To sleep: perchance to dream

Hamlet’s words “to sleep: perchance to dream” is my mantra. In fact, sleeping would have to be one of my greatest pleasures. Over the years I have developed a rather extensive database – a bell curve – of good and bad hotel sleeping experiences. And yes, it takes a very good hotel mattress to make me want to strip back the sheets in the hope of finding a brand name and contact details. A recent sleepover at The Olsen, one of Melbourne’s Art Series hotels, had me doing just this – after having enjoyed one of the best room service breakfasts in decades. I’m flummoxed as to why good hotel mattresses are so elusive. Surely it’s the most important piece of furniture in a room or suite; after all a hotel’s primary role is to sell a good night’s sleep. The Olsen’s Coorong penthouse ticked all the boxes for décor, air-conditioning and block-out window furnishings; other elements that play an important role in a room’s comfort. But it was the bed – the size of a paddock – that took centre stage. And as I slipped between its crisp white sheets, I pondered which part of the bell curve it would occupy; the mediocre middle like most hotels or would I be pleasantly surprised? That night I found my ‘new best mattress’ benchmark, and the fact that you can order an Art Series Signature bed when you check-out, speaks volumes about the product – superlative. Now I wonder where I put that order form?

Mandy Rowe