Category Archive, “Pillow Talk”

Common Hotel Pillow Sizes

DOWNLITE sells thousands of hotels and resorts and frequently we get asked - what is the common size pillow sold to hotels? Based on hundreds of thousands of purchases the answer is that most hotels and resorts buy a Standard 20 x 26 pillow for usage in rooms.  Typically an upscale hotel will bedscape so that the have a row of Euro pillows in the back against the headboard (A Euro pillow measures 26 x 26 inches) - then followed by a row of three double stacked standard size pillows.

This applies for the king size hotel bed - others like a queen still get a row of the Euro’s plus a row of two double stacked standard sized pillows. Very few hotels buy king size pillows for some reason - maybe it’s because they are so big.

The advantage of a standard sized pillow is that you can double them or trade a softer or firmer with your sleeping partner at a hotel.

When buying for home we are also fans of standard or jumbo sized pillows because you can offer more choices in bed - for example one soft pillow and one medium pillow.

Posted in Pillow Talk on Thu, May 7th, 2009 at 3:00 pm. No comments.

Can You Have Too Many Pillows?

I think it’s safe to say most everyone has a pillow on their bed per person. We speak to quite a few folks who love pillows and can’t have enough. I myself have three pillows at night just for myself - two for my head/neck and one for cuddling. Our customers always seem interested in what size they should be - which I think is more of a choice dictated by the sheet sets they have at home. We get a ton of hotel sleepers who find our name on the pillows label and literally want to buy the exact pillow they enjoyed at a property for home - even down to it’s size. Most of the time we have the same pillow available in three or four sizes - but they seem to think they have to have the exact size pillow :-)

So - for what it is worth we would just like to let everyone know that we usually recommend buying a pillow size to match your current sheet set pillowcases. We do however sell ala carte pillowcases just in case you want to get a pillow in a size not contained in your sheet set choices (for example you have a king size sheet set at home, but want the jumbo size pillow you enjoyed at a hotel, etc).

Posted in Pillow Talk on Sat, September 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm. No comments.

Standard/Queen/King Vs. Jumbo/King Pillow Sizes

Not long ago most stores carried pillows in three sizes:

Then the stores started to carry less sizes basically so they had less money tied up in three sku’s. Some stores took a different stance and offered previous program’s in more densities - soft, medium and firm. Now most stores carry pillows in two sizes:

Frequently I’ll get a call or email from a customer who wants to buy an item on the website - but has pillow cases that might not fit. For reference most duvets and sheet sets are now designed with jumbo or king pillows in mind - so if you have a standard or jumbo that will work great. I have seen less sheets and duvets that come with queen sizes - so for the most part a jumbo pillow will fit the bill. And of course king is always king.

Posted in Pillow Talk on Wed, September 10th, 2008 at 4:29 am. No comments.

Bulging Pillows - aka Pillow Wrangler

Today I fielded a call from a customer who was trying to find oversized pillow cases for his standard size pillows that apparently were so squished in his current cases that it felt ‘log’ like :-)

Once in a while we get  questions like this basically asking if we make any pillow cases that are extra wide not necessarily extra long. Our usual response is to tell them how the pillow case fabric measures out - say for example 20 x 26 to fit a standard pillow. Now the newest pillow cases we make are extra wide which are designed to make sure the end of the pillow does not peak out (aka no prairie dogging). These extra long pillow cases also can be used to give a hotel look because the ends are tucked back in. Surprisingly the friction of the fabric keeps the pillow case ends neatly tucked in - just like you see in a hotel.

Posted in Pillow Talk on Sat, August 23rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm. No comments.

Which is Firmer - 50/50 Pillow or All Down?

This is a common question we get all the time about which style pillow is firmer. Not drive everyone nuts but there is a third style to consider - a chamber pillow.  First lets define each pillow style:

50/50 Pillow - This style pillow contains 50% down and 50% feathers. This type pillow usually has a firmer feeling to it. We would call it ‘Medium’ usually and some styles are firmer than others - but most are ‘Medium’.

Down Pillow - A down pillow has to legally have 75% or more in its weight in down clusters.  The other 25% can be more down, small feathers and or fibers [pieces of down clusters]. Down pillows can come in soft, medium or firm densities.

Chamber Pillow - Kind of like a pillow in a pillow. This style pillow has a feather core and down on the outside (top and bottom to be specific). This pillow usually has the ‘firmness’ of a 50/50 pillow or a firmer down pillow.

So wrapping up - if you enjoyed a 50/50 pillow at a luxury hotel - then by all means by a 50/50 pillow. If you used to use a 50/50 pillow and want a replacement recommendation - I’d feel comfortable suggesting a chamber pillow. I probably would not recommend a firm down pillow as a replacement for a 50/50 pillow.

Posted in Pillow Talk on Thu, August 7th, 2008 at 7:12 pm. 1 comment.

Replacing your pillow - how often?

So this seems to be a hot topic for a lot of folks from the recent TODAY show story on it. Subsequent searches online shows that a lot of people have different ideas about when and if to replace pillows. So let me weight in on the topic as its a little close to home. Ummm…yes replace your pillows probably every other year - aside from the funky dust mite feces issue they just look gross after a while - somehow more so with mens pillows (lots of slobbering/snoring I guess).

I would always tell someone to use a pillow protector with their pillows to extend their life and well its just plain easier to wash a pillow protector then a pillow. Although washing your pillow is not really a big deal and can be done at home.

I myself have pillows that look like rainbows :-) I am really funny myself about holding on to pillows that I love. The ones I currently use were from a product development project when we were making our ReNew pillow series last year. I really like them because they have a squishy - sort of clumpy feel (but in a good way). They also have Tencel fabric for their covers so they feel cool to the touch and help wick away moisture. I’m not sure I can ever get rid of them - which of course my wife hates. We’d love to hear about your own pillow holding stories.

Posted in Pillow Talk on Sun, July 13th, 2008 at 9:35 pm. No comments.