A colleague of mine, a fellow sleep scientist, has something of a reputation. Whenever she stays at a hotel, she travels armed with a small “sleep retrofitting” toolkit: black duct tape to seal light leaks from inadequate curtains, sticky notes to cover glowing electronic displays, even her own pillow and white noise machine. Before she’s unpacked her clothes, she’s already reengineered the room for sleep.
It might sound slightly obsessive, but once you’ve spent a restless night in a too-warm room with flashing LEDs and hallway noise filtering in at 2 a.m, it starts to look like wisdom.
My colleague’s DIY sleep-proofing isn’t just a quirk of researchers who spend their waking lives studying sleep. It’s also emblematic of a shift that’s (finally) taking hold in the hospitality industry: recognition that the fundamental service a hotel provides isn’t a fancy lobby or a breakfast buffet, but the promise of true restoration. And that begins with a good night of sleep.
There’s data to support this. A large survey of hotel guests by J.D. Power found that sleep quality is one of the most powerful predictors of overall guest satisfaction. Guests who reported better-than-expected sleep rated their entire stay, on average, 114 points higher on a 1,000-point scale. And yet, only about a third of travelers say they’re satisfied with their sleep while traveling. Other research has shown that a hotel’s sleep-related amenities, such as bed or pillow comfort, are strongly linked with guest satisfaction and with intentions to return.
This is more than an oversight. People travel, often at great expense, not just to explore new places, but to recharge. They are investing in their health, their relationships, and their well-being. But when hotels fail to create the conditions for sleep, that investment is compromised.
Sleep is not a luxury. It’s a biological imperative. It regulates immune function, metabolic health, emotional regulation, memory consolidation, and even cardiovascular and brain health. When we travel, we place greater demands on these systems as we contend with time zone changes, unfamiliar environments, and changes to our usual routines. In these moments, we need sleep most. And yet, we’ve historically given hotel rooms a pass when they fall short.
Fortunately, there are signs of change. As the health and longevity industry booms, some hospitality leaders are beginning to respond with upgraded mattresses, functional blackout curtains, sound insulation, conscious lighting design, and in some cases, entire “sleep suites.” But these advances are still largely limited to high-end properties, often branded as wellness escapes.
What if we normalized sleep-conscious travel across the industry, not just as a marketing niche but as a new quality standard? It’s time to consider a formal sleep rating system for hotels. We already rate hotels on service, cleanliness, and amenities. Why not assess temperature control, mattress quality, sound insulation, blackout effectiveness, and guest-reported sleep satisfaction?
A “sleep star rating” could be the most relevant and underutilized signal guiding future travelers. As travelers increasingly make choices aligned with wellness values, including sustainable dining, movement-friendly design, and mindfulness offerings, support for quality sleep should earn its rightful place alongside these pillars of health.
It would also be a wise investment. My colleagues and I at RAND estimated that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. economy more than $400 billion annually, largely due to decreased productivity and increased health care use. If vacations are meant to restore us, returning more depleted than when we left defeats the purpose, on both a personal and societal level.
Conversely, vacations can present an opening. Travelers who experience a truly restorative sleep on a trip may be motivated to rethink their own habits back home. It can catalyze interest in healthier routines, smarter technology use at night, and better sleep environments. In that way, sleep-awareness could do more than enhance the guest experience. Ultimately, it could extend to sustained behavior change that benefits health, relationships, and workplace performance.
Hotels, for their part, have a golden opportunity. In this wellness-driven era, hotels are no longer just places to stay. They are platforms for mental, physical, and emotional recalibration. If a property helps a guest sleep better and reinforces what good sleep actually feels like, it becomes an unforgettable experience. And in a world of diminishing brand loyalty, that matters.
So, as you book your next summer vacation, go ahead and dream about the views, the food, and the spa. But maybe ask one more question: How many stars would you give your last hotel for sleep?
We rate everything else. It’s time we rate rest.