Friday, January 22, 2010

this gives me the willies

Did you hear that Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming
service at three hotels in Britain this month? If requested, a willing
staff member at two of the chain's London hotels and one in the
northern English city of Manchester will dress in an all-in-one fleece
sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets.
Holiday Inn said the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the
bed before the guest occupied it. They could not confirm if the
warmer would shower first, but said hair would be covered.

Okay, this is just about the quirkiest hotel thing I've ever heard.
Is this a normal UK thing to do? Sounds pretty darn stinky to me.
I don't even like to sit in a seat that's still warm from someone
else's body heat. This gives me the willies, not the woollies.
.

94 comments:

  1. I hadn't realised it was the one here!!!

    To be honest, the fleece-covered Manc bed-warming service is usually referred to as "aggrevated burglary"

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  2. w-
    this gives new meaning to the term fleeced...willies is right--eesh! c

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  3. Kevin, no kidding! So this is happening in your neck of the woods, eh?

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  4. that is way too creepy. i can think of better ways to warm my bed. smiles.

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  5. WHAT A MINUTE!! Can I choose the bed warmer?

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  6. eeeuuuuueeee. very strange.
    they have this new invention
    called the heated blanket or mattress pad that could be switched on the warm the bed.
    they MUST be joking?? i hope.

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  7. Willow, I think you've been had.

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  8. Well, I stand corrected - I just checked. Maybe April 1st has come early.

    How weird is that? Why don't they just turn up the heat?

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  9. Yup, my neck of the woods.

    A tad further north they've had fleece-covered bed warmers for years. It gets very lonely on the hills.

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  10. Yuck, I'm with you...I don't want someone else in my bed. It doesn't take long to warm the bed.

    much love

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  11. Is there someone available who will do my gym workout for me too?

    Skip the bed warming, I want a body double!

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  12. BUT one that looks like Halle Barry. Even a pregnant Halle Barry would be okay with me.
    I'll stop now.

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  13. Well this certainly takes the old 25 cent Magic Fingers up a notch, doesn't it?

    How demanding are people that they complain when it's cold between their sheets?

    Magic Fingers were lame, but this is way too weird.

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  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  15. I think it's a wonderful initiative to provide gainful casual employment to thousands of the country's male teenagers aged 14-18 years. They can now be paid for doing what they do best at that age. Son #2 is still the undisputed titleholder of the 'Sleep Your Life Away' Award here - 22 hours in one stretch!
    Millie ^_^

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  16. Right, just turn up the heat. Or put on some woolly socks!

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  17. Tattered, maybe human Magic Fingers is next? A staff member crawls under the bed and shakes it!

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  18. oh!!! i know!!! i read this earlier while at work and it gave me the creeps. seriously - how long does it take for these two fleeced and capped bodies to warm your bed to the proper temperature? do you have to watch them? because, if i have my bed warmed, i want to get right in...not wait for them to leave, give them a tip and then go.

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  19. That's what my husband is for! He's an excellent bed warmer & not at all creepy (to me).

    His comment was - isn't that called prostitution? It does seem like a service where people might abuse the privilege...

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  20. That's really, really gross. (I can't stop laughing.)

    Catherine

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  21. just shove a handful of stone hot water bottles and i'm good. if somebodies in my bed before me, i want to have a look-see first!!! steven

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  22. I'm sorry, it doesn't even seem sanitary. Just leave me a clean fleece-covered Manc with the towels and I'll warm myself...or some nice hot water bottles will be just fine...or a complimentary hot buttered rum, would be nice.
    Don't put a body into my bed unless I invite him there!

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  23. What happened to the electric blankets or mattress warmers? That is how I warm my bed up.
    qMM

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  24. Is this for real? Too weird!!

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  25. I had to check the date on this post to make sure it wasn't April 01st!

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  26. It's nice when the cat performs this service, but a stranger would be just yucky.

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  27. I just toured the UK in October, staying in several hotels over the course of our 2+ week stay. Never heard about this service, although I think we did stay in at least one Holiday Inn. hmmm.

    To pay for this service is...weird. It's bad enough sleeping in a bed someone else slept in the night before, but some other stranger "warming" it prior to my retiring in it...just odd.

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  28. Probably safer than hiring your bed warmers off of the street. I thought they were called by another name, which for the moment conveniently slips my mind.

    Do they offer back scrubbers, as well?

    Mike

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  29. Eeeuw :) Hot water bottles rule! I hadn't heard of this invention up in Manchester but London is always up for anything!
    Am so glad you enjoyed Monsieur Ibrahim - my recommendation!!

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  30. Hilarious!

    We always just let a few dogs on the bed to warm it -- they don't need to be between the sheets, for goodness sakes.

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  31. creepy...and just plain weird! lol

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  32. I'll use a hot water bottle instead, thanks.

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  33. Hahaaaa! As someone who stays in tons of hotels, I have to say that creeps me out a bit. I do a full-room check before staying in every single room, and if I see a hair anywhere, I freak. No pre-heating my bed, please. Too funny.

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  34. That's gross, but apart from anything else, I like to get into a cool, fresh bed. Yuck!

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  35. Kat, oh, me, too. Nice fresh COOL sheets. Not stinky, sweaty, body-heat sheets. ICK!!

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  36. i agree.. crrreeeeeepppppy!

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  37. Eeeew! I think I'd rather stay in my tent in my sleeping bag - at least I know who has slept in them.

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  38. I can't imagine who came up with this idea or who would want it...

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  39. That is totally weird! I'm all about sustainability what happened with the old-fashioned hot water bottle?

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  40. Very weird! Haven't they heard of electric warming pads for under the sheets. It is a wonderful way to warm the bed.

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  41. Eeeew! I've got the willies too; quite itchy, actually!!

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  42. I bet they are getting mixed reviews on that one. I will just bring a hot water bottle. I know where it's been.

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  43. ...I just love to get into a nice fresh COOL bed!..LOL this is hysterical....I wonder if you have to tip them?

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  44. No...really?....no....ewwwwwwwww!!!!

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  45. Well, I could be smart adn say if the bed warmer was a very attractive female who smelled good then I suppose I could just about handle that...
    But in reality, I suspect it is offered to help people feel warmer--but isn't that what a bunch of hot water bottles with fleece cozies for anyway?

    As a lot of fellow Brits don't shower every day or as regular as on does here it is even more nasty. Ewww.

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  46. YUCK! My skin is crawling and now I have to take another shower just to wash the feeling away.

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  47. Gosh they must be short of power!!

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  48. I can't believe this...it is beyond creepy!! Just what I want, someone in the sheets rolling around? I'm laughing and gagging...I can't get the picture out of my head... ha

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  49. "Did you hear that Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming..."
    Hi! Willow,
    Oh! no, and all I can say is electric blanket(s)?!? or Yikes!!!!

    DeeDee ;-O

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  50. I agree, that is just a horrible idea. Hot water bottles-yes. Electric blankets-yes. Even an old fashioned warming pan! but a person! no way.

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  51. Oh this gives me the willies too... You'd wonder at this being a selling point.. rather it puts me off.. nothing like fresh crisp hair free sheets!!

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  52. Hello Willow,

    Come on now, you're jealous, just because your American hotels didn't offer this first! But being Holiday Inn it'll soon be coming to a hotel near you. Sack the Marketing Manager, I say!

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  53. Oookaaaaaaay...I'm igged out! What ever happened to the ol' hot water bottle?

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  54. There is something "creepy" about that. I wouldn't want to spend the night there.

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  55. It really seems odd -- I don't know who would go for it when there are electric blankets and mattress pads that can do it without the creep factor. If you learn anything more about how the program knows, maybe you will post an update, lol.

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  56. Strange! What's wrong with those beautiful old brass bed warmers full of hot coals? They could offer that...much more tasteful!

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  57. Hey Friend! Came by to see what "The Madame" has been up to!
    I'll pass on this perk, I'm real finicky about my bed! :)

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  58. UMmmmm, NO THANK YOU. Now, there are these lovely things called warmer mattress pads...turn it on prior to crawling between the sheets for about 6 minutes and VOILA!! COZY bed...MINUS a stranger in footie pajamas! ACK!


    You have done some rearranging 'round here! Looks great.

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  59. I have never heard of this before, it sounds quite revolting, yuk.

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  60. thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Where did you get the button for Haiti? I would love to put it on my blog< thanks again!

    As far as humans on my bed warming it up before me, I THINK NOT

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  61. CJ, go to your dashboard and click on "blogger buzz". Easy peasy.

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  62. OMG!!! well, i'm speechless - mostly cause i'm about to throw up!!! oh, and just fyi to the marketing manager, i for one bring along my own "personal" uh, bedwarmer...otherwise, i hear it's illegal in most states when cash is involved!

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  63. ooops - forgot we're talking the queen's land so perhaps the law are different there in terms of, again, uh, bedwarmers.....geeezzzzeee......last word of the day: sleezy!!!

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  64. I'm with you! A warm toilet seat is the worst!

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  65. One can only congratulation Holiday Inn's PR team - what a brilliant idea to get free publicity all over the world! :-)))

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  66. Oh, Merisi, I totally agree. That had to be their objective here.

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  67. Okay, I would not want to stay at this hotel, but I would not mind working there. What do you suppose they pay the bed warmer?

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  68. I have to admit that this does sound very odd-- I assume the hotel guest has the option to turn the 'service' down?

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  69. Ha! I would love to see the job description for this. How do you hire someone "qualified" to be a bedwarmer? Hilarious!

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  70. I try to blot out the thought of who was in the hotel bed for me. Depending on what the "warmers" look like, there will probably be some people who will tip them to stay in the bed with them.

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  71. Absolutely agree willow - horrific idea.

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  72. Hmmm, this sounds like the Holiday Inn trying too hard to be part of the 'in holiday'.

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  73. Bizarre to say the least. Like others have mentioned, I too share a certain quirkiness about staying in some hotels. I have to have fresh sheets.. very clean...I can't imagine this at all...Creepy....

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  74. This reminds me of how cold and damp an English bed can feel.

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  75. What a ludicrous idea, but seemingly true! Couldn't believe it so googled and came up with the Daily Telegraph article of 18th Jan 2010, which even had a photo of the 'bed warmers' in their gear!

    R I D I C U L O U S ... BARMY!!

    http://tinyurl.com/yhx9ssr

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  76. Not for me. And yes, it's weird. I also don't like sitting in a warm chair someone has just vacated. It's actually nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks like this.

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  77. I don't know, a cute little bed warmer might be nice! LOL!

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  78. YUCKO! I'll keep the old hot water bottle thank you!

    Creeped out in Carmel,

    Marjorie

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  79. LOL... this is just too funny... LOL... and why would anyone pay for their bed to be warmed ewww!

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  80. Oh noooo, this is way too weird. It has to be a joke.

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  81. I'm in the minority here, in that I don't find it that weird. Now, if they offered a bed-time story and a tuck in, I think they'd be on to something to cure the loneliness of the long-distance traveller.

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  82. eww... what's wrong with good old fashioned lecky blanket? yuck yuck yuck not typical at all!!!

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  83. EWEEE!! Supposing they had chili for supper!?...
    Whatever happened to the coal embers in a bed warming pan? Or a more modern comfort, electric blankets?!...

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  84. YIKES! That's about the only thing I can think of to respond to this. I think I would have to decline. I'm all for eccentricity and quirkiness but this goes a bit too far in my opinion.

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  85. Er - no. This is DEFINATELY not a British thing. It's not something that I had ever heard suggested before our news programs started covering it last week. Most of us are as wigged-out as you guys at the thought. Ik!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)