeeper of the Savoy. She said this will “make the feeling of comfort even more pleasant”.

And don’t forget a Mattress protectors for five-star hotel hygiene.

Fitted sheet or just? Flat every time, said Kate Henderson, a service manager at the Daffodil Hotel on the shores of Grasmere in the Lake District.

She said, “Forget the fitted sheet. When do you ever see a fitted sheet in a hotel? ‘

Robert added that it would be wise to invest in a 10.5 tog duvet with natural filling “Because it is suitable for all seasons”.

Those are the main physical elements – but what about the color scheme?

“Stick to white,” said Robert. ‘Classic white sheets Stay fresher longer and never go out of style – that’s why they are used in the best hotels. And with white, it’s easier to add seasonal / trending colors. ‘

Thrives

Benches at the end of the bed, flounces, and multiple pillows of multiple sizes are all flourishes to add to your home bedroom. The Ham Yard Hotel is pictured in London

And that brings us to the major five-star hotels, one of which may take some practice – this Hospital cornerwhere the sheets are folded at 45 degree angles on the corner of the bed.

They are preferred by hospitals (the reference is in the name), sergeants, and many top hotels including The Savoy and Daffodil Hotel.

You will need a flat sheet, but you can do it with a comforter too.

The best demonstration MailOnline Travel has seen of folding a hospital corner is a YouTube video from Ballard Designs.

One of their designers shows how the hospital corner can be reached in three steps.

The first is to tuck the sheet into the end of the bed, the next is to pull up part of the sheet near the end that hangs on the bed and insert the remaining part at the end that hangs down.

The last step gives the 45 degree angle. To do this, the section on top of the bed must be pulled down and tucked in.

Other flourishes the hotel staff recommends include: Bed padsthat cover the bed base (The Savoy’s Almudena Gomez); placement several pillows of different sizes and shapes on the bed and installing one padded bench at the end of the bed (Laure Favard, housekeeper at the Terre Blanche Hotel in Provence); Placing one colorful runner about the end of the bed (Margherita Zambuco, housekeeper at the Hotel Eden in Rome); Placing one small carpet at the foot of the bed, “to add elegance to the entire room” (Kenya Machado, Executive Housekeeping at Principe di Savoia in Milan) and to use Scents like jasmine and pear or rosemary and lavender “for a fresh, classic feeling” (Mark Hardy, The Cavendish London).

Top Tips for Maintaining the Five Star Look and Smell

‘Relax yourself unwanted wrinkles with some scented water, ”said Kate Henderson. “Just splash your water (it can also be normal tap water) on your almost-made bed (keep the corners out) and spray and shake your sheet or duvet until it’s smooth and wrinkle-free.”

Don’t forget to iron your pillowcases and, as Mark Hardy suggested, change pillows yourself every year or two, washing them in between.