mike_pratt1957 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

  Last year, my husband and I took the plunge and decided to open a small hotel. Both of us had commuted into Plymouth for nearly twenty years and were thankfully in a place where we could take a step back from it all. We’ve lived in Cornwall for several years, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to escape the ‘rat race’ and live a quieter, simpler life. Oh, how wrong we were! Whilst the setting up of the hotel went fairly smoothly, within a month of opening, the tranquil, pleasant environment we had created had been transformed into something more resembling Fawlty Towers. Although we had lots of customers, the previous owners had left the hotel in a bit of a mess. Disaster really struck when we discovered that the guest rooms had mold in them. We had to close the hotel for a fortnight, strip the rooms and basically start from scratch. In a way, it was as a good thing. Doing so gave us a chance to renovate the rooms according to our own tastes. After some consideration, we opted for cream walls and pink detailing. The furniture we chose; a dressing table, wardrobe and small bedside table for each room was made of oak and had a sort of rustic finish. One slightly more difficult decision we had to make was what kind of duvets and pillows to have. This was not something I had ever had to think about before. So, per usual, I grabbed my trusty iPad and started researching what type of duvet is best. It turns out that natural duvets filled either with feathers or down, or a mixture of the two, make for a good night’s sleep, something we wanted all our guests to have. As they are made of natural materials, they are extremely soft and comfortable. In addition, the lightweight nature of the duvets allows an adequate airflow all night, which means the sleeper is neither too hot nor too cold. Natural duvets also adapt well to the shape of the sleeper. Having decided that natural filled duvets were definitely the best option, I ordered in a load of Surrey Down – Goose Feather and Down duvets from www.cushy.co.uk.  The duvets arrived quickly and we were very pleased with how they felt. So pleased in fact that we ordered them for our own room as well! We had to make sure we had a couple of synthetic duvets in storage, just in case we came across any guests with allergies. (However, so far no one has asked for one – I think the beds are irresistible!) Post-renovation, we opened up again and were pleased to find ourselves busier than ever. Having two weeks alone helped to get everything in balance, and we were no longer acting like Sybil and Basil. The guests seemed pleased with the rooms and many remarked on how comfortable they found the duvets and beds. We will definitely be using luxury feather duvets from now on!