Science of sleep: Three unusual hotel pillow offerings 

In an always-on world, sleep has fallen by the wayside. After all, why hit the sheets early when you can catch up on some work or watch a new show on Netflix?

However, scientific studies have time and again demonstrated that good sleep and good health are natural bedfellows – and hotels are cottoning on. Enter the pillow menu, which is aimed at helping travellers optimise their shuteye. These menus are fast becoming de rigueur at many luxury and business hotels, and they’re getting increasingly creative – think pillows equipped with speakers or imbued with anti-ageing ingredients.

Rest your head on these three unusual offerings.

Catch up on your beauty sleep, quite literally, at The Montcalm at The Brewery London City in London. The hotel’s bespoke pillow menu features an anti-ageing option, which is fitted with a 100% cotton cover infused with Vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Natural fillings for pillows typically include feathers, goose down and buckwheat, but the Leela Convention Ambience Hotel in Delhi offers one stuffed with horsehair. These fibres have excellent ventilation properties thanks to their hollow shafts, effectively wicking away sweat and ensuring a cool night’s sleep.

Traditionally used as a flooring material in Japan, tatami – a type of mat woven from dried rush straw – regulates heat and humidity; it also gives off a subtle grassy scent that purportedly promotes relaxation. Try it in pillow form at the Conrad Centennial Singapore in the Little Red Dot, where it’s one of dozens of options on the hotel chain’s pillow menu. 

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