This year’s awards season continues with… The Fluffies – The UK’s finest hotel towel and pillow awards return. Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Macdonald Hotels & Resorts claim coveted ‘Fluffies’ prizes.
The Fluffies, the UK’s only award scheme to find Britain’s finest hotel towels and pillows has today revealed its winners for 2015.
After a meticulous testing process over several months, Hilton Hotels & Resorts overcame competition from rivals to claim the title of ‘UK’s Best Hotel Towels’, whilst Macdonald Hotels & Resorts triumphed for the second year in a row retaining the Fluffies award for the ‘UK’s Best Hotel Pillows’.
The Fluffies – UK’s Best Hotel Towels 2015
1) Hilton Hotels & Resorts – 65/80
2=) Hotel du Vin – 57.5/80
2=) Millennium & Copthorne Hotels – 57.5/80
The Fluffies – UK’s Best Hotel Pillows 2015
1) Macdonald Hotels & Resorts – 64.5/80
2) Marriott Hotels – 57/80
3) Hilton Hotels & Resorts – 55.5/80
Now in its third year, The Fluffies was developed by Methven, a global designer and manufacturer of premium showers and tapware, to identify, highlight and champion hotels with the finest towels and pillows.
Originally focusing on towels exclusively, Malmaison was crowned the inaugural winner in 2013, and Crowne Plaza top place in 2014. The UK’s Best Pillows category was introduced in 2014, with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts claiming first prize. With both awards, the Fluffies aims to promote luxurious and relaxing hotel experiences, whilst informing customers where they can find the best hotel towels and pillows across Britain.
To discover which hotel offers the fluffiest towels and pillows, independent tests were undertaken at the 20 biggest mid-high end hotel brands in the UK by industry research organisation, the 59club. Using the latest technology available, including digital callipers and whiteness meters, researchers measured bathroom towels and bedroom pillows across four key criteria – thickness, whiteness, area size and overall feel, condition and smell.
Each hotel’s pillows and towels were tested three times and given an average score; this score was then ranked one to 20 in each of the four categories. A number one ranking received 20 points, descending down to a number 20 ranking receiving a single point. The points total across all four criteria confirmed an overall winner.
In the towel test, Hilton Hotels & Resorts claimed the highest overall score with Hotel Du Vin and Millennium & Copthorne Hotels ranked joint second. Taking the top score in the pillow test, Macdonalds Hotel & Resorts beat rivals Marriott Hotels and Hilton Hotels & Resorts, into second and third respectively.
The results will be announced at the annual 59club awards event on Monday 23rd February at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Birmingham. All five hotels will receive official certification, highlighting their credentials as the UK’s finest, whilst Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Macdonald Hotels & Resorts will collect the coveted Fluffies awards from Methven UK’s Chief Executive, Martin Walker.
Martin Walker, CEO of Methven UK, said: “We’re delighted to announce the winners of the Fluffies 2015 and wish to extend our congratulations to Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Macdonald Hotels & Resorts for their awards. A thick, white, fluffy and fresh-smelling towel can make any hotel showering experience even more memorable, just as a soft and fluffy pillow can make all the difference for a relaxing night’s sleep before an invigorating morning shower.
“After a tight contest between some of the UK’s best hotels, our independent adjudicators, 59club, were incredibly impressed with Hilton Hotel & Resorts’ soft and bright-white towels and Macdonald Hotel & Resorts’ supersized puffy pillows. Through the Fluffies, we hope to continue promoting the highest standards throughout the UK hotel industry and offer consumers the definitive guide of where the best hotel pillows and towels are to be found in Britain.”
Ruaridh Macdonald, deputy chief executive, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, commented: “The most important thing to us is the guest experience and a good night’s sleep is paramount to making sure our guests have a restful stay. We carefully source the perfect pillows and our housekeeping teams then work tirelessly in each hotel to keep them perfectly plumped and prepared.
The ‘UK’s Best Pillow’ award for the second consecutive year demonstrates our commitment to the guest journey and our efforts in helping those that stay at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts to relax and unwind.”
Those also tested, in alphabetical order:
- Best Western
- Crowne Plaza
- De Vere
- Jury’s Inn
- Malmaison
- Mercure
- Novotel
- Park Inn by Radisson
- Principal Hayley
- Q Hotels
- Radisson Blu
- Radisson Blu Edwardian
- Ramada
- Starwood Hotels
- Thistle.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
