Hilton Branson Guest Upgraded To The Presidential Suite — But The 13-Year Old Mattress Violated The Brand’s Standards

A reader staying at the Hilton Branson Convention Center shared photos of their room. Hilton’s new Diamond Reserve status doesn’t launch until next year, but this guest received the presidential suite!

That should be exciting, but he sent photos. This one from the bathroom, showing maintenance.

Then he suggested that we “use your imagination as to what kind of stains these are on the furniture”:

But here’s what I was bothered by most: the mattress tag. That’s a 13-year old mattress.

At a full-service Hilton, a 13-year-old mattress isn’t just outside brand standard. It’s a quality assurance violation.

Generally a better hotel is going to be replacing mattresses about every 5 years. 5-7 year cycles are common, even though a decent consumer mattress can last 7 – 10 years. Different people sleeping on them every night and not caring for them will tend to wear them out more quickly.

Hilton’s Design, Construction & Renovation Standards for the Hilton brand in North America says:

For existing hotels, any mattresses over ten years old must be replaced or sooner as condition warrants.

Hotel Mattress

A 13-year-old Hilton mattress appears to be clearly out of brand compliance. And 10 years isn’t a target, it’s a maximum. They should be replaced earlier, whenever “condition warrants.” That’s because:

• Beds become less comfortable over time. The comfort layers compact, you get troughs where people sleep. Guests experience roll-to-the-middle and pressure points. The mattresses suffer spring fatigue leading to sagging and squeaks. People constantly sit on the edges (e.g. putting on shoes) in ways they may not at home. This destroys edge support and makes the sides feel mushy.

• Loss of quality sleep. When innersprings fail, memory foam goes soft and hybrid support deteriorates you just aren’t going to get the same restful sleep as you will with a quality new mattress.

• Cleanliness. Mattresses accumulate dust mites, dead skin, body oils, moisture, fungal spores and allergens over time. Stains, odors, and invisible biological load build up. Hotels can clean or steam the surface fabrics but can’t fully sanitize the insides of a mattress.

Even if a bed looks ok, after a decade of hotel use you’re well past a mattress’s hygienic and comfort prime. And since bad beds translate into poor guest satisfaction scores and online reviews, hotel owners should care about this. They’re shooting themselves in their ADR if they don’t.