Irish seek fairytale slumber in hotels

REMEMBER the tale of The Princess And The Pea? How about Goldilocks And The Three Bears? They both involved very fussy ladies who liked their comfort — and they are not alone.

Irish holidaymakers are particularly concerned with getting a good night’s sleep in a hotel bed. But it isn’t as easy as it seems, according to a study by internet booking site Hotels.com.

Jet lag, the size of the bed and the amount of pillows are cited as things that affect traveller’s quality of sleep when staying in a hotel.

The research reveals that when it comes to sleeping in a strange bed, we have a serious case of “Goldilocks Syndrome”.

Over half of Irish people (58.5%) surveyed say they find their hotel mattress too hard or too soft, over one-third claim hotel beds never have enough pillows and 24% say there are too many pillows on their hotel bed.

For those finding it difficult to get some shut-eye, watching TV (48.9%) and reading (44.4%) are the two most popular ways to aid sleep. One-third say an alcoholic tipple is the best way to nod off, while 15.6% opt for hanky panky before lights out.

When it comes to covering up under the covers, we prefer comfort over style, with 63% opting to sleep in their pyjamas. Almost one-third sleep in their underwear while 17.4% like to sleep in the nude.

Aside from sleeping, it seems travellers from around the world also have other uses for their hotel beds, from a library and desk to a dinner table. As well as a place for romance.

“When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep at a hotel, it is clear that it is not one size fits all,” said Alison Couper, Hotels.com global communications director.