The Sustainable Sleep Experience

Innovative mattress manufacturer Naturalmat Hotel used the Independent Hotel Show to remind hoteliers why they should all aim to be more sustainable. Their cleverly designed Sustainable Sleep Experience demonstrated how hoteliers can create a green hotel room without having to compromise on style. Naturalmat Hotel showcased numerous sustainable and environmentally friendly hotel products; however the obvious point of focus was Naturalmat Hotel’s own range of handmade organic mattresses and beautiful beds.

Naturalmat is currently taking the hotel industry by storm; manufacturing a much more environmentally responsible alternative to poor quality synthetic mattresses. Naturalmat Hotel is a pioneer in natural fibre technology and has developed the perfect natural sleeping environment from creative raw materials, including organic lambswool and unbleached cotton mattress covers. An exciting component used within a Naturalmat Hotel mattress is organic coir fibre. This sustainable material greatly enhances the ventilation and spring of the mattress. Other sumptuous materials found within Naturalmat Hotel mattresses include mohair, cashmere, horsetail hair and bamboo, all of which are biodegradable and come from renewable sources.

An interesting part of the Sustainable Sleep Experience included Naturalmat's distinctive Beech Base; a medium tension sprung bed frame, made with solid FSC certified timber. All Naturalmat bed frames are properly screwed and glued together and not simply stapled. Inside the frame are sprung beech slats that give the base its integral flexibility and spring. The slats are then upholstered in a needled coir and horsehair pad, and finished with our anti-dust mite organic lambswool tufting. The Beech Base is covered in a choice of colours woven by Bute Fabrics, and comes with a choice of solid wood legs. Other fabrics can be used on request.

The Naturalmat Hotel Sustainable Sleep Experience wouldn't be complete without a range of entirely natural strut fitted and floor standing headboards. All Naturalmat headboards are made from solid wood; which is then upholstered in organic coir and locally sourced organic lambswool. Covered in either Bute fabric or a fabric of your choice, Naturalmat headboards are available with buttons or without. They can be tailored to whatever style or size you need and come with either square or rounded corners as standard.  

Despite a growing trend towards sustainability in the hospitality industry, there is evidence to show that cheap, environmentally unfriendly mattresses with short life spans continue to be a popular choice. A standard hotel mattress is made from non-renewable resources, produces a large amount of waste, and has significant carbon costs associated with its production and delivery. However Naturalmat Hotel can be confident about their low environmental impact as not only are their products made from renewable materials, but also because they have assessed the carbon footprint of producing their mattresses. The carbon footprint of a Naturalmat Hotel double mattress was calculated at 34.8 kg CO2e. This is significantly lower than FIRA’s calculation who estimated that the average carbon footprint of a standard double mattress is 79 kg CO2e. To make them even greener, Naturalmat Hotel installed a 35 kW solar PV system at their Devon factory. Sunshine now helps to generate 40,000kW hours of electricity annually, which accounts for approximately 250% of Naturalmat’s power needs, making Naturalmat Hotel a carbon neutral manufacturer.

Another key point that makes Naturalmat stand out from the crowd is their use of a chemical free treatment on all mattress covers. This natural treatment is based on Geraniol (citrus) which is proven to eliminate any bed bug that comes into contact with the cover within 72 hours, as well as any dust mites and moths, giving both the traveller and the hotelier peace of mind and a clean and comfortable night’s sleep. 

Naturalmat has already caught the eye of several big names in the hotel industry that have clear green targets in mind, including Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Chewton Glen and Qbic. The Sustainable Sleep Experience grabbed the attention of many other hoteliers at the show

Naturalmat Hotel manufactures and distributes mattresses from its base in Topsham, Devon. Mattress ranges can be viewed on line at www.naturalmathotel.co.uk or by paying a visit to the London or Devon showrooms.