bedding

[meow!]

Reading Silversea's previous press releases, I by chance came accross the following

 

http://www.silversea.com/silversea.aspx?id=912&menu_id=10&page_id=aboutsilversea&page_type=Press&menu_off=1

 

Silversea is getting new Sealy bedding. I think Sealy is mass market, nothing particular. Since Silversea claims to be ultra-luxury, why not try Hasten's beds for example. Hasten's bedding has layers of natural horse hair (at least the higher models), and is known to be luxurious, any comments?

[scandun]

I would not expect Silversea to use Hastens bed. I thought the stewardess or room service people come from Europe ( read or heard before ), but from my experience on the Wind, they mostly come from the Phillipines, or India, or Romania.... where income is much lower. Would you expect Silversea which is trying to cut costs to introduce Hastens bed ? Likewise, I would not expect any luxurious cruise line to use Hastens bed. Maybe they can start upgrading the "Silversea" small television in the suite first.

[lord of the seas]

Did anyone make sense of the last post?

[Host Dan]

Did anyone make sense of the last post?

I think what Scandun was trying to say is that why would anyone think they would go for that level of expensive bedding when they are cutting corners everywhere else.

 

Host Dan

[wripro]

And cutting corners with the choice of food in the restaurant, plus the number of waiters.

[scandun]

It would be luxurious enough if they put in an electrical adjustable bed with pocket springs of five or seven comfort zones, covered with 1000 count fine bedlinen made of Egytian cotton plus a nice Hungarian goose down duvet and pillow with 500 count jacquard satin cloth. And yes,

a generous featherbed or fibrebed for our North American friends.

[MuseCruiser]

I think they forgot to tell the chef they were cutting corners on our last cruise, which ended May 22, with the two nights of special ordered 6 course Indian dinner, or the night of Poulet de Bresse, or the night of special ordered rack of lamb.

[scandun]

It also happens they forget to cut corners. On the last night of our cruise which ended May 23rd, they were showing a movie Notes of a Scandal. There was not one watcher, but the movie just went on and on......

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

Mattresses on cruise ships must come from large companies able to manufacture to an industrial standard. A bed you and I may purchase for our home can never be for "industrial" use -- it won't last.

 

Also, mattresses made for cruiselines must be especially made to be as near fire-proof as possible. This is a higher standard than you have in most of your 50 states (only certain states such as California and a few others require this strict fire code for mattresses).

 

There is nothing wrong with a good, industrial quality Sealy mattress made for the luxury market. I think the idea here is to make the bed at least as comfortable, or more comfortable than the Starwood Heavenly Beds, which are basically the travel industry standard.

 

Using an industrial-grade, major international brand such as Sealy also helps the cruiseline to please a broader range of people. When it comes to the "luxury" specialty beds, some people love them, other people hate them. You will never get the same opinion on such brands as Tempur, Treka, Dux (also known as Duxiana), etc.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[scandun]

Dear friends:

 

Mattresses on cruise ships must come from large companies able to manufacture to an industrial standard. A bed you and I may purchase for our home can never be for "industrial" use -- it won't last. I WOULD NOT JUDGE BY THE SIZE OF A COMPANY ON ITS PRODUCT STANDARD. YOU AND I MAY SLEEP AT HOME FOR 8 HOURS, BUT WE DO NOT SLEEP SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER TIME ON A CRUISE STATEROOM, DO WE ?

 

Also, mattresses made for cruiselines must be especially made to be as near fire-proof as possible. This is a higher standard than you have in most of your 50 states (only certain states such as California and a few others require this strict fire code for mattresses). FIRE-PROOFNESS HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MATTRESS I BELIEVE. IT'S MAINLY ABOUT WHAT MATERIAL IS USED. A BIG COMPANY CAN PURCHASE FIRE-PROOF MATERIAL ( FABRIC OR FILLING ETC ) TO MAKE HIS MATTRESS, AND SO CAN A SMALLER COMPANY.

 

There is nothing wrong with a good, industrial quality Sealy mattress made for the luxury market. I think the idea here is to make the bed at least as comfortable, or more comfortable than the Starwood Heavenly Beds, which are basically the travel industry standard. YOU ARE RIGHT, BUT WE WERE SPEAKING TO USE AN EVEN BETTER, OR MORE COMFORTABLE MATTRESS THAN SEALY.

 

Using an industrial-grade, major international brand such as Sealy also helps the cruiseline to please a broader range of people. When it comes to the "luxury" specialty beds, some people love them, other people hate them. You will never get the same opinion on such brands as Tempur, Treka, Dux (also known as Duxiana), etc. I AM NOT SURE OF THIS POINT. MAYBE THE VAST MAJORITY PAX ON SS DON'T BUY SEALY BED AT HOME. IN THIS CASE THEY WON'T BE PLEASED TO SEE A SEALY BED IN THE STATEROOM. DO SCANDINAVIAN PRODUCTS APPEAL TO PEOPLE IN THE STATES ?

[meow!]

A bed you and I may purchase for our home can never be for "industrial" use -- it won't last ... Using an industrial-grade, major international brand such as Sealy also helps the cruiseline to please a broader range of people.

We do not have a Hastens bed in our home, they cost $5,000 to $20,000, with the ones using layers of natural horse hair costing around $10,000 and up for queen size, and are beyond our range. However, just for information, Hastens beds are guarenteed for 30 years, and are used by the Chicago Peninsula Hotel, plus a number of others in Europe. So they are surely of "industrial grade". They are made of natural, non allergic material. They use spring, not foam mattresses (which some people like and some don't), and we don't see many complaints about them on the internet, except that they have to be turned over every six months and are very heavy, a sign of good quality.

 

It is the kind of product (and I am sure there are other brands in this category, I mentioned Hastens only because I happened to have seen them in a store) that an "ultra luxury" line can crow about. Usually, businesses find same level partners, for example, a while back, if you stayed in certain Ritz Carlton hotels, you would have complementary use of a Mercedes Benz, not a Toyota. It is not flattering for Silversea to use Sealy, and if they do, it may be better to keep quiet rather than crow about it!

[scandun]

We do not have a Hastens bed in our home, they cost $5,000 to $20,000, with the ones using layers of natural horse hair costing around $10,000 and up for queen size, and are beyond our range. However, just for information, Hastens beds are guarenteed for 30 years, and are used by the Chicago Peninsula Hotel, plus a number of others in Europe. So they are surely of "industrial grade". They are made of natural, non allergic material. They use spring, not foam mattresses (which some people like and some don't), and we don't see many complaints about them on the internet, except that they have to be turned over every six months and are very heavy, a sign of good quality.

 

It is the kind of product (and I am sure there are other brands in this category, I mentioned Hastens only because I happened to have seen them in a store) that an "ultra luxury" line can crow about. Usually, businesses find same level partners, for example, a while back, if you stayed in certain Ritz Carlton hotels, you would have complementary use of a Mercedes Benz, not a Toyota. It is not flattering for Silversea to use Sealy, and if they do, it may be better to keep quiet rather than crow about it!

 

Couldn't agree more. Just keep quiet, and pray PAX will not check what mattresses are beneath their bodies. Honestly, I would say the mattress and bedlinen on Silver Wind are not too bad, nothing to complain much about. We had good sleep on board.

[CruisinGerman]

depending upon the country.

 

When meow started talking about the Hastens bed, I said to myself, gee I've lived in Europe (mostly Paris, Barcelona and Madrid) my entire life and I've never heard of the Hastens bed.

 

I just looked on their website, and found that in the U.S.A. there are "Hastens Exclusive Stores" in Soho New York, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, etc.

 

I then checked where Hastens beds are distributed here in Spain, and when I clicked on both Madrid and Barcelona, two or three furniture or mattress stores came up which turn out to be stores that most people here have never even heard of and, while these stores are located in decent neighborhoods, they are not exactly stores or neighborhoods that people would associate with the ultimate of luxury.

 

So I guess what is perceived in one market as exclusive and luxurious doesn't necessarily get perceived in other markets around the world in the same way. Another example that comes to mind and which is actually related to Spain is the case of Lladró figurines. Outside of Spain, and especially in the United States, England, Australia, Japan, Lladró figurines are considered exclusive, luxurious, beautiful, etc. and are quite popular among people of the nationalities listed above. Curiously enough, here in Spain most people consider them ugly, gaudy, tacky, touristy, etc., and Spaniards would generally not purchase them for their homes. Outside of Spain, Lladró figurines are sold in exclusive gift/chinaware stores, jewelry stores, exclusive department stores, etc. Here in Spain they are sold in El Corte Inglés department store as well as in "souvenir shops" in the tourist areas of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other Spanish cities and resorts right alongside the personalized bullfight posters, flamenco dolls and swords from Toledo. Just another example of how luxury and exclusivity are perceived differently depending upon the country and target public.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[scandun]

If I am asked the question of "Is ultra luxury brand better known to public, or an international major brand ?", I would say normally the latter. Fifteen years ago, someone asked me to find a dealer in China for Bang & Olufsen products and would pay me commission for it, I asked what is B&O ? And I only came to know Hastens ten years ago because that happens to be part of my business area. An ultra luxury product rather has to do with unique design, top quality, special taste, etc etc than to be known by how many people in the world. An ultra luxury product is also not for the mass market. It maybe better known in one country than another, but this has to do with many factors, such as its origin or expansion and marketing strategy. Finally, all brands, whether luxury or not, cannot be loved by everyone in the world. I personally do not like the design of Hastens bed, as the blue and white checks look like a cheap IKEA product.

[scandun]

A typical Hastens mattress has a production cost of 1100 euro, is sold to dealer at 3400 euro, and then sold to consumer for 9000 euro. A highly marketing driven product. We pay too much for luxurious products.

[meow!]

Assuming that your numbers are right, hypothetically, if Silversea buys 1350 of them, for all their berths, that is more than the average dealer can sell in ten years if ever, perhaps they can get it for 2000 euros, shipping included?!

[scandun]

This could be good business for Hastens. I suggest they supply the model without horse hair, as the nature of horse hair determines that it won't be as fluffy as it can be in a new mattress, after two years of use.

[Signor John]

CruisinGerman offered good reasons why Silversea wouldn't want to use horsehair mattresses, but here's another: Horsehair comes from dead horses, and there are quite a few people who don't like the idea of killing horses for meat or for mattresses. Of course, if each mattress were accompanied by a certificate of provenance stating that "the horse in this mattress died of natural causes," the use of horsehair mattresses might be acceptable. Until that happens, it's probably less controversial to buy mattresses made from dead Sealys than from dead horses (or from dead Sealyhams, for that matter).

[meow!]

What may be wrong if they shear horse hair the way they shear wool? That way, in a year the horse will have grown back its hair ready for the next shearing. Besdies, horsemeat is often used in animal feed. If the horse is killed for feed anyway, why dump its hair as garbage if some good use can be found? I don't know the answer, I am just pondering!