What constitutes a firm bed?

[Inna22]

Just got this from a guest ...I have one person that has special needs. She needs to have a “good” bed. Just a bed that is on the firm side and supportive for her achy joints and back...

I am really uncomfortable making subjective promises. If someone asks "how far" I reply in blocks or miles, never close or far. Should I tell them the brand of what I have? Also, this is for November. What if I need to replace the mattress? I will be stuck making sure I am buying the same thing? I won't even remember to do that

[Debra300]

@Colleen253,

I agree.  On my beds under the fitted sheets which have sheet suspenders, are zippered waterproof bed bug encasements on my mattresses, then a waterproof mattress pad, and a waterproof mattress protector on top of the mattress pad.  I recently had a health inspection, and the inspector asked if my three old mattresses were brand new.  Not a stain, dirt or rip in any of them.

I also have a guest arriving that has requested a firm mattress.  I never responded to that comment, because her name isn't Goldilocks, and my place isn't the Three Bears House with different mattresses for her to try out to see which one "is just right".  

[Colleen253]

@Debra300 " because her name isn't Goldilocks" 🤣🤣🤣

[Gillian166]

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@Debra300 wrote:

I also have a guest arriving that has requested a firm mattress.  I never responded to that comment, because her name isn't Goldilocks, and my place isn't the Three Bears House with different mattresses for her to try out to see which one "is just right".  

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🤣🤣you know i've had guests book my 3 bedroom cottage, just a couple, and they've slept in both the queen rooms to test out each bed! I must remember that Goldilocks comment so I can laugh it off. 

[Laura2592]

@Gillian166 we have the exact same mattresses in each room-- brand, size, type, etc. 

When we started out hosting we had many guests sleep in both rooms to try and figure out which bed they liked better. It drove our cleaners crazy. We eventually had to put something in our house guide stating that both mattresses were identical. 

One guest recently said she loved the bed upstairs because it was more of a pillow top. Neither are a pillow top. Both are memory foam and again identical.

Human beings are interesting creatures. 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Debra300 

Those are my protective laters too - a zippered waterproof and bug proof mattress cover, a waterproof mattress pad, a waterproof mattress pad, and a waterproof protector on top of that. I have fitted sheets, with deep pockets. This is a King bed, and guests sleep well. I don't have many novice travelers, so they do not expect to find exactly what they have at home. In my long years of traveling, I've put many a mattress on the floor, so I've likely a pretty good sense of what is going to be acceptable comfort for my guests. 

[Gillian166]

hmm, she stripped back the mattress topper too, somehow i suspect she would have unzipped the bed bug thing to see the age of the mattress. I think the bigger issue was the bed itself, which were both old and have since replaced with a brand new beds.  I've got a long list of things on the wish list (starting with pool heater at 10K!) and that expense is on the list but not quite at the top. 

[Sammy-L-0]

We have a memory foam mattress that we bought online specifically because the description said "firm." It is for a memory foam, but not what I would consider firm for a regular mattress. It is very comfortable for me, and our guests have commented on it as well. 

[John2406]

@Inna22 When, about mid-2021 we decided to change all of our mattresses, I opted for "Orthopaedic" mattresses knowing that a one-type-of-mattress style wouldn't suit everybody

Whether everyone does as much research into buying goods as I do, I don't know, but I learned a lot of things about mattresses, the most interesting being that "comfort" - in how hard or soft any mattress is, is moreorless down to;-

A. the type of springs (individual springs or pocket sprung);

B. whether the "filling is memory foam or natural fillings;

C. the number of springs (700 to 6000+)

D. whether it's a single bed for individuals, or whether it's a bed to sleep couples,

E. the weight of the individual

So let's see. If the Guest weighed - say 9stone, then the recommendation for a single bed is almost a "very" firm mattress, whilst if two people are going to sleep on the mattress, one weighing 9 stone and one weighing 13stone, then whilst the lighter person will need a firmer bed, the heavier person will need a medium-firm one!

There are other factors one can take into consideration, but my gut tells me that however firm your bed is or isn't, it's not going to suit!

In my opinion, you only have one of two options, one being you accept the booking, the other that you don't!

Beds (or rather, mattresses) are a rather subjective matter, and from personal experience, unless one has an absolutely wonderful night's sleep the very first night, it would normally take a few nights if not longer for an individual and a mattress to get used to each other!

Of course, there is also the matter that if the mattress has been used for a few/lot of different Guests, it will have "bedded-in" so might not be as firm or soft as it was the first time it was slept on!

Apart from declining the booking, the only alternative would be to, as @Laura2592 and @Kitty-and-Creek0 suggested, word a reply that advises the impossibility of any mattress being guaranteed to be as required, as everyone is different.

When it comes to whether or not a mattress will be comfortable, it is a bit like the weather, and that's something NONE of us can do about either!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@John2406 

This is something that seasoned travelers know.....

[Lorna170]

@Inna22   Whenever my grandparents visited, my mother would put a large sheet of plywood between the mattress and the box spring on the guest bed.  It seems my grandfather could only sleep on a "rock-hard" bed, and ours were too "squishy".  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

A few painkillers on the nightstand will make your mattress the best on the world 🙂

[Paul1255]

And a couple of drinkies 😁🍷

[Helen744]

Helen@744 , I understand the need for a firm bed for back pain . I have a single mattress under one of the queen beds and would say ,firstly that you think they are firm but that is a personal judgement , but if the guest finds they are not then a floor mattress can be set up. If your back is bad you will choose the floor. H.

[Inna22]

I gave the details of the mattresses, said I do not guarantee the same brand in November and suggested she bought a topper and had it delivered to the nearby UPS store. I have not heard back since

[Kelly149]

@Inna22  Brilliant move