It was an honor to write this article. I have suffered from insomnia for many years, so any event that highlights actions that can be taken at home or in hotels to improve sleep quality is music my ears.
I was therefore honored and delighted to be able to attend the second Global Sleep Symposium held at the Equinox Hotel New York this past May – a conference devoted to raising awareness for sleep best practices and how Equinox Hotels is pioneering the best possible sleep for its guests with advanced room design and on-prem amenities.
The highlight was being able to sit across from Dr. Matthew Walker (author of “Why We Sleep” 2018), Chris Norton CEO of Equinox Hotels Dr. Wendy Troxel the author of “Sharing of the Covers (2021) and Dr. Aric A. Pather Where we could ask thought-provoking questions about the future sleep, new technologies in space, and how they will impact our lives.
You may be tempted to think it is grandiose to portray a single conference as the embodiment of an entire new era. Sleep is essential to our health. In the last 20 years, we have not found a single condition in which sleep isn’t disturbed. This study shows that people are now recognizing the importance of sleep to their health.
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Every day, more people are realizing this and prioritizing sleep in their daily lives. This social progression has profound implications on consumer products, work/life balance, food purchasing, and travel.
Health Is Wealth
One motto that I use to guide my thinking is “The more personal the more universal.” There are undoubtedly millions, if no billions of people, who suffer from poor sleep. This is especially true when they travel and stay in a foreign country.
Indeed, one place to look is to Gen Z, the first generation that is truly taking the phrase ‘health is wealth’ to heart. They consume clean food; fewer drink and smoke than older generations. They also exercise more frequently.
You can also find statistics on insomnia to see how many of us suffer from some form of sleep disorder. These numbers are staggering, especially when you take into account the chronic diseases associated with a lack of sleep. In today’s fast-paced and hyper-connected culture of constant connectivity, sleep problems are on the rise.
In hospitality, we now have the term ‘sleep tourism’ to inscribe the exponential growth of demand for hotels that have sleep-specific amenities or room types so that travelers can get as good a night’s rest as possible while on the road for work or leisure. There are also many ‘sleep retreats’ with focused multi-night programs to help people repattern their sleep back into a healthier norm.
Hotel Guestroom Design: The Future
The second Global Sleep Symposium of 2025 was held in the calm and modern meeting room on the 25th Floor of the Equinox Hotel New York on May 2, 2025.
The Hudson River and the ultramodern Hudson Yards neighbourhood provided a beautiful backdrop for the intimate event. Everyone left feeling energized and transformed about the future of sleep hygiene.
The symposium started with an exclusive Q&A with Dr. Walker and Norton where the spotlight was on how luxury hotel design is shifting to address modernity’s dislocation with natural circadian rhythms.
What Dr. Walker emphasized was that hotels – and all bedrooms for that matter – must first focus on getting the basics in place perfectly: quiet, dark, cool and wholly comfortable guestroom chambers with intuitive nighttime lighting and curtain controls as well as the right in-room amenities to allow guests to slowly calm down in preparation for sleep.
Norton explained the selection process of the beds in the rooms to the audience, adding color to the statement. They chose 22 mattresses, spending three times as much per unit price than other luxury brands. This was done out of a passion for their guests and a budget that allowed them to do so. They considered everything: the design and room cleaning aspect, all-natural materials, cotton and horseshair, handmade, and no metal springs.
Norton commented, “Guests may be unaware of all the details and responsibilities when staying overnight but they will feel them when they awaken refreshed.” The hotel’s mattress selection is just one of the many processes we use to find the best sleep products. “We’re always asking what the guest expectations are going to be in five-years and how we can meet them now.”
Trendsetters such as Equinox Hotels are never satisfied with their achievements in the sleep design field. They invest continuously.
