Do you want to give your clients a dream vacation, but don’t know where to start? We’ve found eight hotels that are leading the way in the latest travel trend: sleep tourism.
New research from Hilton Australasia has revealed Australians rank a good night’s sleep as one of the most important elements for an enjoyable hotel experience.
Conducted by Lonergan Research, on behalf of Hilton Australasia, the research found getting decent shut-eye was one of the most crucial requirements for travellers, with 90 per cent agreeing the environment of a hotel room has a large impact on their sleep.
So where are the dreamiest places you can send your guests who are committed to the cause when it comes to sleep?
We’ve rounded up eight of the best.
Choose your room
The location of your hotel room can make or break your holiday, so being able to choose your room is gold on a getaway.
At all Hilton hotels, guests can opt to check in via the Hilton Honors app ahead of their stay, where they can see a floor plan and pre-select their room.
Choose a quiet room away from an elevator, or a suite on a higher floor away from traffic noise. Hilton hotels has also committed to soundproofing, blackout curtains, and pillows and duvets carefully chosen to maximise sleep.
Individual properties under the group also have their own programs focused on maximising sleep. At Conrad Bali, for instance, guests can join in a ‘sway sleep therapy’ experience, where they are suspended in a cocoon hammock to induce deep relaxation and a sense of being nurtured.
While at Arizona Biltmore, a ‘celestial circadian ritual’ includes a warm magnesium scrub and essential oil application rubbed on acupuncture points to target relaxation and ensure restful sleep.
Learn from the masters
In Northern Thailand, at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, you can meet a monk as part of the ‘Soulful Awakening Program’.
Created to fine-tune the circadian rhythm, promote deep sleep, and ‘create a profound connection to self’, the program includes the chance to meet with Buddhist monks from the 100-year-old royal temple, Wat Pa Dara Phirom.
Director of Spa, Saowapa Thumapun says, “Meditation is the core aspect of Buddhist practice, and guests may request the monk to teach them some simple chanting and breathing techniques to help achieve lasting wellbeing”.
The program also includes a ‘Live Well’ dinner, a sleep-enhancing bath ritual, Vichy shower, massage, restorative yoga session, and vibrational sound healing.
Queensland’s The Reef House Adults Retreat takes sleep so seriously it’s appointed a sleep scientist.
Sabine Christelli has taken on the new role as Director of Sleep and Rejuvenation at the award-winning Palm Cove property.
As part of her program, educational sessions, guided meditation, and journaling classes are held throughout the week.
Christelli says the retreat program also covers light therapy, sleeping posture and timing, food and drink timing, and light exposure.
“There is much in the way that we self-talk and relate to sleep that impacts the quality of sleep, so we explore habits from childhood and stressors in life that create a disconnect from optimised sleep.”
Soneva Soul is the wellness concept used at Soneva’s three Maldives properties, and its Thailand resort, where guests can choose from seven- or 14-day journeys with a team of doctors and therapists who create bespoke experiences integrating ancient and modern expertise.
After consultations with a naturopathic doctor and traditional Chinese medicine doctor, expect Ayurvedic treatments, including yoga Nidrasana (a yoga sleep pose), intuitive massage therapy, electromagnetic therapy and reflexology.
Top tech
Stay at COMO Metropolitan Singapore, and you can slip into a Hyperbaric ‘Airpod’ at wellness centre COMO Shambhala – said to deepen the sleep cycle and reduce stress.
The ‘pod’ delivers a combination of oxygen and molecular hydrogen to give guests 50 per cent more oxygen compared to breathing air.
The hotel’s ‘Sleep Dreams’ initiative also includes ‘SleepHub’ technology, which uses neuroscience and psychoacoustic sound technology to help us fall asleep and stay asleep.
At palm-fringed Six Senses Fiji, a luxury resort nestled on Malolo Island, a sleep tracker sits by the side of your bed and measures your breathing as you go into the different sleep stages.
It then determines the time spent in light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep, and the results are analysed to improve sleep quality.
Guided by a professional ‘Sleep Doctor’, the sleep program also includes Nidrasana yoga and meditation, wellness therapies, nutrition advice and low-intensity training to improve overall sleep patterns.
Making the most of massage
At the Saxon Hotel in the heart of Johannesburg, indulge in a seven-hour sleep treatment program, including settling onto a floatation bed designed to mimic a mother’s womb.
The therapist then takes guests through a full-body ‘Rejuvenating Himalayan Journey’, including a milk foot ritual to dissolve stress, stress-dissolving hot granite massage and cold rose quartz applied to relieve and heal muscular inflammation.
Afterwards, stroll the four hectares of Indigenous gardens and dine on-site on dishes inspired by local, seasonal produce.
A tiny tropical island, Milaidhoo sits in the heart of the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. If the location isn’t dreamy enough, the sleep ritual program is.
Start with a massage and breathing techniques before your feet are washed as you listen to Tibetan singing bowls, and end with a blissful bath ceremony.
For more information, visit Hilton, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, The Reef House, Soneva, COMO Shambhala Singapore, Six Senses Fiji, Saxon Hotel, Milaidhoo.
