A hotel chain is to offer 'classical music siestas' to its customers. During the day, British workers will be welcomed into Travelodge hotels for a spot of sleep, helped by reclining chairs, duvets, eye masks and a live string quartet.
The ‘classical music siesta’ was created after the chain commissioned a sleep survey. 6,000 people were asked whether they thought they got enough sleep at night, among other questions. The results showed that the average quota was 1 hour and 39 minutes less than the recommended 8 hours, and over half of those surveyed felt a siesta would help improve their work.
The scheme was piloted at the London city Road Travelodge – where participants snoozed to the strains of Mozart and Bach – and is to be adopted across the UK.
Sam Birley, a 24-year-old builder, was one of the first afternoon nappers. ‘I thought I would give the siesta service a go and after a couple of minutes of lying in the dark listening to the orchestra I couldn’t keep my eyes open,’ he says. ‘I felt totally chilled out. I think the classical siesta is a great idea.’
Rebecca Franks