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After nearly ten years spent traveling and staying in Airbnbs and hotels, I realized that five-star establishments stand out not only for the quality of their service, but also for the care they put into their bedding and bath linens.
Back in France, we wanted to recreate this “5-star hotel” experience at home by buying the same products. The only problem is that the suppliers of these hotels rarely sell directly to individuals. Fortunately, it’s sometimes possible to find them on Vinted.
So I’m sharing here the essential criteria to know for choosing home linens that offer the same level of comfort and quality.
- For pillows, I talked about it at length, you can read this shopping guide. The secret is having compartments inside a pillow. More compact inside and fluffy outside. With several degrees of firmness so you can choose according to your preferences. You’ll find them at Yves Delorme or on the Marriott website or at Hanse (a German brand, supplier to major hotel chains). Take advantage of sales to get 20% to 30% off.
- Pillows should be protected by a pillow protector in 100% cotton, minimum 120 thread count (to prevent feathers from escaping), then a pillowcase. This way, you’ll keep your pillows clean longer, no risk of having yellow pillows, even after several years.
- For the pillowcase, ideally, it should be silk, I buy them from Lualang, it’s hand-woven silk from Vietnam. The downside is that you also have to hand wash them. For those who don’t like silk (like JB), opt for 100% cotton sateen, minimum 120 thread count.
- For bath towels, if you find Atelier Particulier ones on Vinted, buy ASAP, they’re exactly like 5-star hotel towels. More info here. The secret is having loops at least 2 millimeters long, extremely tight weaving and a density of 600g/m² or more, 100% cotton of course. Towels from the Belgian brand De Witte Lietaer are those used by Marriott hotels, you can find them on Vinted.
- For bathrobes, you should opt for 100% waffle-weave cotton, not too thick, ideally 230g/m². You’ll find bathrobes of this type bearing the names of prestigious hotels on Vinted, or those from De Witte Lietaer, or you can opt for a waffle-weave bathrobe at Yves Delorme, a French brand; or at Marriott. Choose the kimono collar. Be careful, the waffle weave must be very pronounced visually, and the weight not too high (230g/m²).
- For the sheet, duvet cover and pillowcases, hotels often use 50% polyester 50% cotton because it withstands intensive washing better. But I prefer, for a fairly similar feel but better composition, 100% cotton, “sateen” weave, minimum 120 thread count. If you find Egyptian cotton (the fiber is longer), it’s even better. Personally, I buy from Anne de Solène because there’s an outlet in Roubaix (not far from me) but you can just use my advice to choose yours. Avoid percale cotton, it’s not soft enough.
- As for the mattress topper, we simply opted for a mattress topper from Marriott. They’re always 30% off during sales and back-to-school season.
- The comforter fill must be down and/or feathers. Don’t opt for polyester! The % of down and % of feathers will determine the price. Everything from geese is warmer and more expensive than duck. Down costs more than feathers. The down & feathers must be new (not recycled), of French or European origin (those from China are of very poor quality). And the comforter must use super tightly woven cotton (120-200 thread count) so the feathers don’t escape. There also needs to be a certain weight, otherwise there aren’t enough feathers (220 grams/m² or more). The holy grail for those who are always cold is 90% goose down – 10% goose feathers. Another more expensive alternative is Hanse, 100% goose down (used in Marriott, Fairmont, Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental hotels) and there, you’re buying a cloud.
Of course, if you can’t be bothered, you can just raid the Marriott or Sofitel online shop. No need to think. But the catch is that everything will be all white.
I’ve already tested recycled hotel linens sold at Du beau linge, but they mix linens from 4-star hotels with those from 5-star hotels, and you risk getting the 4-star ones, and believe me, you can feel the difference immediately!
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