Best Mattress Pads for a Vacation Rental

Last Updated on March 31, 2023

The priorities are a bit different when it comes to furnishing a vacation rental rather than your own home.

When you consider bedding for your own bedroom, your top concerns are usually comfort, luxury, and probably visual appeal.

When considering bedding for a vacation rental, your priorities will usually shift to durability, utility, and comfort. A vacation rental is a business after all, and practicality is as important as functionality.

With that said, let’s take a look at the best kind of mattress pad to use when furnishing a vacation home or cabin rental. The quick answer is:

A mattress pad with anchor bands –  like this one from Duck & Goose Co.

 

a mattress pad on a bed

 

With this style of mattress pad, for example, you don’t have a skirt that fits over the mattress like a fitted sheet. And it won’t ride up the corners and edges either.

If you’re “active” in bed at night, then you’ve probably had to slide the mattress pad down, right?

This type of pad has 4 elastic bands.

One on each corner, that goes around each corresponding corner of the mattress to hold it in place, like this:

 

a mattress pad strapped around the corner of a mattress

 

They are easier to work with, and usually, cost a fraction of the price of traditional mattress pads.

The less time spent on maintenance, and on new bedding, the more revenue that can be added to your bottom line.

A vacation home or rental cabin is basically a hotel – just a much smaller version. So it only makes sense to treat your property like a hotel and to furnish it the way a hotel would.

 

 

Should you get a mattress pad at all?

The short answer is: yes!

Mattress pads serve three functions for a vacation home (or cabin) rental:

 

1.) A better experience for your guests –

A mattress pad is a must when creating a heavenly sleeping experience. Nothing creates that “sleeping on a cloud” feeling quite like a mattress pad.

a man sleeping in bed

A well-slept guest is usually a repeat customer!

Is your vacation rental located in a popular destination for locals, like Palm Springs in California, or Myrtle Beach in South Carolina? 

Providing a bed that is superior to the other properties in your area will usually provide you with a consistent customer base. Finding new customers can be time-consuming, and costly.

It’s much easier to maintain a loyal, and consistent customer base.

 

2.) They can extend the life of a mattress –

A mattress pad will decrease the wear and tear of a mattress, elongating its life. The less money you spend on new mattresses, the more profitable your property will be.

Mattress pads, especially water-proof varieties, act as a barrier from excess moisture, sweat, etc., that damage the inside of a mattress.

 

3.) They can prolong the life of a worn mattress –

If your mattress is sagging, or just worn out from years of use, you can add a few years to its life by adding a mattress pad on top.

Why spend hundreds of dollars to replace a mattress, when you can freshen it up easily with a new mattress pad?

 

Why a mattress pad with anchor bands is best

If you lift up the fitted sheet at any nice hotel, you’re guaranteed to find a mattress pad underneath. And the majority of the time, that pad will have anchor bands, not an all-around skirt.

There’s a reason why hotels use mattress pads with anchor bands, and those reasons will also benefit you if you own a vacation rental.

Keeping in mind that a mattress pad should be durable, and practical, here are those reasons:

 

1.) Quicker to install –

A mattress pad is much easier to install than one with a skirt.

If you employ a cleaning crew, or maid service to maintain your property after guests, the less time they spend working on your property, the less your expenses will be.

 

a mattress pad with anchor bands strapped to a mattress

 

A traditional mattress pad has a skirt that needs to be fitted around the entire mattress. With anchor bands, your just secure each bad around its respective corner.

If you have one bed, a few additional minutes of maintenance might not cost you much. If you have several bedrooms, with multiple beds, those additional minutes can add up to hours.

 

2.) They take up less space –

While space is more of a concern for large hotels, smaller properties still do need to conserve space. Mattress pads with anchor pads fold much easier and take up considerably less space than traditional skirted mattress pads.

 

a folded mattress pad

If you keep around a few pads as extras, mattress pads with bands can save you quite a bit of space.

 

3.) They hold on to layers better –

If your bed is layered, with possibly a topper or feather bed underneath, a mattress pad with anchor bands will hold on to those layers, and shift much less than one with a skirt.

Which again, means less work for a cleaning crew.

a foam topper underneath a mattress pad

Mattress pads with skirts tend to ride up the mattress just like a fitted sheet, and do require more maintenance.

 

4.) Much easier to wash –

While a mattress pad might not get washed as often as your sheets, a mattress pad with anchor bands is much easier to launder for several reasons.

 

bedding items being washing in a washing machine

 

They are smaller – They take up less room in your washing machine, and can be washed with other linens.

They are not as fragile – The skirted portion of a mattress pad is usually not made of cotton, and is almost always made of delicate polyester fabric.

A mattress pad with a skirt needs to be washed cold and dried on the lowest setting – both of which can be time-consuming.

 

5.) Cost less –

A mattress pad with anchor bands is made of less material and is cheaper to produce. They will always cost less than a traditional skirted mattress pad.

 

6.) The last longer –

The skirted portion of a mattress pad wears out over time and is commonly the reason for replacing a pad.

 

a woman pulling the skirt of a mattress pad

 

Pads with anchor bands don’t have a skirt, and are much more durable. The less you spend replacing worn-out mattress pads, of course, the more profitable your property will be.

 

Final thoughts

If you aren’t already using mattress pads on your beds, then you should start.

Not only will they elongate the life of your mattresses, but they’ll also benefit you by satisfying your guests. Any type of business will benefit, of course, by satisfying its customers!

When shopping for a mattress pad, here are a few quick tips to save some money, and avoid some needless mistakes:

 

Thread count doesn’t matter

Some manufacturers will mark up the price because the outer fabric has a “high thread count”, like 400, 500, etc.

A high thread count is pointless on a mattress pad as it gets layered underneath the fitted sheet.

 

Down-filled

Some mattress pads are down-filled, which is unnecessary, particularly when used in a rental property. Not only does down wear quicker when slept on, but it also retains heat.

Keep your layers in mind.

A plush mattress pad is great, but not necessary when used in conjunction with a feather bed. Too many “ultra-plush” layers make the bed difficult to maintain and provide a too-mushy feeling.

And, if you use a feather bed, opt for a thinner mattress pad.

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