Sleeping comfort in green hotels and cottages

Massages, saunas, meditation… none of this will bring lasting relaxation if your sleep is not restful! This is now widely known and has even developed into a new trend: sleep tourism. In other words, traveling to (finally) get a really good night’s sleep. Usually embedded in a gentle supporting program with nature experiences, fresh air, and wellness. also know how important a good night’s sleep is.

Why is sleep so important for us?

Sleeping is great – and vital! Animals and humans need to sleep to survive. During this time, our mind and body recover, our pulse rate changes and our breathing rate and blood pressure drop. Healthy and good sleep is the prerequisite for being fit and efficient the next day. It also serves as a defense against pathogens, as our immune system works at full speed at night.

Sleep tourism as a new trend

At the SAND Lifestylehotel on the Baltic Sea, you sleep on COCO-MAT mattresses. You also have the option of spending a night in a beach chair.

For many years, in fact since the beginning of the grand hotels, hotels have stood for exceptional sleeping comfort. Hotel beds are of the highest quality and hotel bed brands such as H?stens are considered to be the best in the world.

With the increased health awareness of recent years, many hotels have promoted sleeping comfort in particular and further expanded it with sleep coaches or electrosmog shielding. In 2022, there was a much-noticed CNN article proclaiming sleep tourism as a new trend. In 2024, Booking.com determined the following in a global survey on travel trends in 2024:

• 67 percent of all travelers want to relax on vacation
• 65 percent of travelers interested in a retreat would choose a sleep retreat

Sleep and mindfulness

When you are mindful of yourself, you take sustainable action for your well-being. Mindfulness requires you to focus your awareness and attention on the present moment, without judgment. Calm down, leave everyday life behind and be open to new experiences. This also includes restful sleep.

Hastens beds – the most expensive beds in the world, but are they also sustainable?

We have been following the Swedish brand H?stens for a long time. It is known for producing the most expensive beds in the world by hand. Not only members of the Swedish royal family and stars such as rapper Drake, Angelina Jolie and Gwen Stefani sleep on these beds – H?stens beds are also available for guests in many hotels.

The price of a H?stens bed can make your head spin. A “normal” model costs around 10,000 euros and there are no upper limits. (The “Grand Vidus” model, for example, costs almost 600,000 euros)

The special feature of H?stens beds is a mattress filling made from hand-plucked horsehair. In addition, the handles and bed edges are made of high-quality leather and are handcrafted in Sweden.

Are H?stens beds sustainable?

Hastens beds can be considered sustainable for the following reasons:

1. Extremely high quality and therefore very durable
2. Only natural materials are used. However, these are not vegan.
3. According to the company, it has been committed to ecological and sustainable production since it was founded in 1852.
4. Fair working conditions in a Swedish craft and family business

Less sustainable is the hype and the fact that some of the beds are sent halfway around the world. In concrete terms, this means that if there are H?stens beds in a Scandinavian or European hotel, this can be considered sustainable; however, if you find these beds in the USA or Dubai, this has hardly anything to do with sustainability, but simply means luxury and prestige!

Another note is that H?stens beds are not vegan. In our opinion, the most interesting H?stens alternative for vegans is COCO-MAT.

Hastens beds at CERVO Mountain Resort

“Each of the 54 rooms and suites has a handmade H?stens bed,” reports the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. For even more sleeping comfort, there is also the “pillow menu”. Swiss stone pine pillows, tempura pillows or millet pillows – the choice is yours. The furnishings made of natural, sustainable materials and warm colors contribute to relaxation.

Mattresses with horsehair from Plana Ladina

Not from Hastens but also filled with horsehair are the mattresses from the Italian hotel outfitter Plana Ladina. You can lie on these mattresses in the OLM Nature Escape. The circular aparthotel in South Tyrol only opened this year and sets standards in terms of both comfort and sustainability. The entire complex is powered by self-generated green electricity. “The praise from guests is great,” the owners tell us about their beds.

COCO-MAT – Vegan beds made from coconut fibers

Sleep sustainably on COCO-MAT beds

COCO-MAT was founded in Athens in 1989 and had the idea of producing high-quality beds from 100% natural materials from the very beginning. The bed systems are made by hand using solar energy and are 96% recyclable. COCO-MAT uses coconut fibers from coconut shells as well as natural rubber or seagrass as materials. Most of the beds are completely vegan, although the company also offers some animal-based products, such as toppers made from down. Another sustainability plus is that COCO-MAT bed systems can also be combined with bed systems from other manufacturers.

COCO-MAT in sustainable hotels

Many sustainable hotels and accommodations have opted for COCO-MAT because it is not only sustainable, but also meets the comfort requirements of luxury accommodation. You can see how many hotels use this brand’s bed systems on the manufacturer’s website.

Relax on the Baltic Sea at the SAND Lifestylehotel

The SAND Lifestylehotel is located in a very quiet second row on Timmendorfer Strand. It is part of the adults-only hotel’s concept to support sustainable companies and products. You sleep on COCO-MAT mattresses and also have a pillow menu to choose from. Soundproof doors and a harmonious and consistent color concept, natural materials and lavender pillows help you drift off into your dream world.

And when you wake up in the morning, in a good mood, refreshed and well-rested, you can stay in bed for a while longer, as breakfast is available for late risers until 1 p.m.

Enjoy nature at Gut Sonnenhausen

Gut Sonnenhausen is located near Munich, surrounded by gardens that are cultivated according to the principles of permaculture. Here, too, you sleep in COCO-MAT beds and wake up with a view of the nature reserve.

Health vacation at the Océano Health Spa Hotel on Tenerife

“Healthy sleep is an important part of our health concept,” says the Océano Health Spa Hotel on the Canary Island of Tenerife. The hotel is located directly on the Atlantic Ocean and offers yoga, fitness and spa programs. When selecting the COCO-MAT beds, it was also important to them that the mattresses are metal-free.

Sleeping without electrosmog

In the natural rooms you are surrounded only by natural materials and can shield yourself from electrosmog.

Another trend we are seeing is hotel rooms that are shielded from electrosmog. This should also help you to sleep more relaxed and healthier. This is possible, for example, in the new natural rooms at the Hotel Klosterbrau in Seefeld, Tyrol. The rooms are made entirely from natural materials and the wood comes directly from the hotel’s own forest. If you wish, you can shield yourself from 95 percent of electromagnetic radiation in the rooms. All you have to do is press a button.

At the Paris city hotel Le Pavillon, you also have the option of booking a room shielded against electrosmog. Although the hotel is located directly in the central and lively 7th district, alternative technologies have been used to ensure that there is revitalized water, specially filtered room air and the aforementioned shielding. So you’ll get a great night’s sleep even in the middle of the city.

Comfortable sleep in the Allgau

In the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgau in Balderschwang, the smallest town in Bavaria, which is holistically geared towards regeneration and renewal, you will find sustainably produced box-spring beds in all rooms. The box-spring beds are made by Dr. Frank Markmann and are made in Germany. The bed linen and pillows from Dr. Metz are also 100% ecological and particularly suitable for allergy sufferers and asthmatics.

Orthopaedic mattress systems at the nature resort

At Naturresort Gerbehof in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, it is also important to the owners that the beds are suitable for allergy sufferers. For this reason, they have switched to blankets and pillows made from synthetic fibers. However, classic feather pillows and blankets are still available in the vacation apartments.

Down comforters and lambskins at Gut Guntrams

Gut Guntrams, on the other hand, still uses natural animal products. The comforters in the futuristic garden lofts are filled with down feathers, and there are also lambskin comforters for the cold season. “We only buy down products from certified farms,” say the owners. This means: down without live plucking. The mattresses are eco cold foam mattresses.

Swiss stone pine pillows at Hotel Das Rübezahl

Did you ever sleep in a round bed?

Thanks to its essential oils, Swiss stone pine wood is said to have a calming and sleep-promoting effect. You can find out more about this in our blog post about Swiss stone pine wood.

Hotel Das Rübezahl in the Allg?u has a Swiss stone pine spa and premium suites with a private sauna made of Swiss stone pine. You can relax here on long walks and hiking tours in the natural surroundings of the royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and in the evening you can lie down on your favorite pillow from the pillow menu. The most popular pillow among guests is – surprise – the Swiss stone pine pillow.

Sleep peacefully in the Swiss stone pine suite at Naturhotel Outside

If you dream of spending the night in a room made entirely of Swiss stone pine, you can do so at the Naturhotel Outside in East Tyrol. The Swiss stone pine suite also has a solid Swiss stone pine bed (180 x 200 cm) with a pocket spring mattress and allergy-friendly bed linen.

The hotel is located in the Hohe Tauern National Park and is therefore also ideal for sleep tourism. The hotel itself would probably describe itself more as a hiking hotel. But when do you sleep better than after a long hike in the fresh mountain air?

Mattress recycling

Recycle hotel room follwing the Cradle-to-Cradle Principle

Finally, we would like to address an important point about the end of a mattress’s life. Because even the best and most expensive mattress suffers from material fatigue at some point (after 15 years in the case of premium mattresses).

According to mattress manufacturer SWISSFEEL, 35 to 40 million mattresses are thrown away every year in Europe alone. To counteract this environmental impact and waste of resources, SWISSFEEL takes back its mattresses at the end of their service life and works with its partners to ensure that they are recycled as insulation material.

Our partner SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA uses the washable and recyclable SWISSFEEL mattresses in its new Circular Living rooms. This hotel room concept is all about ensuring that all materials used can be returned to the cycle.

Have we whetted your appetite for the many sleep offerings? Then good night! And as always, we await your reports.