Hotel pillows: why down is the standard and an alternative pillow comes on request

“Do you have an allergy pillow?” This question comes up in many hotels when it comes to furnishing the rooms. Hoteliers wonder whether they should equip every bed with synthetic-filled pillows as a precaution. Guests wonder whether they can get anything other than a down pillow in a hotel at all. Cottonbabe founder Jens Liebhauser, 5-star hotelier and interior designer from a family tradition since 1870, has a very practical answer: down as the standard, an alternative pillow on request.

This article is not about materials – you will find that in Down vs. feathers and in the comparison of natural and synthetic fillings. Here it is about everyday hotel life: how often guests actually ask for a different pillow, and how a hotel can organise this well.

What happens in practice

Jens Liebhauser paid close attention in his hotel to how often guests asked for a different pillow. His figures are not a statistic for the whole industry, but the experience of one hotel:

“In my hotel, we had around 18,000 overnight stays in one season. In that whole season, only about two guests asked for a different pillow. And of course they were happy to receive a pillow that is not filled with goose down.”

Jens Liebhauser

For him, this says nothing about how many people need a different pillow. What it raises is a question of organisation: how does a hotel make sure that the individual guest with a special request gets what they want quickly and as a matter of course – without the bed changing for every other guest?

“A mistake I see in hotels again and again: one guest in a thousand asks for a different pillow, and the whole hotel switches to synthetic pillows. Then 999 guests sleep on synthetic wadding when they could have been lying on a good down pillow. The right approach: anyone who wants a different pillow gets an extra pillow. All the other guests deserve a good 3-chamber down pillow.”

Jens Liebhauser

Why hotels rely on down

The pillow is one of the things a guest feels most directly in the room. That is why, for Jens Liebhauser, it is a question of the guest experience, not of convenience in purchasing. From his experience as a hotelier, four points above all speak for the down pillow as the standard:

• The feel: a good down pillow is soft without your head sinking into it. For Jens Liebhauser, that is exactly the “hotel feeling”.
• The fill: a generously filled pillow does not form a large hollow when you lay your head down. In less well-filled pillows, the filling shifts more quickly.
• The shape: in a 3-chamber pillow, the outer chambers are filled with down and the middle one with feathers. The feathers provide support, the down makes it soft to rest on. This way the pillow keeps its shape.
• The lifespan: in his experience, a well-made down pillow keeps its shape for a long time if the cover and casing are right. For a hotel, that counts over the entire period of use.

What to look out for when buying down pillows – down content, new down, origin and animal welfare – we have summarised in 6 pitfalls when buying duvets & pillows.

The alternative pillow still belongs

Down as the standard does not mean a hotel offers only down. On the contrary: precisely because, in Jens Liebhauser’s experience, the request is rare, the hotel should be well prepared for it. Anyone who asks for a different pillow should get it without discussion and without waiting. Here is how to put this into practice in a hotel:

• Ask at booking: one sentence in the booking confirmation or the pre-arrival email is enough, such as “Do you have a particular pillow preference?”. Then the pillow is ready when the guest arrives.
• Note it in the guest profile: regular guests with a pillow preference should not have to mention it again at every stay.
• A few alternative pillows per hotel: keep a small number of alternative pillows ready, for example with a synthetic filling. How many you need depends on the number of rooms and occupancy; with around two requests in a season, as in Jens Liebhauser’s hotel, a few are enough.
• Label clearly and store separately: housekeeping must be able to find the alternative pillow immediately and must not mix it up with the standard pillow when making the bed.
• Same pillowcase, same look: with the same pillowcase, the bed looks like every other bed in the hotel, even with an alternative pillow.
• A pillow menu as an option: some hotels offer a small pillow menu, for example a firmer and a softer pillow or a filling without down. This makes the request feel completely natural for the guest.

Do you run a hotel and would like to test pillows, duvets or bed linen in your own operations? On our For hotels page you can request a sample package. For hotel partnerships, Jens Liebhauser is your contact: +49 7258 210.

And at home?

At home there is no pillow menu – but you can choose calmly by feel. Two questions help:

• Which size? If you like to burrow into your pillow, you will tend to choose 80 × 80 cm. If you prefer a more stable position, 40 × 80 cm often feels better, because the pillow fills the space between head and shoulder. You can read more in Pillowcase 80 × 80 or 40 × 80?
• 1 or 3 chambers? The 1-chamber pillow can be shaped freely. The 3-chamber pillow gives more support thanks to the feather chamber in the middle.

Our First Class down pillow is available as a 1-chamber and as a 3-chamber pillow in 40 × 80 cm and 80 × 80 cm. It is filled with new white goose down and goose feathers, DOWNPASS certified (100 % guaranteed no live plucking) and certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100. The casing made of 100 % cotton is down-proof and pre-washed, the seams are finished with a white satin border, and it has no zip. We are happy to tell you the exact fill weight and composition for each size and version on request.

Important: this article reflects a hotelier’s experience and does not replace medical advice. If you have a diagnosed allergy, please ask your doctor which pillow is right for you.

Frequently asked questions

What pillows do hotels use?

In many upscale hotels, the bed is made with a down or down-and-feather pillow. Well-run hotels also keep a few alternative pillows ready, for example with a synthetic filling, which guests receive on request.

Can I get a pillow without down in a hotel?

In a well-run hotel, usually yes. The easiest way is to mention it when you book, so the pillow is ready when you arrive. If you have a diagnosed allergy, please ask your doctor which pillow is right for you.

Is the Cottonbabe down pillow a 3-chamber pillow?

It comes in both versions: as a 1-chamber and as a 3-chamber pillow, each in 40 × 80 cm and 80 × 80 cm. In the 3-chamber pillow, the two outer chambers are filled with white goose down and the middle chamber with goose feathers for stability.

Jens Liebhauser – founder of Cottonbabe, 5-star hotelier and interior designer, family tradition since 1870, among other things a master upholsterer/interior decorator with a certified examination in textile science