Pillow guide
What pillows do hotels use?
Loved the pillow on your last trip? Start with its fill, size and model. Hotels choose different pillows, and the one you remember may be part of a menu of options available at that property.
The short answer
Hotels use a variety of fills. A published hotel pillow menu, for example, offers feather, down-alternative and foam options. The exact pillow can vary by property and room, so ask the hotel which model you slept on.
When buying for home, compare the feel and care requirements of the particular model. A hotel name alone will not tell you how a pillow settles under your head.
The fills you might be comparing
- Down and feather
- Loose natural fill that can be plumped and shaped. Down contributes softness; feather adds body. Check the proportions and whether separate chambers hold different fills.
- Synthetic fibre
- Often labelled polyester or down alternative. Compare the particular pillow’s feel, height and washing instructions; these vary between models.
- Foam
- May be a moulded shape or loose pieces of foam. Check the design as well as the material: a fixed contour behaves differently from fill you can redistribute.
For a broader shortlist, our Australian pillow buying guide compares natural fill, synthetic fibre, memory foam and latex.
How to find a pillow you liked at a hotel
Contact the hotel with the date of your stay and room details if you have them. Ask housekeeping for the pillow's brand or supplier, model, size and fill composition. Mention which pillow you used if the bed had several. A photograph of its label, where available, can make the enquiry more precise.
If the hotel sells a home version, check its specifications and care instructions before ordering. Ask whether it is the same model or an alternative. This is especially useful when the listing offers different sizes or firmness choices.
Work out which part of the feel you want at home
Was it the soft surface, the way you could shape the pillow, or the amount of body beneath your head? Those details are more useful than how full the bed looked. Your own mattress and pillowcase can change how the same pillow feels once you lie down.
A stack arranged for presentation is not a height recommendation for sleep. Start by checking one pillow in your usual position, then decide what feels comfortable. The Soft vs Firm guide explains why firmness and sleeping height are different things.
Where NUVELL fits
The NUVELL Pillow has a down-and-feather outer chamber around a feather core. Our manufacturer confirms that it supplies this specification to hotels. We chose it as our first step towards bringing a little of that hotel feeling home.
The outer chamber contains 30% white duck down and 70% white duck feather; the inner core contains 100% white duck feather. Both Soft and Firm measure 50 × 70 cm and have a 100% cotton, 230-thread-count down-proof cover. Choose Soft for a softer feel, or Firm if you prefer more structure.
Read the down vs feather comparison if you want to understand the materials before choosing a pillow.
For your own bed
Check the dimensions against your pillowcases, choose by feel, and read the return conditions before trying several pillows. Care is part of the purchase too: NUVELL pillows are spot-clean only, and the whole pillow must not be soaked.
For accommodation
Compare the care requirements with your room-turnover routine before choosing a natural-fill pillow. For NUVELL, do not machine wash, wet-clean or soak the whole pillow, and do not dry-clean it. Raise your quantities and care needs through Hotel & Trade before ordering.
Bring home the feel you remember.
If you like a pillow you can plump and shape, explore NUVELL Soft and Firm. Check the spot-cleaning care alongside your choice.
View the NUVELL Pillow Read the care requirements