Hotel Mattresses: Two Sided vs. One Sided

Hotel Mattresses

Manufacturers started making one sided mattresses and marketing them as “no flip.” Sales exploded. Consumers loved the idea of not hassling with flipping their mattress.  Most consumers stopped buying two sided mattresses for themselves because most never flipped their two sided mattress when they had one.  The trend has perpetuated itself and now we have a mattress market that is 90% “no flip.”

Two Sided Hotel Mattress

The benefits of purchasing a two sided hotel mattress are twofold. Firstly, two sided hotel mattresses will last longer. Much like tires on a car that will last longer if properly rotated, mattresses will last longer, wear more evenly, and develop less body impressions if properly flipped and rotated.  Secondly, if one side of the mattress is damaged, e.g., a ripped cover, the other side is still a viable sleeping surface.

Two sided hotel mattresses are suited perfectly for the rigors of the hospitality industry. Two sided hotel mattress wear more evenly and last longer when properly rotated and flipped.  Typically in a hospitality setting hotel mattresses are much more likely to be flipped and rotated than in a home setting.

One Sided Mattress

One sided mattresses are by no means inherently bad.  Many one sided mattress can stay body impression free and hold up through years of use. In order to get the same life expectancy out of a one sided hotel mattress vs. two sided hotel mattress the mattress must be manufactured with much higher quality components.  If the comfort layers of a mattress are absorbing 100% of the pressure 100% of the time those comfort layers need to be of the highest quality.  High quality comfort foam layers that can remain resilient night after night and year after year cost more.  In the hospitality industry where bed bugs, mattress stains, and customer abuse can lead to hotel mattresses being thrown out before their used up, cost is an important consideration.

For example, if a hotel bought a 15” thick plush two sided pillow top mattress with a life expectancy of 10 years for $500. Then that same hotel should expect to pay about $600-650 for a similar feeling 15” thick one sided pillow top with a 10 year life expectancy.

The reason most two sided hotel mattresses last longer is because, in an effort to keep costs down, most mattress manufactures use the same quality components in both two sided and one sided mattresses. When manufactures made the switch form producing mostly two sided mattresses to mostly one sided mattresses they never increased the quality of their comfort foam layers.  One sided mattresses are not necessarily cheaper to make so in order to keep price points at the same spots manufactures just kept using the same foam as before. That same foam when slept on only half the time lasted but if it was slept on all of the time it didn’t.

Like most things, there are positives and negatives to both one sided hotel mattresses vs. two sided hotel mattresses.  The same answer and solution will not work for every hotel, motel, lodge, camp, and retreat center. Make sure to contact several professionals and get expert advice before making your big hotel mattress purchase.