Sybaritic softness also depends on the quality of fiber, says Susan Tosches, a buyer for The Company Store catalog. An expensive finishing process also gives Frette and other top-end sheets that special sheen and seductive feel. The established top hotels remain masters of pleasing the senses. But even the budget Super 8 chain, which requires a minimum thread count of 160, is inching up. It now recommends that franchisees stock sheets with a 180 count.
Upgraded bedding is just the latest wrinkle in the luxe-ing of the hotel room.
Marble bathrooms with soaking tubs are part of the evolution. Everything is white. White signifies freshness, serenity and cleanliness - especially important when sleeping on sheets previously used by strangers. The flush economy is partly responsible for the upscale bedding, but never underestimate the power of a demanding consumer. Not so long ago, Egyptian cotton was a mystery to the U.S. masses.