Back in my younger days, the “midnight trampoline” referred to a birth control device. Today, I use the term to refer to the foam pillows that some hotels provide. I used to chuckle when I saw people carrying their pillows on airplanes. Now with the baggage fees, you see fewer and fewer of them since nobody is prepared to pay $25 just to carry a pillow.
Sleeping on the road is the key to success. A bad night’s sleep is going to lead to a miserable day. Since I travel 100 days a year, I have little routines to make my hotel rooms feel comfortable and consistent. But even when I do all the things to make the room feel like “home,” my night’s sleep might be ruined by a foam pillow — “the midnight trampoline” on which my head bobs all night.
My wife picks out wonderful pillows, filled with down, and it feels like my head is floating on a cloud when I climb into our bed. Most of the top hotels now provide good quality down-filled pillows. It all started when Westin came up with “The Heavenly Bed” and occupancy shot up. Great mattress, high thread count sheets, duvet covers instead of bedspreads and blankets that had been shared by hundreds of guests. Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott all followed Westin’s lead. The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons had done that for years.
Every once in a while, I’ll find myself in a hotel room that has foam pillows instead of down. Sometimes the pillows were requested by a previous guest. At other times, it’s what the hotel normally provides. Discovering foam pillows at the end of a long day always causes a dilemma. Will I too tired to notice? Or should I call the front desk and see if they can send up some feather pillows? History has taught me to call the desk no matter how late — even if it means that I have to go down to the front desk. You’re entitled to a good night sleep when you pay $100 to $300 for a hotel room.
I have woken in the middle of the night with my head tilting up when I want it to go down. The next morning, I feel as if I’ve been part of an auto accident and am suffering from whiplash. “Growly” is a word well-suited for my mood when I awake — if I have slept. One night, I even tried rolling up towels and using that instead of the “trampoline.”
So if you want that great night’s sleep, make sure the first thing you do when you get to your room — even before calling home — is check your pillow. I assure you that you will have sweeter dreams.
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