Hotel Collection Mattress Pad

Hello,
Just saw this forum two days ago while doing some research on buying a mattress. I just got married, so will have to get a king instead of the full I have now. Originally, I was just going to follow Consumer Reports’ recommendation and purchase the Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Trust, but then found this site while browsing around. Anyhow, as far as the mattress part, we haven’t even gone to the store yet, but will be going to Texas Mattress Makers this weekend hopefully, I have it narrowed down to a few models, but can’t really prefer one over the other until we actually go in and try them.

Florence, Barcelona, Oslo Plush (maybe), Venice, Oslo Euro Top, Siena total latex, Vienna

The question of this post however is yesterday while at Macy’s we were making some returns from our registry and ended up buying this mattress pad

But after reading on this forum, I’m wondering if I should just return it, as its thickness makes it possible that it would affect the actual functionality of the mattress we decide to purchase. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi slickvik,

You are certainly looking in a great direction. As you probably know I think highly of Texas Mattress Makers and they are also one of the members of this site which means that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

The mattress pad you linked would certainly have some effect on the feel and performance of your mattress (which may be helpful or detrimental) and as you suggested I would wait until you have purchased a mattress and slept on it for a bit before deciding on whether to do any fine tuning by adding any additional mattress pads or toppers.

You will need a mattress protector as well for any new mattress and there is more information about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.

Phoenix

I returned the mattress pad. I will look into a protector once I purchase a mattress.

Another question regarding mattresses. At first I was looking into a latex comfort layer, but microcoil seems to be a very affordable alternative that is still better than polyfoam. I found some models on the Texas Mattress Makers website. My only hesitation is that all these models I list below except Paris and Santa Barbara use memory foam in combination with the microcoil. Which of the following models would you say are recommended in your eyes?

London
https://www.texasmattressmakers.com/london-gel-euro-top-deluxe-mattress/

Paris

Bel Air
https://www.texasmattressmakers.com/bel-air-gel-euro-top-deluxe-mattress/

River Oaks
https://www.texasmattressmakers.com/river-oaks-gel-euro-top-deluxe-mattress/

Santa Barbara
https://www.texasmattressmakers.com/santa-barbara-firm-euro-top-deluxe-mattress/

Hi slickvik,

Unfortunately it’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for someone else either for a mattress, a manufacturers/retailers, or a combination of materials or type of mattress because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

The choice between different materials or components in a mattress or different types or categories of mattress is always a preference or budget choice rather than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). Every type or category of mattress has hundreds of different options and designs, some of which could be a perfect “match” for some people and some of which may be completely unsuitable for them to sleep on … even though they contain the same materials and components. In other words the specific design of a mattress and whether that specific design is a good match for you in terms of PPP is always more important than the type of materials and components inside the mattress.

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between the mattresses they each carry in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

While I can’t speak to how comfortable a mattress may be for someone else or whether any specific mattress is a good match for someone else in terms of PPP or all their other criteria or parts of their personal value equation that are most important to them (these are all parts of a mattress purchase that only each person can decide for themselves) … the only recommendation that I do make is that once you are confident that a mattress would be comfortable for you to sleep on and is a good match for you in terms of PPP that you also make sure that it uses high quality and durable versions of the materials and components that you tend to prefer (see the quality/durability guidelines here) so that you have confirmed that there are no lower quality materials that would be a weak link in a mattress in terms of durability and the useful life of the mattress.

For those that have a history of choosing mattresses that are unsuitable for them to sleep on or that have a body type or health considerations that are more challenging that makes choosing the most suitable mattress more difficult or for those that for whatever reason are more uncertain about whether their choice is “right” for them then the options you have available after a purchase to fine tune the comfort or support of the mattress or to exchange or return the mattress or individual layers can become a much more important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase (any return/exchange policies are built into the cost of a mattress and the large majority of people that don’t return or exchange a mattress are the ones that pay for the small minority of people who do).

While I don’t have any personal experience on any of the mattresses you are considering … I can make a few comments about the generic materials they use in each of them. All of them are coil on coil mattresses so the main differences in their designs are the type of innerspring they use in the support core and the type and thickness of the foam materials they use in combination with the microcoils in the comfort layers. There is also more about the different types of innerspring support cores in this article and in post #10 here.

[quote]London
www.texasmattressmakers.com/london-gel-e...top-deluxe-mattress/[/quote]

This uses memory foam and polyfoam comfort layers in addition to the microcoil on top of a Verticoil support system with foam edge support (which is an open offset “linked coil” innerspring)

[quote]Paris
www.texasmattressmakers.com/paris-euro-top-deluxe-mattress/[/quote]

The primary material difference in this mattress vs the London is that it doesn’t appear to have any memory foam in the comfort layers and only uses polyfoam in combination with the microcoil in the comfort layers. It also uses the Verticoil edge innerspring which uses coils instead of foam for edge support.

[quote]Bel Air
www.texasmattressmakers.com/bel-air-gel-...top-deluxe-mattress/[/quote]

This appears to use similar types of materials and components as the London in the comfort layers but it uses a pocket coil with foam edge support for the support core instead of a Verticoil innerspring.

[quote]River Oaks
www.texasmattressmakers.com/river-oaks-g...top-deluxe-mattress/[/quote]

This uses similar materials and components as the Bel Air except that the description indicates that it’s a little firmer than the Bel Air.

[quote]Santa Barbara
www.texasmattressmakers.com/santa-barbar...top-deluxe-mattress/[/quote]

This appears to be fairly similar to the Paris and uses similar materials except it appears to be a little firmer.

Of course this is only about the general type of materials and components they are using in each mattress and doesn’t say anything about the quality/density or durability of each of the foam layers on top of the innerspring (which tend to be the weakest link in a mattress) or which of them is the best match for you in terms of PPP (which you can only know based on your own testing or personal experience).

Texas Mattress Makers typically uses high quality/density and durable materials in their mattresses but no matter which manufacturer you are purchasing from I would always make sure that you have the information you need to make an informed choice (see this article) so you can confirm that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/durability guidelines here.

Phoenix

I ended up buying this mattress for about $2200 after tax but now I’m regretting it because I called Houston mattress factory who is quoting half that. I wonder if I could cancel the order since it hasn’t been delivered yet?

Hi slickvik,

Texas Mattress Makers and Houston Mattress Factory don’t make the same mattresses so you wouldn’t be making “apples to apples” comparisons between the same mattresses or between two mattresses that use the same components and materials. There are many mattresses in the industry that are available in a very wide range of prices and you would probably be able to find a mattress that is half the cost of a mattress at Houston Mattress Factory as well that may also be in the same general “category” but it also wouldn’t be an “apples to apples” comparison in terms of quality or value.

While I can’t tell you what you should do … there is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

While the price of a mattress is important of course … the “value” of a mattress purchase is what is really important and price is just one of many parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase. The mattress you sleep on can have a bigger effect on how you feel and your overall well being than almost any other significant purchase you can make and when you look back on a mattress purchase in a decade or more you will remember much more about how well you slept on it and how long you slept well than you will about the price you paid and differences in price that have only a small effect on the yearly cost of ownership spread out over the years will be much less important to you.

In other words … value comparisons are always much more important than price comparisons.

Phoenix

You’ve spoken to both of the owners. What are your thoughts on the value based on your knowledge of the materials and craftsmanship of each?

Hi slickvik,

I’ve certainly talked with both of them and I believe that they would both be well worth considering but the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how well you will sleep on it followed by how long you will sleep well followed by all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

While I do recommend the members here “as a group” and I think highly of all of them … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. There are also many other retailers/manufacturers throughout the industry that use good quality materials in their mattresses, are transparent about the type and quality of the materials they use, and make some good quality/value mattresses as well that aren’t members of the site (at least yet) that may also be well worth considering and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to include other options in your research that aren’t members of the site if they compare well to the other finalists you are looking at.

I don’t have any personal experience with sleeping on either of their mattresses so I can’t speak to how either of them will feel even for me but even if I had … each person’s specific needs and preferences or their definition of “good value” can be very different and only you can feel what you feel on a mattress. A mattress that is “perfect” for one person can be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on even if they have a similar body type and there are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict with any certainty how a mattress will “feel” or which mattress will be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or any of your other personal preferences based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or "theory at a distance that can possibly be more reliable than your own personal testing … hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

Outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress is it’s durability and a mattress is only as good as its construction and the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label.

I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or the individual layers and components in each of them that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum or the members here carry on their floor or have available (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but if you can find out the information listed here about the layers and components in both of the mattresses you are considering and post it on the forum then I’d certainly be happy to help you compare them to the quality/durability guidelines here and let you know whether I can see any obvious weak links in either mattress that would affect the durability and useful life of the mattress. Without this information it’s not possible for me to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of any mattress.

Once you are confident that your finalists would all be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or you have good options after a purchase if you aren’t) and that there are no weak links in any of them in terms of durability and you have eliminated the all the worst options then you would be down to finalists that are comparing “good to good”. If there are no clear winners between them at this point (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely make a good quality/value choice and (post #2 here) can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Sometimes the final choice may even come down to a matter of “gut feel” or “educated best judgement”.

Phoenix

Decided to go with Houston mattress factory. No disrespect to Texas mattress makers they make good quality products, but I felt comfortable with the owner of Houston mattress factory, he’s not a salesman but more of someone trying to start a long term relationship with you. And he’s an honest, genuine guy who you can tell has passion for his work and takes pride in his craftsmanship. And his warranty is unbelievable.

Hi slickvik,

As you probably know I also think highly of Michael and Houston Mattress Factory and you are fortunate to have some very good options to choose from in Houston. If you confirmed that the mattress you chose was a good match for you in terms of PPP and you also confirmed that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the design (which I don’t believe there would be although I don’t know the specifics of your mattress) and it also compared well to the other mattresses you were considering based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you then I think you made a great choice. It’s really not a matter of “respect” or “disrespect” but just a matter of making a choice that is “best for you”.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

I hope you have the chance to share your comments and feedback when you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix

Out of curiosity do you have any feedback from joe alesi’s shop in San Leon, Texas? I think it’s called marine mattress or antique mattress. His story seems similar, a passionate guy who enjoys making high quality mattresses. Perhaps one day if I have the time I’ll stop by there to check it out.

Hi slickvik,

I’ve talked with them on a few occasions and you can see my comments about them in the Houston list here. They use good quality materials and would certainly be well worth considering for those that are in the Houston area.

I haven’t seen any feedback on the forum about them.

Phoenix

Getting my mattress delivered this weekend, will keep you up to date. One thing that impressed me is the TWENTY year warranty I got with this mattress due to its high quality.

I’ll be in New York in a couple of weeks and I’m interested in seeing how the Charles p Rogers mattresses compare.