What brand standards ?

The key reason why you stay at a hotel is that you need somewhere to sleep. The quality of the mattress, pillow and bed linen will therefore directly impact the quality of your sleep.

International hotel chains recognise just how important the mattress is so work with manufacturers to develop their own mattress and stipulate this in their brand manuals. So far, all well and good.

Except the nature of the hotel industry, as with so many industries around the world today, is that they are franchised. Whilst the franchise model allows chains to quickly impress shareholders with net unit growth, the downside is that control of the brand is one step further removed.

Case in hand. At this franchised UK hotel in Doncaster the hotel decided to save money by not using the required brand standard mattress from Serta, but instead use a cheap, non commercial mattress in their rooms.

Result? Dissatisfied guests, poor night sleep and no doubt service recovery paid.