“I knew I was officially in the Forty Plus Club when one of my most restful slumbers in years proved more valuable than any souvenir.”

Leisure travel has always had a component of R&R — but hospitality’s focus on immersive wellness experiences has turned the spotlight toward the wee hours when guests are doing nothing at all. Or are they? 

The duration, quality, and consistency of catching Z’s is just as important for good health as diet and exercise, notes the National Institutes of Health, and a growing number of hoteliers are rising to the occasion by focusing on restoration. The niche category of sleep tourism is projected to grow at 12.4% annually this year through 2030, and both boutique and big-name hotel chains are getting onboard (or in bed).

From Space Age sound- and light-proofing and sleep coach consultations to cocoon-like spa treatments, these escapes are more than a place to stash our luggage before hitting the town – they’re an oasis from the pressures of home, where eight hours of quality slumber is often just a dream.

The Longfellow Hotel, Portland, Maine

North Stars: Water Management, Waste Management, Energy Efficiency

Cleverly designed in the same Victorian style as the historic buildings surrounding it, the 48-room Longfellow Hotel was actually built from the ground up. Rather than struggling to soundproof existing walls, for instance, the team built a sleep sanctuary brick-by-brick, said Tony DeLois, co-founder of Maine boutique hotel group Uncommon Hospitality.

The interior pieces came together when the father of two started working with Sleep Wise Consulting to train his youngest to make it through a night. It turns out it’s never too late to turn adult night owls into better dozers either, and DeLois enlisted their expertise for room features like Loftie alarm clocks that, unlike most hotel offerings that blare like a goose in heat, feature meditations and sound baths geared toward a body-clock reset.

Mattress Concierge beds hand-made in New England with high-density foam prevent overheating, and are cloaked in organic linens that require less water to launder. Speciality packages like the Sleep Tight Package include herbal teas and Juno plant-based sleep aids to help guests drift off to the Land of Nod, and spa treatments can also soothe guests for a good night’s sleep.

At Astraea Spa, I luxuriated in the herbal sleep cocoon, which incorporates aromatherapy like lavender and rosemary. Massaged with warmed body butter, I was then snugly wrapped in cushy muslin before more upper-body and lower-body muscle relaxation. It’s suggested that the treatment is booked closer to bedtime, and I can see why — after a quick, slumber-supporting zero-proof nightcap in the lobby bar, I headed upstairs for a full eight hours of sleepy sanctuary. 

Equinox Hotel New York, New York

North Stars: Waste Management, Energy Efficiency, Production & Consumption

New York is known as the city that never sleeps – unless you’re at an Equinox Hotels property.

The luxury hotelier has slumber down to a science – literally – thanks to its partnership with sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker. From room design to spa treatments to food and beverage options, every aspect of this Hudson Yards property is engineered around promoting rest.

Whereas most hotels opt for lighter-colored walls to optimize a feeling of greater square footage, Equinox Hotel New York has done the opposite. Dark guest rooms feature black accents and rich wood tones, with the only vibrant hue coming from the sapphire glow of an iPad upon entrance. With the tap of a finger, you can use settings like the “Dark. Quiet. Cool.” mode to transform each room into a sleep sanctuary with an optimal dozing temperature of 67 degrees. A Sound Transmission Classification (STC) system also eliminates any chance of overhearing your neighbors or elevator pings and dings.

Start and end each day with curated AM + PM Rituals Programs, which offer practices like circadian rhythm-optimizing breathwork techniques for waking up or winding down. Food and beverage selections like melatonin-boosting cherry juice help prepare your body for rest with choices. Sleep coaches and therapists are on-hand, and the spa features sleep-specific treatments such as CBD massages and Sleep IV drips. Even the spa’s choice of products helps with relaxation. In the shower, I lathered up with plant-based, sulfate-free Grown Alchemist products made with camomile and rosemary, whose refillable system has also helped Equinox cut more than 300,000 pieces of single-use plastics per year.

Besides the blissful “basics,” Equinox Hotel New York also offers sleep escape packages that include Tier X Training (with a health assessment and sleep coaching), and spa treatments such as the NutriDrip Sleep IV.

The real pièce de résistance, however, is the room’s views of the Statue of Liberty – and then lack thereof, with iPad-controlled blackout shades that provided total darkness and serenity. I knew I was officially in the Forty Plus Club when one of my most restful slumbers in years — three hours later than my body’s usual 5:30 rise without an alarm clock – was more valuable than any souvenir I could bring home from Fifth Avenue.

Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California

North Stars: Waste Management, Water Management, Energy Efficiency 

Who needs a sound machine when you’ve got the song of the ocean crashing outside your window? With guest rooms free of TVs and alarm clocks, and organic mattresses and bedding free of chemicals and dyes, Post Ranch Inn is designed for ultimate relaxation in mind.

But for those who want to go deeper than just relaxation and figure out their chronotype – or what a chronotype is – Post Ranch Inn offers a special two-night Sleep Program. Designed in partnership with Sleep Doctor™ Dr. Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and sleep medicine expert, the Sleep Program offers up guidance on how to determine and work with the body’s natural bedtime and wake up patterns. Guests take part in treatments from the spa’s Sleep Menu, dine on dishes from a “Sleep Serenity” menu at the restaurant, and learn more about how to optimize rest with curated educational programing from Dr. Breus, plus goodies like doze-inducing sleep sprays and sleep glasses. You can further boost the program’s benefits with add-on spa experiences like sleep-friendly nutrition coaching, yoga nidra (yogic sleep), and dream journaling. 

Six Senses Ibiza, Spain

North Stars: Waste Management, Community Support, Production & Consumption

Spain’s Balearic islands offer up the perfect get-away-from-it-all, but at Six Senses Ibiza, three-, five- and seven-night sleep treatments are the perfect cup of metaphorical herbal tea for those who want to reset their body clock. 

Each regime is designed to improve sleep patterns long-term, which also enhances energy levels, memory, and mood. Guests each get a session with the hotel’s resident sleep consultant, a wellness screening, a sleep tracker to monitor progress, and private yoga and personal training. These treatments are complemented by and enhanced outside of snooze time by spa treatments, mindfulness activities, movement classes, and nutritious, locally sourced meals – all part of Six Senses’ world-renowned wellness program.  

The resort supports wellness for the planet as well as its guests, and its sustainability fund not only fights plastic pollution, for instance, but education of the local community. It’s also the first property in the Balearic islands to be BREEAM-certified — one of the world’s leading sustainability property assessment methods.