British hotels to trial human "hot water bottles"

(IHG)

Hotel chain Holiday Inn is trialing a new service in three hotels to help guests get comfortable in bed -- human bed warmers.

Hotel chain Holiday Inn is trialing a new service in three hotels to help guests get comfortable in bed - human bed warmers.

The chain's London Kensington Forum, Holiday Inn Kingston South and Holiday Inn Manchester Central Park hotels will participate in a trial allowing guests to order two "bed warming" staff. Dressed in all-in-one special suits, they arrive to rooms five minutes before bedtime and jump in between the sheets to make sure guests don't have a cold bed to climb into.

Jane Bednall, spokesperson for Holiday Inn said: "People want to leave the cold outside and climb into a warm bed. The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed, warming it up before guests climb in to give them a great night's sleep away from the cold. And of course they jump out before you jump in!"

Some sleep experts claim that a cold bed can inhibit sleep - Dr. Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre recommends that a bed should be between 20 and 24°C to help people doze off at the beginning of the night.

Innovative services can make all the difference in the hotel trade, which has been severely hit by a contraction in business and leisure travel during the economic downturn. Hilton subsidiary Doubletree famously offers warm cookies to guests checking in, whilst luxury hotel chain Taj recently announced it would provide "Fireplace Butlers" to stoke the open fires in its 273-room Boston hotel.

Holiday Inn: www.ihgplc.com