Archive for August, 2009
Super sleepers: World’s top five hotel beds
LUXURY - For travellers who need a good bed for a good night’s sleep, travel guidebook publisher Luxe City Guides has come up with a list of seven of the top hotel beds around the world. Read about five of the top here and check out the rest at luxecityguides.com.1. The Bowery Hotel, New York
The Bowery Hotel’s custom-built American-style wooden beds look as plump and comfy as they feel. Serta mattresses are enveloped in custom 400 count Egyptian cotton sheets, plus down duvets, two firm and two soft down pillows or, if you’re sensitive, a choice of hypoallergenic pillows and duvets. Leave the curtains open for views of the Manhattan skyline.
2. The Setai, Miami
With its 700 count sateen cotton treats from Christian Fischbacher of Switzerland, Dux beds with a six-centimetre latex top pad and a choice of down, feather or hypoallergenic handmade pillows from Singaporean company Ploh, it’s hard not sleep. Wake up with the views of the sunrise over the Atlantic.
3. Sofitel Watertower, Chicago
The trademarked SoBed sleep system is actually a Serta mattress topped by a Pacific Coast featherbed and duvet, custom 250 count linen and foam and feather pillows. If you can’t live without it, you can buy one through the hotel.
4. Hollywood Roosevelt, Los Angeles
After a night at LA’s notorious party pad, you can sleep between custom 400 count sateen Sferra linens on a Sealy Palatial Crest Cushion with squishy pillow top, and 26″ square goose down pillows (hypoallergenic upon request).
5. The Connaught, London
Sleep on the hotel’s own signature Maybourne Deluxe barrel-shaped pocket spring mattress, with a poly-fibre pillow top, own brand 50/50 feather and down pillows and lovely Rivolta Carmignani 300 thread count cotton sheets.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Bamboo Sheets Keep Germs Out of Bed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.16.07
For those germaphobes or laundry challenged, we learn from the Wall Street Journal about antibacterial bedsheets. They list a couple of brands treated with silver, another with copper, but also bamboo sheets from Elite Linens. “these sheets and pillowcases are made from bamboo fibers that the company says wick away moisture, block bacteria growth and are comfortable for people with night sweats. Some buyers may not like their shiny look.” We have seen claims about bamboo’s antibacterial properties before and looked further. It appears that “The natural antibacterial properties of bamboo fabric come from an inherent quality of bamboo commonly called “bamboo kun.” Bamboo does not require the use of pesticides due to this natural antifungal antibacterial agent. It is rarely attacked by pests or infected by pathogen. The same natural substance that protects bamboo growing in the field, functions in the spun bamboo fibers.” ::Wall Street Journal More on antibacterial goodness below the fold.
A quantitative antibacterial capability test was performed by the China Industrial Testing Center (CTITC) from July 7th 2003 thru July 11, 2003. One hundred percent Bamboo Fabric was tested over a 24-hour incubation period with bacterial strain type Staphylococcus aureous. After the 24-hour period the numbers of live bacteria were counted in each sample. The results showed that 100% bamboo fabric exhibits 99.8% antibacterial kill rate.
Studies by the Japan Textile Inspection Association (JTIA) revealed long-term antibacterial efficacy of bamboo fabric. The quantitative test method JISL 1902 was performed using 100% bamboo fabric that had been washed industrially 50 times. Incubation over a 24-hour period with bacterial strain type MRSA Staphylococcus IID 1677 was followed by a count of live bacteria on each sample. Results showed that bamboo fabric showed antibacterial efficacy (greater than) 70% after 50 industrial washings. (Results obtained from Shanghai Tenbro Bamboo Textile LtD)
Antimicrobial and Antibacterial Textile Benefits:
Fifty individuals suffering from the fungal infection tinea pedis commonly called athlete’s foot were given antimicrobial, antibacterial socks. All fifty test subjects reported the disappearance of the burning and itching that accompanies athlete’s foot within 1-2 days of wearing the socks. Within 2-6 days the blistering and sores characteristic of athlete’s foot disappeared and the skin returned to normal. None of the fifty individuals reported any adverse effects after using the socks. ::Jonano (Press release from clothing company but sounds reputable)
Water Beds in the Modern Age
Although water beds have fallen out of favor a bit in recent years, they were all the rage just a few decades ago. At the height of their popularity in the 1970s, practically every household in America contained at least one water bed. They boast an astounding level of comfort, but some maintenance is required. Newer beds tend to feature pump systems that make the task of filling or draining a bed remarkably simple.
When filling a water bed, take special care to wrap any potential leakage areas with towels and other linens. You’ll probably find it easiest to attach a garden hose to the pump. It’s then time to add some conditioner to mix with the warm water. Before you know it, you’ll be topping things off with a fetching set of waterbed sheets. Then lean back and enjoy your little piece of history.
Las Vegas travel: Golden Nugget to open new tower in November
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 08/05/2009 04:45:48 PM MDT
The top property in downtown Las Vegas, the Golden Nugget, is now taking reservations for its new $150 million hotel tower, scheduled to open Nov. 20.
The tower is part of a $300 million renovation and expansion project designed to increase the property’s hotel, gaming and dining operations.
Rush Tower will add nearly 500 guest rooms and suites ranging in size from 439 square feet to 1,326 square feet for one-bedroom parlor suites. All rooms will be nonsmoking and feature upgraded pillow-top mattresses, down comforters, 42-inch plasma televisions and contemporary décor.
Many of the rooms offer views of the nearby Las Vegas Strip, while others oversee the Golden Nugget pool, The Tank, voted one of the top 10 pools in the world by Forbes traveler.
The new tower will also include the Chart House Aquarium restaurant, with a 50,000-gallon aquarium for ambience. A new intimate swimming pool with six plush cabanas and covered lounging areas will also be part of the new tower.
For information or to make reservations, visit www.goldennugget.com or call 800-634-3454.
Trained dogs sniff out bed bugs in Colorado
By Claire Trageser
The Denver Post
As the bed-bug problem continues to grow across Colorado, relief could come from an unlikely source: a 32-pound mutt named Macaroni .
The dog and his owner, Walter Penny, live in Denver and inspect homes, apartment buildings, hotels and other locations for bed-bug infestations.
Penny, who used to work for a large pest-control company, says he and Macaroni can cover more ground with greater accuracy than a human inspection. Macaroni has received thousands of hours of training that taught him to sniff out bed bugs and point at their location with his nose.
“The other day I was searching a bedroom, and in 60 seconds, Macaroni goes to the bed and says, ‘Right here,’ ” Penny said. “Once he signals, I remove the bed linen, and he
These bedbugs belong to Walter Penny, who uses them to train his dog, Macaroni. The bugs are about the size of this capital “O.” (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)
signals again, so I remove the mattress, and we whittle away. And then out from behind the bed frame crawls a bed bug.”
Penny sometimes teams up with another dog owner, Mark Campbell, and his dog, Kali, to inspect hotels and apartments. Both said they have seen the bed-bug problem growing, and have found that no location, no matter how upscale, is exempt.
“No one’s immune, although I like to think that out of everyone, I am,” Penny said.
To stay at the top of his game, Macaroni requires constant training.
In addition to their inspection jobs, usually three to five a week, Penny and Campbell train their dogs in a warehouse owned by a friend. There they hide glass vials filled with bed bugs in various stages of development in mattresses, tables, or behind wall panels for their dogs to find.
Caring for these practice bugs makes Campbell do something that might help him sympathize with his customers.
“I let them feed on me,” Campbell said. “I’ll have them on my arm, and my wife comes in, and I’ll say, ‘I’m busy feeding my babies, leave me alone.’ ”
Claire Trageser: 303-954-1638 or ctrageser@denverpost.com
In this article you will notice that they are using twin sheet sets as a demo in the picture. Let’s all take that extra care with our bed sheets and matteress to keep away these nasty bugs.
The Lowdown on Goose Down
Marketing campaigns can be misleading, and it seems no industry is safe from tricky language and offers that are slightly too good to be true. This phenomenon has spread to the bedding industry in the form of the “Siberian goose down” blanket. There’s a sneaky bit of psychology at play here: We think of Siberia as one of the coldest places on Earth. Surely a Siberian goose would require specially insulating feathers to survive there. Don’t be fooled; very few Siberian goose down products are genuine.
Rather than focusing on creative marketing techniques to persuade you in your purchasing habits, look at quantitative evidence. You can judge the worth of a goose down comforter based on its fill power. This measurement is attained by compressing an ounce of down under a specified weight, and then releasing the pressure to see how much the down expands. A down filling that takes up 600 cubic inches of space per ounce, for instance, would be listed as 600 fill power. Higher fill power equates to higher-quality bedding.