Four Seasons' famously comfortable beds have some new competition, now that Westin has introduced its trademarked heavenly bed and W Hotels has added linens from Portico. Laura Begley goes to the mattresses to find out who's the best among the major players.
Westin Philadelphia
STYLE FACTOR A massive marshmallow of a duvet spilling over a traditional hardwood frame. Inviting, but visually out of proportion.
THE BED Simmons Beautyrest pillow-top mattress set. Coil count: 900 (individually wrapped).
LINENS & THINGS 180- to 250-thread-count sheets. Down duvet with Egyptian cotton cover.
ROOM RATE Doubles from $195 weekend, $295 midweek.
THE VERDICT The duvet was unwieldy and the sheets were a bit rough (I'm sure I got stuck with the 180-thread count). Heavenly?I'd say it fell short of cloud nine.
W New York The Tuscany
STYLE FACTOR Designer all the way. Love the red Polarfleece throw and checked duvet--a refreshing break from the usual white-on-white.
THE BED Custom-designed Simmons Beautyrest. Coil count: 890 (individually wrapped)
LINENS & THINGS 250-thread-count sheets, with chic gray piping. White goose-down duvet.
ROOM RATE Doubles from $289 weekend, $419 midweek.
THE VERDICT The most fashionable. But the comfort quotient didn't compensate for the noise level in street-facing rooms. Garbage trucks at 3 a.m. kept me awake.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
STYLE FACTOR Simple, with a dark green velvet headboard. The pared-down look works in the small space.
THE BED Sleepmaker Miracoil Hotel Luxury. Coil count: 864.
LINENS & THINGS 200-thread-count sheets. Oversize feather-and-down pillows.
ROOM RATE Doubles from $450.
THE VERDICT A little too rigid--no bouncing on this mattress. But this room had the best bedside lighting controls, and window shades to block Hong Kong's glow.
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
STYLE FACTOR A romantic sleeping zone, draped with mosquito netting, in a big, grand room.
THE BED Sealy Posturelux 4000. Coil count: 565 (each individually wrapped).
LINENS & THINGS Extra-thick mattress pad. 230-thread-count sheets. Feather-and-down pillows. Down comforters.
ROOM RATE Doubles from $420.
THE VERDICT My favorite, by far. A perfect combination of firmness and fluff. Honest, it wasn't the plunge pool just beyond the bed that swayed me.
