Dear Hyatt: next time I’m bringing my own pillowcase.
I’ll start by saying that I’m a little weird about linens: I really notice and care about the look and feel of sheets and towels. What am I talking about? Well, soft, fluffy towels make me very happy; scratchy, threadbare towels make me slightly depressed. For me, smooth, cool, crisp sheets are a big contributing factor to a good night’s sleep.
Quality linens are kind of important to me. Okay, they’re really important.
Is that strange? I don’t know. But I do know that next time I travel, I’m packing my own pillowcase.
The bed at the Hyatt Center City Charlotte looked inviting enough:
In fact, its appearance lulled me into complacency. But by the time I woke up the next morning, I was a hot, sweaty mess after a night of tossing and turning. The reason? Take a look:
That’s right: the sheets were 35% polyester. For me, that is a guaranteed sleepless night.
Oh Hyatt, I feel slightly disappointed in you. I know that not everyone has the same level of sensitivity to synthetic fabrics as I do, but this polyester percentage seems high.
Does anyone else have this problem? If you don’t have this “interesting” issue, I know it’s gotta be something else…what is it? What’s your “weird sleep thing?”
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Very cheap of Hyatt for not going 100% cotton. The reason may be that a mix of cotton and polyester is easier to press and lasts longer. However, it is disgusting. My theory when I travel is: if the entire travel experience is not equal or better than me staying home, I will stay home. At home ai only use 100% cotton. 🙂
I honestly don’t mean to sound rude but I can’t imagine staying home unless the entire travel experience is better than staying home. There will always be problems and letdowns with travel. It’s exactly like life…….you can not make sure it is always superb. Occasionally it isn’t even good. Overcharges, surly waiters, crowds, airport hassles, disappointing sites, arguing kids. These are all part of travel.
If you don’t take the good with the bad you will never leave your home again.
Santastico and Anne – Loved both of your comments for different reasons. I try to embrace the entire travel experience, whether it is fun or miserable. However, if I know that there are parts that I can easily make better (ahem, bringing a pillowcase), then I don’t hesitate to do so. However, sometimes I will just stay home if it’s just not my thing – for example I really don’t like ski trips. It’s all about knowing what your travel style is. 🙂
I have lots of weird sleep things. First, my husband and I have incompatible sleep temperatures. He requires very warm bedding and I require cool. At home we have this worked out for our king sized bed. He has warm covers on his side and I have cool. When traveling, we always request 2 beds. I pack a light weight blanket as there are many hotels that only have heavy blankets, which are too hot, but only sleeping under the sheet is too cool. I love the extra blankets that Hampton always provides as they are relatively cool. Hubby is happy under a comforter, but they are too hot for me.
I also can’t sleep on memory foam. The mattress salesmen will tell you that the gel foam in the mattresses keeps them from being too hot now, but that doesn’t seem to be true. We have tried a lot of mattresses and if they have any kind of memory foam, we both wake up after an hour or so with our backs burning. I like a pillowtop or plush mattress.
Then there is heating & air conditioning. I can sleep better if it is slightly too cool, but of course, hubby wants warmer. Also, if the heating or air conditioning is very loud turning off and on, that disturbs our sleep, or if the air blows across our feet.
By being prepared and understanding the variables, we can usually manage a decent night’s sleep (if not the first night, then usually by the 2nd).
VH – Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out! That’s the thing – if you know what you need, your experience can often be smoother.
Threadbare towels (at home) don’t depress me. They remind me of all the money I saved over the years for not replacing them sooner. Is that weird too?
Steph – That’s not weird AT ALL!! That’s great. Here’s a little poem I think of sometimes:
Use it up/Wear it out/Make it do/Or do without.
Kendra,
You would have been absolutely repulsed by my Airbnb accommodations: no toiletries (but who really needs soap, shampoo and toilet paper anyway), towel, etc. I didn’t have the presence of mind to check the material content of the bedding, but it was no doubt equally horrifying. My only consolation was the awesome price and booking the whole thing on my Sapphire Preferred. Despite my pauper-like living arrangement, I still had fun meeting you in CLT. 😉
Tim – Yikes! I hope the owner disclosed all of this?
It was great meeting you in CLT as well.
With all due respect, (because we all have our own quirks when we travel) but the first thing I thought when I read this was of course “Spoiled First World Problems”. To describe clean blended linens as “disgusting or horrifying” just seems over the top. That is a problem for people that don’t have problems. There are legitimate reasons to use blended fabrics, such as cleanability and durability. Toughen up people!
Aaron K – I can get backpack-shoestring with the best of them, but a definite quirk of mine is cotton bedding.