A good luxury hotel transforms a room into a relaxing oasis with dim lighting, inviting beds, blackout curtains and a thoughtful turndown treat. But you don’t necessarily need to check into a property to find that bliss. We have three ways to help replicate a hotel ambiance at home, so that you can experience it every night.
Give It A Rest
One of the best ways to re-create a hotel guest room is to upgrade your linens. Slip between the sheets at a Forbes Travel Guide-rated property, peek at the attached tag and frequently it will read “Frette.” The longtime linen leader traces its history back to 1860, and it began outfitting beds in now-iconic hotels like Ritz Paris and New York’s The Plaza Hotel in 1899. Today, more than 1,000 of the world’s top addresses — including The Peninsula, Rosewood and Shangri-La properties — make their beds with Frette’s coveted sheets.
The company launched a new brand, H by Frette, that sells its sheets and other items at a lower price point, making it even easier to replicate your favorite luxury hotel bedroom.
What distinguishes H’s sheets from Frette’s, according to the company, is that the latter are handcrafted with embellishments and finished with a patented method. H’s products sport simple finishes. But both can be found adorning beds in upscale hotels.
Among the 24-piece collection, try the bed bundles, which come with two pillowcases, a sheet set and a duvet cover. Like the hotel bedding, the bundles are all white, but you can select among three finishes: sateen, percale and checkered sateen.
We tested out the sateen bundle. After we made our bed with the bright white covers, it reminded us of a pristine sleeping spot at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort (except we didn’t iron our linens like the meticulous Mexico hotel does). When we tucked in for the night, our sheets felt similarly thick and crisp. They also had a soft and silky texture. When we woke up the next morning, we almost forgot we were in our own bed — there was a noticeable change.
Slip into Something Luxurious
Another tip for mimicking a high-end hotel stay is to get a high-quality robe. Donning a luxurious bathrobe feels like a vacation-like indulgence, and it makes it easier to wind down after a long day.
H offers a lightweight pique kimono and a fluffy terrycloth, both in white. We adored the thick terry style and could wear it all day long. A great pick for winter, the bathrobe is especially cozy with its wide shawl collar. It’s better than most terrycloth robes we’ve tried on the road. And unlike run-of-the-mill options, this version has convenient deep pockets.
When wrapped in this garment, all you need is a steaming mug of tea or coffee for some hotel-inspired hygge.
Scent the Mood
Nothing sets a mood like a lit-up candle. But instead of reaching for the closest wax pillar, peruse The Shops from The Ritz-Carlton. Seattle-based Antica Farmacista helped the company capture its hotels’ signature scents in glass vessels.
Make your dwelling smell like your favorite property: The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs mingles satsuma, lily of the valley, apricot, passionfruit and black currant in its Mirage candle; The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas’ Cedarwood & Rose hews earthy and floral with its namesake ingredients, along with fir resin, sandalwood, grapefruit and mandarin; The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.’s Sakura exudes the area’s famed cherry blossoms, along with jasmine, lily, vanilla, amber and white musk; and The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s Waterfall gives a refreshing whiff of California lemon, jasmine and cedarwood.
And as you’d expect from a top hotel, The Ritz-Carlton’s shop is anticipatory: purchase a single candle or an annual subscription where one arrives in the mail monthly.
