The bed is the most important piece of furniture in a hotel room. One hotel consultant even said that the bed is the most attractive product a hotel can give its guests.

Indeed, give guests a great night’s sleep and they’ll remember your property the next time they’re making reservations in the area. Give them a bad night’s sleep and you’ll rarely see them again.

Keeping your mattresses in good shape and sanitised is key to giving your guests a good customer experience. Here are some ways to do that:

Hints and Tips

Take cleaning and sanitising mattresses seriously. It’s not just bed bugs that you have to worry about. Staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa germs can grow in mattresses that are left uncleaned for too long, putting your guests at risk of a staph infection possibly leading to impetigo, cellulitis, blood infections or pneumonia.

To prevent such issues, use mattress protectors and always wash them when you wash the sheets. Mattress protectors keep mattresses hygienic, prolonging the life of the mattress. Air out mattresses as much as possible.

How often to change your mattress varies with the level of service you provide guests. Top luxury hotels change the bedding every six months while other establishments can go years without changing bedding. Most hotels replace them every five years or so as a general rule. If it’s at all financially possible to get new mattresses every one to two years, you might want to consider doing so.

Obviously if a mattress has become ripped or soiled it should be replaced. Other than that, good quality mattresses properly cleaned and kept in hygienic condition can last quite a while.

“Most good mattresses have a 10 year life of the springs - no longer," Mary-Louise McLaws, Professor of Epidemiology in Health Care Infection and Infectious Diseases Control, told The Huffington Post Australia.

When weighing up the cost effectiveness of frequent mattress replacement, just remember that it is one of your most important room items and that the memory of a bad night’s sleep is something that a guest considers when deciding if they’ll stay with you again.