My initial reaction would be yes. But then, I re-read your question and thought, he said âvastlyâ different. I think it is more likely that vastly differently constructed mattresses could work better than vastly different feels.
Then again 
(a political response) it depends on what your definition of vastly is. 
There are many ways to describe the feel of a mattress. Scale of 1 to 10, soft to firm. Plush surface, hard surface. Sinking, hugging, bouncy and motionless.
I would say from my own experience and my wifeâs. We have stayed/lodged at a variety of places, family, friends and vacation spots. My brother used to have a pull-out couch with a thin crappy mattress in a guest room. Very bad, barely tolerable. Then he purchased a BR pressure smart mattress (we threatened to stay at a hotel from then on). The perimeter foam (edge support was so hard as compared to the comfort layer (which was supposed to be a firm feel), that it caused my wife and me to ârollâ toward the center of the mattress. The mattress felt like it had no support and that memory foam just caused you to sink like we were in quicksand. Tolerable, but no way we could do 24/7 360. On that same trip we stayed at another friendâs home for a few days. They had a BR Black Plush. OMG, talk about horrible, please, give me my brotherâs pull-out POS couch back.
Ritz Carlton, New York City. I can tell you what mattress it was, but not bad, cushy, thick cover panel, I would say 2" (equivalent to a tufted topper, but it wasnât a topper) medium firmness call it a 6-7 overall feel. It had to have a good support layer. Mattress was good, probably could live with it as long as it stayed that way for a month rather than for a few day get away ( 
big get away from central new jersey 30 miles away) I could go on, with several other vacations and hotel mattresses. Some I actually pull the covers off and attempt to see what is under the covers.
My conclusion would be, if the âfeelâ is very far away particularly to the soft/ no support/ you get into the mattress and âgo downâ a few floors feel, then my answer would be a hard NO.
If the mattress has a really good stable support layer, and is between a 6-10 firmness, which I would admit is a âvastlyâ different feel from a firmness POV, then the answer is sure (not a hard yes), that a mattress feel can be vastly different and work.
If you like Beef. There are different cuts of meat. Filet, Strip, Rib, Skirt, Sirloin, you pick it. As long as the meat is tender and soft, it works for me. Prime rib has more flavor for me than Filet, but I always seem to order filet when out to dinner, as it almost guaranteeâs me a soft, enjoyable dining out meal experience. Where all the other cuts, can often be questionable depending on the restaurant, how it is cooked or aged.
A mattress, for me, if the firmness is between an 8-10, as long as it is not âoverdoneâ to the point where it is hard as a rock, is my filet minion. I probably could always enjoy the 8-10 or filet, where the âvastlyâ different shank steak or 1-4 feel mattress would just do it for me.
So, it really depends on how you describe âdifferent.â I will agree, that different brands, different materials used in the construction, different styles of coils, fabrics, heights of the mattress, foundation styles, can all yield mattresses that are super comfortable, very livable, long lasting, fully supportive and one that can go 24/7 365.
Pillows, I would put them a similar category. Most people could take a beating to the body; a fall; get hit with a ball; twist an ankle; smash a finger in a car door, you can name your own injury or trauma, but a hit to the head can have its own set of challenges.
I want folks to really take care of their shoulders, neck and especially their head when they attempt to get to sleep. In my own pillow collection⌠Pillows stored in top shelves of closets, stacked on different beds in each bedroom of the house, easily more than 30 at this point [Normâs Partial Pillow Collection] (The Pillow: Just How Important is it?). There are vastly different feels there.
I would say, when it comes to pillows, if you isolate one pillow user, that vastly different feels would probably not work as well. When it comes to a two-pillow user, then yes, a combination of two vastly different feel pillows, can work very well.
For me, there are some pillows feelâs, I just canât get comfortable with. Those polyfill, super light, no support at all pillows, just donât work for me. I can pile 3 or 4 of them and still not supportive and firm enough.
But, firm dense memory foam, like TP, nicely stuffed down/feather pillow, wool filled, horsehair filled (my current pillow), latex, Dunlop or talalay (as long as it is natural as natural is more dense and supportive) Natural vs Synthetic Latex same ILD - Not the same shredded pillows properly filled with either memory foam, latex, or combinations of those and other natural and even synthetic can produce comfortable pillows that are vastly different.
My recent acquisition of a couple of 100% horsehair pillows, elevated my comfort level to a new height. Naturally, me being me, I could not stop. So, I combined some of the extra horsehair I ordered, and some of the extra deconstructed shredded latex/memory foam I was sent with a Brooklyn Bedding pillow I ordered last year, and created a two-chamber pillow, one side horse hair, the other side the shredded foam combination. Two vastly different feels when left to their own fill individually. But together in the same pillow, may actually be a step up. Both the all horsehair and the 2 chamber are excellent for my taste. I would venture a guess that my two-chamber pillow would appeal to a much wider group of sleepers though.
So, I am not sure that I actually answered your question as ultimately my experience and philosophy will be different than someone elseâs. Oddly enough, my wife at 5â4 135 and me at 6â 220, have the same comfort preference on our mattress choice, but vastly different, when it comes to pillow choices.
All the best,
Norm
