Luxury resorts are betting big on… bunk beds?
Dorm-style sleeping arrangements are in high demand at hotels, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. As the cost of travelling continues to climb and multigenerational trips become the norm, bunk beds are not only useful for fitting more people into one space, but they also save guests a few bucks in the process.
“In markets with really high room rates and really high occupancies, adding a few more beds to a room means you can fit more people in it and charge more,” Alastair Thomann, chief executive officer of boutique hospitality brand Generator, told the publication. “Suddenly, a little villa which used to sleep two or three can sleep five because they’re doubling up. The space allows it. So that’s the game, really—that’s the economics behind it.”
Of course, the bunks of today are far more luxurious and design-focused than what you’d find, let’s say, at summer camp or a college dorm. Across the pond at the UK’s five-star Beaverbrook, the 21-room English manor offers a half-dozen bunk suites—starting from US$1,512 (HK$11,790). The cottage-like rooms are decked out with pastel hues and checkered details that will enchant kids and adults alike. In fact, this style of accommodation is just as popular among grown-ups.
“There is something about bunk beds that is inherently playful and camp-like,” Mitchell Hochberg, developer of Moxy Hotels in New York City, told Bloomberg. “Much to our surprise, they’ve been embraced by a broader array of guests—everyone from families with small children to bachelorette parties.” (For what it’s worth, I can personally attest to the latter.)
At Moxy Hotels’s Times Square outpost, travellers will find rooms equipped with two sets of twin bunks. The property originally opened in 2017 with an “urban camping theme” under the direction of design studio Yabu Pushelberg. Think ceramic campfire mugs, metal tray tables, and retro telephones. “The rooms become a win-win to both travellers and hotel owners,” Hochberg added, sharing Thomann’s earlier sentiment. “They afford a lower rate to the individual traveller [in cases where multiple friends are splitting the nightly rate] and, in the aggregate, a higher rate to the hotel.”
While twin mattresses are the most common size for bunks, two- and three-bedroom residences at Mexico’s Montage Los Cabos have three sets of queen-size bunks so you can sleep up to 12 guests in one home (from US$4,370/HK$34,080). The company also has bunks at its Big Sky resort. For the Disney families, JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando had to double its inventory since introducing its bunk suite concept in 2022. As an added perk, guests also receive VIP check-in upon arrival and a dedicated hospitality team during their stay.
“As we continue to see the rise of multigenerational travel, the need and desire for this style of room continues to grow,” Michael Scioscia, the hotel’s general manager, told Bloomberg.
It seems this luxe bunk-bed trend has taken sleeping arrangements to new heights.
