How High Should a Mattress Be? Hotel Beds Compared

How high should a mattress be? The question sounds simple, but the answer depends on more than one number. The height of the mattress determines how high you get into bed, which sheet fits and how the bed looks in the room. Cottonbabe founder Jens Liebhauser is a 5-star hotelier and interior designer; his family has been making mattresses and home textiles since 1870. In a hotel he always looks at how all the layers of a bed work together.

In this guide you will find out what mattress height depends on, how to find the right overall height for your bed, why hotel beds often look taller and which flat sheet you need for a high mattress with a topper.

What mattress height depends on

The height of a mattress results from its construction: the core and the comfort layers above and below it. A simple foam mattress can be fairly flat. A pocket spring mattress with several layers is usually considerably higher. Height is therefore mainly an indication of how many layers have been built in, but on its own it is not a mark of quality.

Our Grand Suite mattress is 28 cm high. That height comes from its construction: a Flexizone pocket spring unit in a foam frame, latex, visco and HR foams and, on each side, a top layer – 250 g of silk on one, 150 g of wool on the other. How springs and foam differ is explained in our guide on pocket springs and HR foam.

When choosing mattress height, three practical points matter most:

• Bed frame: if your bed has a high frame, the mattress should rise above it. Otherwise it looks sunken in the frame and the sheet is hard to tuck in.
• Bed height: every centimetre of mattress raises the sleeping surface.
• Bed linen: the higher the mattress and topper, the larger the sheet needs to be.

Overall height: how to find the right bed height

How high you get into bed does not depend on the mattress alone. The overall height is made up of base, mattress and topper. A simple rule of thumb: when you sit on the edge of the bed, your feet should rest flat on the floor with your knees roughly at a right angle. A practical trick: measure the seat height of a chair you like sitting on. The top edge of your bed should be in that range too.

An example: if your slatted base sits at 30 cm, the Grand Suite adds 28 cm and the topper approx. 4 cm. The sleeping surface is then at around 62 cm. If that is too high for you, adjust the base, for example with shorter legs or a lower frame.

Why hotel beds look taller

Many guests sink into a hotel bed that looks taller and more generous than the one at home. There is no standard hotel bed height, but there is a reason for the impression: in a hotel, several layers sit on top of each other. A high base, a high mattress, a topper, a tightly tucked sheet and a full duvet together create a bed with real presence in the room.

For housekeeping, a higher bed also has a practical advantage: making the bed and tucking in the sheet means bending down less.

“You can tell a well-made hotel bed by its edge: the sheet is tightly tucked, nothing hangs down, nothing slips.”

Jens Liebhauser

The mattress topper: approx. 4 cm more

In hotels a topper is often a fixed part of the bed. It changes the feel and protects the surface of the mattress. Include it in your height calculation from the start. Our First Class mattress topper is approx. 4 cm high, with cover and filling made of cotton. It is available from 140 × 200 to 200 × 210 cm. What sets a cotton topper apart from latex and foam toppers is explained in Cotton mattress toppers.

Sheets for high mattresses: tuck in rather than stretch

With a fitted sheet you have to watch the pocket depth, meaning how deep the elasticated edge is. If it does not match the height of mattress and topper, the sheet slips off at the corners. Fitted sheets also need stretch and therefore often contain elastane.

We deliberately offer no fitted sheets, only classic flat sheets, just as in a hotel. The sheet is laid over mattress and topper and tucked deep underneath on all sides. At the corners it is folded neatly before it goes under the mattress. That way it lies taut and smooth, however high the mattress is.

For the size, use this rule of thumb: width = mattress width + 2 × height + approx. 2 × 25 cm for tucking in. Calculate the length the same way using the mattress length. For a Grand Suite in 180 × 200 cm with topper, about 32 cm high in total, that gives:

• Width: 180 + 2 × 32 + 50 = 294 cm
• Length: 200 + 2 × 32 + 50 = 314 cm

Our First Class flat sheet comes in two oversizes: 300 × 320 cm for high mattresses and box-spring beds, and 280 × 280 cm, which fits for example a 180 × 200 cm mattress 20 cm high, with a little less to tuck in lengthwise. For the Grand Suite with topper, choose 300 × 320 cm. The sheet is made of 100 % extra-long-staple cotton with a staple length of 34 to 38 mm, has a genuine 300 thread count in single yarns and 145 g/m², and is certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

More about weaves, fabric weight and care in Cotton flat sheets. A generous duvet also comes into its own on a high bed: why hotels use the longer size is explained in Bed linen 155 × 220. Everything for your bed is in the Mattresses & Toppers collection. We are happy to answer questions about the right size on +49 7258 210.

Frequently asked questions

How high should a mattress be?

There is no fixed height. The height results from the core and the comfort layers, and on its own it is not a mark of quality. What matters more is that mattress, base, topper and sheet work together and that the overall height is comfortable for you. Our Grand Suite is 28 cm high.

How high is a hotel bed?

It varies from hotel to hotel. Hotel beds often look taller because several layers sit on top of each other: a high base, a high mattress, a topper and a tightly tucked sheet. For the height at home: when you sit on the edge of the bed, your feet should rest flat on the floor.

Which sheet do I need for a high mattress?

A classic flat sheet has to cover the width and length of the mattress plus twice the height of mattress and topper, with around 25 cm extra on each side for tucking in. For a 180 × 200 cm Grand Suite with topper, our flat sheet in 300 × 320 cm fits.

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