Purchasing or Owning the Hilton Garden Inn Sleep System: The Definitive Thread
 

Hello All,

I'm curious about who liked and\or would buy the Hilton Gardens Inns bed by VSS Sleep Systems?

I've been staying at the new Garden Inn is Seattle and seem to like the bed most. I'm thinking about buying one for home, but seen bad feedback on other sites about their vendor.

Any suggestions?

Thanks :)

My experience purccasing the HGI Sleep System
 

Late, but same issue... and vsssleep.com / VSS SLeep Systems seems to be dead on arrival, no longer germane.

I arranged to purchase the " Hilton Garden Inn Sleep System" from the manufacturer - for me, it's the best hotel bed yet. The mattress, allegedly originally designed for high-end hospitals, includes a foam mattress topper, and a (removable, washable) 100% Australian sheep's wool pad above that. Each side of the mattress is comprised of nine air chambers, which adjust themselves to the individual's body; the dial adjustments actually adjust the valving between the chambers, controlling air flow between them, ergo the "hardness" or "softness" of the bed. (No electric cords or pumps, like the "sleep number" beds, thanks goodness.)

Each mattress ordered is built and shipped (shipping is included - this is not a cheap mattress, but then again, many quality mattresses are pricey, with the "memory foam" beds at the top.) They make beds inmost sizes, including California King. The offer a 20 year warranty, as well as a 90 day free trial (I can imagine - ship it back at your own expense?) as well as a 20 year warranty and "100% satisfaction guarantee" (again, I can only imagine the fine print associated with such wording.)

There is no pricing on the websites marketing these beds - you must e-mail or call in for pricing. The marketing is by Natural Form™, but you will also encounter "SATbed" (same as "Natural Form" website) eMattress and WCW, Inc. WCW is the manufacturer, and I suspect sales is an outside agency - with poor communications with WCW. The actual manufacturer and parent company is:

WCW Inc., founded 1998, BBB member
1 Mechanic Street
P. O. Box 215
Hoosick Falls, NY 12090
800-432-3842
www.emattress.com is the main website, but it appears the marketing emphasis is going to Natural Form.

Business Week lists their top four as:

Mr. Jeffrey C. Wilkinson, President
Mr. John C. Wilkinson, Vice President of Manufacturing and Research and Development
Ms. Carla W. Bellemere, Vice President of Quality Control and Marketing Advisor
Ms. Jean O. Wilkinson, Vice President of Corporate Development

My "Garden Sleep System" experience:

Purchase:

My communications began in October, with calls to the toll-free number. When I was ready to order, I called (from Australia) in very early November with a credit card number and asked for shipping November 25, as I would not be in the US until the following week. They agreed and I was told the card would not be charged until the bed shipped.

I also e-mailed the salesperson when I received an e-mailed offer that included a $100 discount (which I had already received, very token,) two polyester fill pillows and a 600 count sheet set, asking if I cold have those as well - no reply was forthcoming; communications, so eager when I was in the purchasing process, dropped to zero, and the detailed invoice received on Dec 8 does not show the pillows and sheet set. :p

December 1, I called to verify with customer service; the CSR (they have two) stated "we have instructions not to ship until 11/25," to which my reply was "Uh, what date is it today?" I was told they had tried calling - when I told them I had been in Australasia without my cell phone, and I had communicated this to the salesperson by voice and e-mail, I was told they did not speak with the salespeople and had no such information, but I would be notified when the bed shipped, which would be the same day if they could get it out on the truck, or the next day otherwise.

Dec 3, another call - the other CSR: "we have instructions not to ship until 11/25." :rolleyes: After some more discussion, she told me my Visa credit card had been rejected - interesting, as I had used a MasterCard. Eventually, they agreed to process a real card and ship - my mattress shipped Dec 4.

Delivery:
Old Dominion Freight Lines is apparently the chosen delivery agent - I was e-mailed a shipping number , and I could track the shipping online. I was scheduled to receive the mattress December 11 in the afternoon, and at 12:15 PM the truck arrived with the driver and mattress - no help to offload a bulky (odfl.com website says 150 lbs shipping weight) large and difficult to handle item, nor will it fit through the average door.

I helped the driver move the mattress in, which we were able to do after removing the obviously inadequate cardboard "box" used to wrap the mattress in - the cardboard had been torn and perforated in at least six - two major, patched with cello tape - places, so I inspected the mattress before signing the receipt. My next task is to hack some huge slabs of cardboard down to manageable pieces, as ODFL does not remove the packing used to ship items. (I also did not receive any sheets or pillows, as requested above.)

Regardless of how you purchase the mattress - e.g. Hilton Garden Inn Sleep System - it arrives as "My Natural Form" (by WCW.) And if they try to sell you a box spring or whatever, the label states clearly it is intended to be used without a foundation (but can be used with one.) Mine is on a Cal King chest bed from Oysterbed.

Another unhelpful thing is there is no instruction booklet or sheet, or care information - other than a single sheet invoice, NOTHING. :td:

I really like the product, but in my opinion there is some hype to wade through, and the "which shell is the pea under" positioning and identification makes me a bit wary. Communications and follow-through do not seem to be their strong point. Delivery is indeed "free" - and minimal, consisting in arranging delivery and not offering any help with moving and installing, nor removing packing. As a management consultant, it feels very much like WCW is into an old model - sell it hard, make it, deliver it and run away; it feels like they see a mattress as a once in a lifetime purchase, so genuine customer service seems like a foreign concept.

I am not a fan of it. Overall the only hotel bed that lives up to the hype is Westin. I looked at getting one, but 4k + I thought it was to much.

I recently stayed at a HGI with the Garden Sleep System, my wife and I absolutely loved the bed! Best sleep ever!

Any recent reviews/comments about the Garden Sleep System? How is it holding up for you? Do I really need the foundation, or will my 19 yr old box spring be adequate (which is on top of a slatted bed frame)?

No dealers here in Canada AFAIK, looks like I may end up shipping it to Buffalo, NY for free, and bringing it across the border myself.

I agree that this is one of the best hotel beds that I have ever slept on. I have thought about the purchase, but my wife likes the Heavenly Bed better.

We have done multiple stays on both beds and are still in the debate...

Our HGI sleep system is on a platform (storage bed) and has no box spring. We are loving it, after 1.5+ years. The designers / builders are top notch, the marketers are idiots - we keep getting their offers, like US Labor Day discounts - like we are going to be buying a mattress with some degree of regularity.

Bargain with these folks - they offer discounts, insist on one.

In my opinion, beds are a very large "chacun à son goût"* purchase, all about personal preference. We purchased after many stays in many hotels and figure that, annualized, this is a good purchase - it will last a long time, possibly longer than we will, and every night of good sleep is a value to us.

*Everyone has his own preference / to each his own

We just tried one in the FCO HGI and seriously thought it was a Sleep Number bed that they'd failed to plug in. It was incredibly soft and saggy. Moving the dial from 1 to the max as we had in the afternoon didn't seem to make any difference at all.

It felt like the kind of mattress we've encountered in 1* hotels in our younger days. Mrs. Fredd even tried to sleep on the floor on the duvet but that was too firm.It took her back a couple of days to recover.

I'm guessing we must have been doing something wrong. I certainly didn't post here to disparage it. Any ideas what? :confused:

I must be doing something wrong as well. I HATE these beds. The dial seems to do nothing. I've actually resorted to sleeping on the floor on more than one occassion - they are lumpy and uncomfortable. I do not stay at HGIs anymore because of the beds. It's too bad because I really liked the HGI brand.

Soft and saggy? Sounds like it's broken and needs replacement. (I am one of those who looks for a firmer mattress when sleeping on the road, though my recent Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyo and Atlantis Resort - Dumaguete experiences went a bit over the usual firmness preference - nearly board flat.)

The dial's action is very unlike the "Sleep System" bed, which "The sleep number beds work by maintaining an adjustable air layer above the mattress, and just below the sleeping surface. With the help of various coils and springs, these air layers can be adjusted. Users are provided with a remote control by which they can change the settings of the bed, and hence fine tune it to the way they want to sleep."

The HGI Sleep System bed adjusts flow between a number of air chambers by controlling interchamber baffles; a firm setting allows very little air exchange, less firm allows easy air movement.

Overly soft, boggy mattresses or those that do not change in firmness at all are very likely defective, and are not like those I have used in HGIs nor like the one we use at home. But the way the firmness changes i through more or less restricted movement between the chambers, not like inflating or uninflating an air mattress.

http://www.thegardensleepsystembynat...technology.jpg

"1 100% all-natural Australian virgin wool cover wicks moisture from your body, keeping you warm in winter, cool in summer… and dry all the time!

2 Independent air-foam cylinders are made for long life and conform to your unique shape. Patented air valves automatically adjust the air volume in each cylinder, providing ideal support for each part of your body.

3 Inch contouring foam toppers encases the air-foam cylinders to further cradle and distribute your weight evenly.

4 Super-dense foam side rails are built to provide many years of solid, sturdy bed support.

5 Dual-adjustable comfort control dial allows you to set a different firmness."

Again, this bed may definitely not be for you - beds and mattress systems are all quite different, and it's one of those "de gustibus non disputandum est" situations.

Thanks for all of the information. ^ We noticed absolutely no difference between the bottom and the top setting after an interval of a couple of hours so possibly it was faulty.

It might be à chacun son goût. We tried one of those foam bed-toppers once and that didn't work for us so it's now on a guest bed, where others claim to like it. Beds and backs combine for different preferences.

The important thing is that you've found something that works for you and we've learned that this particular bed probably isn't the one for us. :)

bed dial not broke, it's user error.
 

let me start with I SUCK AT SPELLING and it's late and I don't want to spell check it so deal.

Second no I don't work for SAT or any other affiliate of them or HGI. I am a one time owner and just haven't had time to order another one for my house. I am sleeping at HGI tonight though :)

All that being said the bed works like this. A light foam core to the blue air columns you see in their pictures. That "draws" air back into the columns when you get off of them through a two way valve. When you lay on them the exhaust valve is set to a certain presure (forget now what it was) which was determined by clinical hospital "testing" to reduce bedsoars on patients. I think it was 14 PSI (or 1 atmosphere). So it will support every point on your body with 1 atm of pressure which aliviates any presure points (bed soars).

All that being said if you mess with the dial and don't get off the bed and let the foam reinflate the columns your bed will not adjust (becuase there is no pump to inflate it with your fat A$$ still laying on it) Sorry if you ar ereally fat I don't know you and didn't mean that personally. Get off for a short period of time 1-5 minutes I think was plenty. Then lay back down. If you want to "feel" it work then set it to firm and get off. Then lay back down. Now (while laying on it crank the knob to soft. You will feel it slump down.

All that being said Kevin is a huge PRICK and their retun policy is a HUGE PITA (Pain In The A$$). But minus my S&H to return it (which I had to pay separate) Kevin did give me 100% of my purchase price. I will order another on because they bed is THE BEST. I just wish someone other than a New York PRICK was available to buy it from.

GREAT bed
Worst customer service.

owned it for 85 days and bought a crappier Zero Gravity bed for about the same price. Didn't return it quick enough and am now stuck with it for last 2 years.

Buy the SAT bed and rest easy (all pun intended)

any able to compare a sleep number bed to the SAT bed system?

I have seen the light!
 

Thanks you for posting #14! I have terrible back pain and at times cant walk. I have suffered with degenerative discs, and had facet injections and epidural injections for relief........ I have been unable to find a bed that will help me. I stretch and use an inversion table which has helped tremendously!

All that being said, I have stayed in Hilton Garden Inns quite a bit this year FOR THE BED! Occasionally I have stayed at a HGI and the bed will be flat as a piece of paper! I turn up the knob and NOTHING! Now after reading your post I finally understand WTH is going on with the air and the knob!

I am staying at a HGI tonight and laying on one of these beds this minute! WHat you say is correct! You must get your fat A$$ OFF and let the air process through the chambers. Once that is complete in a few minutes then adjust the knob BEFORE you lay on it. If you follow these instructions your worries are OVER and you can have the best sleep of your life!

I have been hesitant to purchase this pricey bed due to my FLAT issues.... I am so excited I finally understand how it works! SO now I will order one... I am dreading the crappy Customer Service and poor Representation, but this bed is the ONLY bed that allows me to get up pain free! So I bet I can tolerate the company for the product.

Sleep Number beds have cords and pumps! When I checked into one of those beds, their warranty does NOT cover the pump! Beware, the pump replacement is very expensive. THis bed does not have those worries!

Thank you for posting all the great comments and feedback!

MY apologies it was number 11 with the great information!

Bought the 'Hilton' bed 8 years ago...
 

My sister and brother-in-law purchased their bed 14 years ago and have always claimed that it is their most favorite mattress they've ever owned in 35 years of marriage. Since I have a bad back and neck, sleep is too important to risk with a bad mattress so my husband and I purchased the same bed eight years ago.
Yes, it came in a huge poorly constructed box. No, the delivery person did not help take it inside nor did we get any help caring this huge monstrosity (it weighed 10000000 :mad: pounds!!!) up our stairs. However I would not trade those negatives for the comfort and relaxation and great sleep we both have had these past eight years. Occasionally a baffle might lose air and need to be refilled or even replaced. My sister had one baffle deflate and had to purchase a new one but other than that between the two of us we have had no issues whatsoever with the bed. We love the firmness control and my husband is set on the softest setting and mine is near the firmest setting. We can only stay at the Hilton Garden Inn hotels because they carry the same bed. It is very true that their marketing and delivery system is horrible compared to today's companies but they make it up in a quality product.

KC