‘Affordable luxury’ hotel brand citizenM has pioneered a new study into getting the optimum sleep – and is using it to create ultra-personalised sleep guides for guests across the globe
In a world where quality sleep is increasingly elusive, citizenM is proud to announce its ground-breaking Sleep Like a Champion campaign, aligned to the summer of sport. The campaign is designed to elevate the sleep experience for guests of citizenM worldwide, whilst recognising the importance of sleep for athletes and travellers alike, ahead of pinnacle moments such as The Olympics and Wimbledon.
This initiative is backed by extensive research into the critical factors influencing sleep quality, and aims to address the diverse needs of various travel personas. The study, which is presented in a white paper format, has been researched and designed by certified sleep consultant Naomi Hilliard. Hilliard’s experience supports adults in understanding and implementing positive sleep practices. She has commissioned new desk research outlining the parallels between a good night’s sleep, and the processes and features of the citizenM room that aids all types of travellers in getting the best night’s sleep when staying at one of the brand’s 34 (and growing) locations worldwide.
As a result of the study, the brand has also designed a series of sleep guides, available to guests who have booked into citizenM, and offering thought-led advice on how to get the best first night’s sleep. Each guide is personalised to each individual guest’s sleep chronotype. A sleep chronotype refers to an individual’s natural preference for activities and sleep at certain times of the day, such as being a morning person (early bird) or an evening person (night owl). Key highlights of the research include:
The importance of sleep
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need a minimum of seven hours of sleep per 24 hours to maintain optimal health. Chronic sleep deprivation, defined as consistently getting less than six hours of sleep per night, can severely weaken the immune system and increase the risk of serious health conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (Walker, 2018). Despite this, sleep duration varies significantly across the globe. For example, the average Briton only gets 5.91 hours of sleep per night, while Americans average 6.8 hours—both figures indicating a decline from previous decades (Index, 2023; CFAH.org, 2024).
The role of your sleep environment
citizenM’s approach to enhancing sleep quality centres on optimizing the sleep environment. Many modern hotels have introduced speciality sleepexperiences costing up to $2,500 per night. However, citizenM believes that a restful night doesn’t need to be expensive or complex. This is evidenced through the room offering which has everything guest’s need, and nothing they don’t. The sleep environment in citizenM’s guest rooms can be personalized via the in room iPad which allows guests to easily adjust temperature control, lighting and the black out blinds, amongst other relaxing features.
Key elements of the sleep environment include:
- Light: Minimising exposure to blue light from screens, which disrupts melatonin production and sleeping in a blacked out room to help guests fall asleep.
- Noise: The ability to sleep in a room that has been designed to be almost completely soundproofed through construction.
- Temperature: Keeping rooms at an optimal sleep temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius) (Rosen, 2024).
- Comfort: Providing comfortable, breathable bedding to prevent overheating (Littlehales, 2016).
- Sleep pressure: Recognising the build-up of adenosine throughout the day, promoting natural drowsiness.
- Caffeine management: Educating guests on the long-lasting effects of caffeine, which can impair sleep even hours after consumption (Walker, 2018).
Understanding your chronotype
citizenM acknowledges that individual sleep patterns, or chronotypes, play a crucial role in determining the best sleep schedule. By identifying whether aguest is a morning type (M-type), intermediate type (inbetweener), or evening type (E-type), citizenM can provide personalised advice to optimise their sleep:
- M-types: Best performance in the early day; ideal wake time 5-6am, bedtime 9-10pm.
- Inbetweeners: Peak alertness late morning to early afternoon; wake time 6-7am, bedtime 10-11pm.
- E-types: Most productive in the late afternoon and evening; wake time 7:30-9am, bedtime midnight-1am (Montaruli A, 2021).
The impact of travel on sleep
Travel can significantly disrupt sleep patterns, especially for business travellers, working parents, overseas travellers, neurodivergent individuals, and social travellers. Each group faces unique challenges, from jet lag and work-related stress to sensory overload and emotional separation from family. citizenM addresses these issues by providing customizable environments and amenities designed to mitigate sleep disturbances.
Ensuring an optimum night’s sleep
citizenM is equipped to tackle the most common sleep issues, offering services that are above and beyond to competitors:
- Tailored sleep guides based on individual chronotypes to help travellers ensure they are hitting the pillow at the right time.
- Cool room temperatures, controllable via in-room iPad (approx. 18 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for optimum sleep). All temperature changes are immediately adjusted, in comparison to other hotels which may not offer personalised temperature gauges in-room, or that may take hours to implement changes to the environment
- Dark, blackout rooms – with blinds and curtains that can be slowly raised, for natural light exposure to assist wake-up
- Warm lighting to reduce blue light exposure, controllable via in-roomiPad, again immediately applied for quick comfort
- Extra-large, super comfortable king-sized beds and pillows
- TVs with streaming capabilities to facilitate in-room relaxation
- Cool, filtered water and herbal teas available 24/7 at canteenM – helping guests manage caffeine and alcohol intake while travelling
Sleep Like a Champion at citizenM
citizenM’s commitment to providing an optimal sleep environment, combined with personalised sleep advice, ensures that guests can enjoy restful, restorative sleep no matter their travel purpose. Guests at any of citizenM’s locations across the UK, Europe, America and Asia can Sleep Like a Championwith their very own personalised sleep guide – all they need to do is visit sleep.citizenm.com.
citizenM prides itself on its modern, simple bedrooms – cosy in size but perfectly optimised for relaxation, with wall-to-wall window, an enormous XL king topped with the finest European linens, a jetlag-busting power shower, and an HD TV with streaming capabilities. An in-room iPad allows guests to personalise the ambience, from temperature to blinds to entertainment – all features that can be controlled via smartphone with citizenM’s award-winning app. citizenM’s modular rooms are the same in every hotel, no matter which country – meaning guests can expect an outstanding level of comfort wherever they might be. The consistency across the whole portfolio can ensure all travellers, no matter the purpose of the trip, or their needs – can have the ultimate sleep experience. Consistency is paramount when adapting to new environments or sleep priorities.
Also on offer for citizenM guests is ‘Brainwaves’ a unique music experience created in collaboration with Erased Tapes, music scientists from Goldsmiths, University of London – combining the latest research in neuroscience with incredible creative talent to address common travel problems. The initiative features three specially composed tracks designed to address common travel issues like focus, anxiety, and sleep. The tracks use specific frequencies and rhythms based on scientific research to positively affect brain function. Travellers are able to stream Music for Brainwaves across all major music streaming platforms and allow the soundtracks to work on their brain patterns. Guests are also able to experience Brainwaves at all hotels within the citizenM portfolio, by selecting one of the three ‘moods’ via the in-room iPad.
To celebrate the launch and the upcoming Summer of Sporting Events, guests staying at any of citizenM’s five Paris hotels during the Olympics can expect playful nods to the campaign, including ambassador uniform takeovers, podiums, and faux gold medals – ensuring all guests can feel, and sleep, like achampion.
To book and find out more visit citizenm.com/campaigns/sleep.
