What pillow do hotels use? The hotel pillow guide
Updated September 2026.
Short answer: hotels rarely use down. They choose a full fibre pillow in the 50×90 format that can take frequent washing, works for guests with allergies and feels the same in every room. At ESS Group's hotels the beds are made with the A Funky Dream Hotel Pillow, in the version with 1,300 grams of allergy-friendly siliconised fibre. The same pillow can be ordered to your home.
Which pillow do hotels use?
A hotel pillow is built for a very different life than a pillow at home. It has to be as good on night five hundred as on night one, it is washed often and it has to suit guests who sleep on their side, back and stomach. That is why many hotels land on the same solution: a high, firm fibre pillow with a generous fill.
At ESS Group's destinations it is the A Funky Dream Hotel Pillow in 50×90 and 1,300 grams. The pillow and duvet in the A Funky Dream range are what the hotels themselves make their beds with, tested by guests night after night through twenty years of Nordic hospitality. That is also why the pillow became part of Boe Leisure from the start.
Why fibre and not down at hotels?
Down is a fine material, but at a hotel other things matter more. The pillow has to be washable hot and often, safe for guests with allergies and equally firm in every room. Siliconised fibre does all three.
- Washing: the A Funky Dream Hotel Pillow can be washed at 60 °C and regains its shape afterwards. Sweden's health service 1177 recommends washing pillows and duvets at 60 °C regularly if you have a dust mite allergy.
- Allergies: the fibre is allergy-friendly and contains no bird feathers.
- Consistent feel: two pillows from the same range feel the same, which makes every bed predictable for the guest.
If you would still rather sleep on down at home, we go through the differences in Down and feather: how to choose the right duvet and pillow.
What size is a hotel pillow?
In Scandinavia the hotel pillow is usually 50×90 cm. The longer pillow fills the width of the bed when it is made up, gives support against the headboard when you read and creates the generous, made-up look a hotel bed is known for. 50×60 is the classic Swedish size and suits you if you want the hotel filling in a standard pillowcase.
| Version | Size | Filling | For you who |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 50×90 cm | 1,300 g fibre | want exactly the hotels' pillow, or sleep on your side |
| Medium | 50×90 cm | 1,100 g fibre | sleep on your back or want a slightly lower pillow |
| Standard | 50×60 cm | Fibre | want the hotel feeling in the Swedish standard size |
Choose a pillowcase in the same size as the pillow. A 50×90 pillowcase covers the whole pillow without compressing the filling, for example the Ralph Pillowcase in crisp percale, Boe's own bedding.
How much filling should a hotel pillow have?
The fill weight decides how the pillow feels. Two pillows of the same size can feel completely different depending on how many grams of filling they carry. 1,100 grams gives a medium, yielding profile. 1,300 grams, the hotels' choice, gives the firm, supported feel where your head rests in the pillow instead of sinking through it.
If you sleep on your side, the pillow needs to fill the gap between shoulder and ear, and then the higher fill weight is right. If you sleep on your stomach, a hotel pillow is usually too high. Read more in The right pillow for your sleeping position.
How do you care for a hotel pillow at home?
Just like at the hotel: shake the pillow up every morning, always use a pillowcase and wash the pillow at 60 °C a few times a year. Let it dry completely and shake it while it dries, so the fibre regains its volume. The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association has more advice if you are sensitive to dust mites.
How to get the hotel pillow at home
- Choose the height by how you sleep. High if you sleep on your side or want the hotels' exact pillow, Medium if you sleep on your back.
- Choose the size by your bed. 50×90 for the hotel's made-up look, 50×60 if you want to keep your pillowcases.
- Dress the pillow in the right pillowcase. The same size as the pillow, in percale if you sleep warm.
- Add the duvet. The A Funky Dream Hotel Duvet is the duvet from the same hotel beds.
- Shake it up every morning. It takes ten seconds and keeps the filling airy.
Frequently asked questions
Which pillow do hotels use?
At ESS Group's hotels the rooms are made up with the A Funky Dream Hotel Pillow in 50×90 and 1,300 grams of allergy-friendly siliconised fibre. Many hotels choose fibre over down because it can take frequent washing at 60 °C and suits guests with allergies.
What size is a hotel pillow?
The most common hotel pillow in Scandinavia is 50×90 cm. It fills the width of the bed and gives support against the headboard. 50×60 cm is the Swedish standard size and is also available with the hotel filling.
Can you buy the hotels' pillow?
Yes. The A Funky Dream Hotel Pillow in 50×90 and 1,300 grams is the same pillow as at ESS Group's hotels and can be ordered from Boe Leisure. It is also available in 1,100 grams and in 50×60.
Is a hotel pillow good for people with allergies?
A fibre pillow that can be washed at 60 °C is a good choice if you are sensitive to dust mites, because it can be washed hot regularly. The fibre contains no bird feathers. Ask your doctor or an allergy organisation if you have symptoms.
Which hotel pillow is best?
It depends on how you sleep. If you sleep on your side, 1,300 grams is right; on your back, 1,100 grams. We compare the hotel pillow with down, feather and cheaper alternatives, IKEA included, in our guide Best Bedding 2026.
Our advice
If you want the hotel feeling straight away, start with the pillow. It is the part of the bed you notice most, and the one the hotels themselves chose after years of guest nights. Choose 50×90 in 1,300 grams if you sleep on your side or want exactly the hotels' pillow, and 1,100 grams if you sleep on your back. Wondering how it compares with other pillows? We have compared them in Best Bedding 2026. The whole range is under A Funky Dream.