YOTEL Introduces Signature 'SmartBed'

NEW YORK, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- YOTEL, the technology-focused hospitality brand, has announced a brand-wide partnership with Serta, the leading hospitality mattress company, to develop a unique mattress that will serve as YOTEL's new signature sleep standard. The new mattresses are a critical element of YOTEL's 'SmartBeds,' to be incorporated into their 'cabins' worldwide, as the company rolls out its next generation cabin design and delivers on its ambitious global expansion plans. The partnership speaks to YOTEL's commitment to improving the guest experience in its mission to provide affordable luxury to travellers around the world.

'The heart of YOTEL's mission is to provide an elevated level of comfort for business and leisure travellers and flexing to their needs. Since sleep and comfort are undeniably top priorities for our guests, we researched and developed an exciting and unique solution that fits the YOTEL brand and delivers the best experience,' explains Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL. 'We are delighted that the 'SmartBed' by YOTEL will mean better sleep and cabin experiences for our guests while building upon YOTEL's reputation as a hospitality innovator.'

Adjustable beds are becoming the new standard for good sleep hygiene by providing comfortable and variable postures for reading, work and entertainment. The new Serta® mattress is designed exclusively for YOTEL, to work with the existing automated 'gliding' bed mechanism for which the hotel's cabins are known. The 'SmartBed' converts at the touch of a button from a fully flatbed to a sofa/couch to create extra space for relaxing and working. The new mattress was extensively tested and installed in select cabins at YOTEL's flagship hotel in New York City where discerning guests are providing overwhelming levels of excellent feedback.

To support the ultimate sleep experience, YOTEL is also launching an artistic and innovative campaign designed to induce sleep. The 30-minute feature, aptly named 'YAWN,' promises to promote sleep even to the most restless of guests. 'YAWN' is the brainchild of Creative Director Floyd Hayes, produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Scott Elliott, and is accompanied by a sleep-inducing soundtrack by Tom Middleton, YOTEL's music curator and Sound Professor. The campaign combines research, technology and an injection of playfulness to create a unique, functional experience that guests have come to expect from YOTEL.

YOTEL collaborator Dr. Chris Idzikowski of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service notes;
'No one is sure what a yawn does. Originally a yawn was thought to occur when there was too much carbon dioxide or too little oxygen in the air, causing breathing to occur faster and more deeply than usual. Then it was thought that it was a signal by a leader of a group to settle down and rest or go to sleep. When the leader yawns, others follow and the group settles. More recently in humans, research suggests that a deep yawn may help cool the brain.'

The video will be available for guests on YOTEL's in-house TV channel and online and is also available to view at www.yotel.com/about-us/YAWN. The 'SmartBed' by YOTEL will be available to all guests at YOTEL New York immediately, and it will roll out to all YOTEL properties in the near future.

About YOTEL:

Inspired by first class travel, YOTEL translates the language of luxury airline travel into a small but luxurious 'cabins'. Uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL City hotels are taking the essential elements of luxury hotels in smaller, smart spaces and deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise. Premium cabins include luxury bedding, rejuvenating monsoon rain showers, relaxing mood lighting and YOTEL's signature adjustable 'SmartBed' and  'techno wall' with smart TVs, multi power points and easy connectivity.

Conceived for busy international travellers, YOTEL Airport hotels provide everything for a guest to relax, refresh, sleep and connect within global transportation hubs. Guests may choose exactly what time they would they like to check in and out, giving total flexibility to travellers in transit, staying the night before an early departure or to freshen up on arrival before a meeting in the city.

YOTEL currently operates three airport hotels in London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol airports; and one city hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with seven new hotels under development globally, including two new airport hotels set to open at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (2016) and Singapore Changi Airport (2018); and five new city hotels currently under construction in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2017) Singapore Orchard Road (2017), Miami (2017), San Francisco (2017) and Dubai (2018).

Founded by YO! Founder Simon Woodroffe OBE, YOTEL's HQ is in London and has offices in Boston and Dubai. Its major partner and shareholder is IFA Hotels and Resorts KSCC based in Dubai.

http://www.yotel.com/

About Serta:

Serta, Inc. ("Serta"), through its licensees, is the #1 mattress manufacturer in the United States.  Serta's product portfolio includes the Perfect Sleeper®, which is the Only Official Mattress of the National Sleep Foundation, and the iComfort® Sleep System, both named Consumers Digest Best Buys.

'SmartBed' by YOTEL features a new Serta mattress designed exclusively for YOTEL, designed to provide optimal support and comfort. The mattress features a customized luxury designer knit cover and flexible construction to help ease the day to night transition for hotel guests, and Serta's breakthrough gel memory foam technology, designed to provide cooling comfort and targeted body support.

As the leading provider of mattresses to the hospitality industry, Serta partners with hotel groups and is distributed internationally in more than 150 other countries.  With its worldwide network, Serta is able to respond quickly to customers' needs while still preserving strict control standards to ensure the highest quality. For more information, visit www.serta.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. 

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