You may have noticed that many hotels are promoting their bed linen “thread counts” as a hallmark of quality and luxury.  Some proudly tout 300 thread count bed linens, some 250, and others 350, and even few hotel chains offer 400 thread count linens.  So, the question is what is a “thread count” and does it really matter when deciding on a hotel room. 

The answer to the question is  somewhat but not a lot in the overall scheme of things.  High thread count linens tells you very little about the overall quality of the hotel accommodations you can expect.  However, because high thread count linens are expensive, the higher the thread count, the more likely it means your hotel room accommodations will be a higher quality.

But what does thread count mean for hotel bed linens?  Thread count is a measure of a fabric’s quality.  Thread count is the number of threads that are woven together in a square inch of fabric.  In terms of bed linens, as with any textile, the more threads per square inch, the more soft and durable the fabric will be up to a certain point.  After a thread count of about 400, it is not possible to really feel the difference and the actual fabric becomes very heavy and not suitable for year round use.  So, when thread counts are at or above 400, essentially the cost of the fabric rises but with little benefit in terms of noticable softness. 

While thread counts can tell you a little about how comfortable your hotel sheets are and perhaps the general quality of your accommodations, it is hardly a something upon which to base your hotel choice.   If your hotel has sheets with thread counts of 250 and over, you will be experiencing a pretty comfortable set of bed linens.  For the occasional hotel that promotes 200 to 250 thread count bed linens, you need not worry either.  These sheets will be more than sufficiently comfortable.  Finally, for those who take a good night’s sleep seriously, the quality of the mattress plays a major part in the overall comfort of your hotel bed.    

About the Author. This Article was written by the Hotel Review Editor of the RoomRate Hotels Search Site for Atlanta Hotels and Charlotte Hotels.  

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