Pillow Talk

I’d like to share one of my recent everyday experiences. It’s one that I believe many of us can relate to and imagine — especially those who travel a lot. Here’s my quick rant.

I recently took a short road trip and forgot my pillow from home. Yes, I did it. I always pack my pillow. But this is the first time in years that I forget my pillow.

I won’t make the mistake of leaving my pillow behind again, because this trip revealed my great disdain for hotel pillows. I just spent two of my most restless nights of sleep at two different hotels — two different brands. I tossed and turned all night. I punched here, punched there, I punched everywhere, trying to get support from my pillows. I was having the ultimate pillow fight and I was losing! I woke up both mornings achy and sleepy.

Everyone has experienced this pillow debacle at some point in their travels. Am I right?

My hotel pillows were flat as flapjacks, aka pancakes. Pancakes are for eating…not sleeping on. I’m convinced that all hotels order their pillows from IHOP! That’s an acronym for International House of Pancakes.

I’m here to say that I’m tired of pillows that are flat as a pancake even if you stack them. I’m talking the flat pancakes not the fluffy ones. As I mentioned previously, I stayed at two different hotel brands and they have the same thing in common… pillows that look fluffy on the outside but are just as flat as pancakes without flour and eggs. I even stacked three pillows and the pile still fell awkwardly flat.

They look innocent enough when you walk into your room, but when you turn down for the night, it’s a rude awakening. The pillows failed the support test. My head just kept sinking with the addition of more pillows. Instead of providing my head with soft, comfy support for a good night’s sleep, my head fell flat into a deep abyss of walls of sparse sponge foam. I woke up both mornings achy and sleepy — so much so that I felt compelled to create a video to share my experience. You can tell I didn’t sleep well and I look disheveled.

So here’s the million-dollar question…do all hotels buy their pillows from the same place? Is there a pillow-making conspiracy? Are they getting them from the same supplier who likes to torment sleepers?

In all fairness, I have experienced this pillow phenomenon in almost every hotel from luxury to economy brands.

What I don’t understand is why hotels don’t invest in better pillows for their guests. Until hotels make this investment in their customers, I will continue to pack my own pillows on road trips, and I’m not embarrassed to check in with my pillow in tow. That’s it. That’s my quick rant. Maybe my next post will be about hotel towels.