World Sleep Day 2021: How ITC, in collaboration with scientists, rolled out first-of-its-kind Sleeep Menu

World Sleep Day 2021: To sleep well is considered essential for one’s mental and physical health. A popular Netflix TV series ‘Instant Hotels’ demonstrates that one of the key parameters of rating a good hotel stay is checking first how well a guest has slept. While the global TV series set some notable benchmarks for the hospitality industry, this now puts the spotlight on how ITC has pioneered the concept of Sleep Practices and packages in India, including a first-of-its-kind Sleeep Menu for guests.

Amaan Kidwai, General Manager at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru told Financial Express Online, “ Given the current pandemic-induced stressful times, our Staycations are very popular with many guests converting them into Sleepcations for holistic rest and rejuvenation. We foresee this as being a prime driver in our stays.”

Edited excerpts from the interaction with Financial Express Online:

Tell us more about the key offerings such as the Sleep Menu and the vision driving it. Are the expected outcomes satisfactory so far?

We believe that a significant factor in hospitality is the quality of sleep and rest a guest experiences in the room for which there is really no substitute. Be it a business or leisure traveler, a good night’s sleep is a panacea for the body and soul.

It is this belief that triggered this research over a decade ago and we have implemented the results in several Sleeep® practices and packages that enhance the quality of sleep experienced by the guests at our hotels.

The Sleeep® Menu is by far our most well researched initiative amongst the others. Sleep Positive Ingredients and Dishes were shortlisted from our research in collaboration with the scientists at ITC Life Sciences & Technology Centre, Bangalore and consolidated into the Menu.

The menu ensures an optimal balance of nutrients and is based on the principles of ‘Swasthya’ – eating for taste and health. The Menu comprises of dishes like Buttermilk Pancake with Bananas, PavilionCaprese, Chicken Supreme, Lotus Seeds and Milk; all infused with the calming components of potassium, manganese, tryptophan, melatonin and Vitamin B 6.

This menu promotes sleep quality using special culinary offerings, prepared using select food ingredients, which are scientifically reported in published literature to aid and improve Sleep. The well-researched selections in our Sleeep® Menu are crafted to help one sleep peacefully.

The Sleeep® Menu is available at ITC Hotels for all resident guests and can be availed at an additional cost.

We have received a lot of positive feedback about our Sleeep® Menu especially from our business travelers who are most importantly looking for a good night’s sleep when they check into a hotel.

How are guests sharing their feedback or experiences on these initiatives including the concept of Black Out curtain and Sleep Music?

During check-in, guests are informed of our Sleeep® initiatives so that they can experience them during the stay. Our associates are well trained and aware of our Sleeep® initiatives and we educate our guests about the benefits of sleep and what we are doing to enhance it. The Sleeep® Music is quite popular amongst our guests, many of whom use it for the soothing background score when going to bed.

Guests are delighted to know about these features, a sound sleep and a good night’s rest is the biggest luxury they seek when sleeping in new and unfamiliar environments.

At ITC Hotels we’ve the optimised lux (lx) levels – the luminance level of all lights to ensure optimal brilliance omitting glare completely, ensuring a soothing, welcoming atmosphere.

Black out curtains and interventions in room design ensure zero-light penetration into the rooms, making sure that the duration of sleep is not altered on account of light filtering into the room.

Research suggests that sound can also be a powerful contributing force to release stress, tension, and prepare your body for the sound slumber that will allow you to wake up to a productive tomorrow. Sleeep® music and sound therapy as part of the in-room television experience is available as one of our channels.

What is the objective behind the Sleep Enhancement package?

Is it available at all or select ITC hotels?

The Sleep Enhancement offer is an add on to the stay experiences we provide to our guests. The idea came into being when we started catering to a significant number of guests who were staying with us and working from the hotel. This was our way to enhance their work life balance by giving them these options without disrupting their daily schedule. While one of the offers entails a foot ritual along with creating a good sleep ambience in the room with the help of fragrances and oils which is a perfect choice for a business traveler. The Rest & Rejuvenate offer on the other hand is ideal for a leisure traveler who has time for a spa treatment, meeting requirements of both segments of guests.

Recently introduced at ITC Gardenia, this is now available at all our Luxury Collection Hotels.

What factors made ITC take the lead on this initiative and what has been the overall response so far?

Are you documenting this?

As a leading hotel chain catering to both the business and leisure traveler, we are in the business of sleep, the most sought-after luxury by all travelers. The objective is to make ITC Hotels the Leaders in providing the Best Sleeep® Experiences.

An in-depth analysis into the Science of Sleeep® over the last 2 decades has enabled us towards our endeavor. For e.g. Our Sleeep® menu was developed using extensive global literature survey of books, research articles and traditional texts by our Scientists at ITC Life Sciences & Technology Centre to screen the Sleep Promoting effect of each ingredient present in the in-room dining Sleeep® menu selection.