Welcome to The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Travel Week! Hollywood stars and insiders log millions of miles for filming, festivals, and wherever else the red carpet takes them, so why not look to these frequent flyers for travel inspiration? With summer destinations still beckoning (and plenty of time to plan for fall trips), this week we’re highlighting insider-approved essentials, style and travel tips, new gear, hotel-inspired decor, deals, and more. Allons-y!
August marks National Wellness Month — and with our first-ever Travel Week coming to a close, we’re highlighting how to explore with your well-being in mind. With sleep tourism on the rise, resorts are also attracting rest-deprived vacationers by offering getaways specifically focused on slumber. (Something that’s surely, and often sorely, needed in hard-working Hollywood and beyond right now.)
A good night of shut-eye helps to boost our energy, mood, productivity, and creative thinking. The Sleep Foundation also points to studies that have found that better self-control is another benefit of good sleep. “Sleep has been low on our collective consciousness for so long, and we are now, collectively, waking up to its importance,” Harvard Medical School instructor Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Restarting or ‘re-wiring’ sleep habits after years of neglect can take some time and patience, but the good news is small changes can start to take effect very quickly.”
Robbins leads the three-night Sleep Retreat (from $2,125 per night) at Arizona’s luxurious and historic Castle Hot Springs — nestled about an hour north of Phoenix in the picturesque Hieroglyphic Mountains — where guests can soak in lectures on circadian rhythm, sleep disorders, and optimizing their slumber. Arizona’s historic Castle Hot Springs resort offers a three-night retreat led by sleep expert and Harvard Medical School instructor Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D.
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Castle Hot Springs
Los Angeles’ Hotel Figueroa (where Haim shot their Elle Women of the Year cover) recently launched the Slumber in Style Package that treats guests to an Osea Vagus Nerve travel set to prep for the most restorative sleep. They also offer the Rest, Relax, Recover, and Reset package (contact the hotel directly for rates; more booking options at Expedia) that features the Eight Sleep mattress with a dual-zoned Pod that can be adjusted per your body temperature and preferences, a snooze-friendly Loftie alarm clock, a custom Pluto Pillow, an in-room Forme fitness mirror and Peloton exercise bike, Hyperice’s Hypervolt massage device and Normatec 3 compression therapy system, and more.
One of New York’s newest hangouts, the Aman hotel, offers its guests free 30-minute wellness consultations that include the Brain Gauge Pro, a program that gives personalized sleep recommendations based on a cognitive performance test. Over on the West Coast, Big Sur’s picturesque Post Ranch Inn boasts the wellness-focused Sleep Program offering two 60-minute Sleep Menu spa treatments, a gift bag, a Sleep Serenity dinner menu at Sierra Mar and access to sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus’ video series.
Aman New York
After launching the holistic Alchemy of Sleep program in 2022, Rosewood Hotels offers its slumber-focused itinerary at select resorts, including in London, where a two-night Sleep Transformation stay includes a 120-minute intensive antidote sleep treatment from Votar, a 60-minute CBD facial or massage, two 60-minute wellness sessions, a beauty sleep it, and more personalized amenities.
At Six Senses’ Ibiza resort, guests can choose from a three-, five-, or seven-night stay as part of a sleep program that includes a wellness screening, personalized consultations, yoga, cryotherapy, and other activities.
But you don’t need to splurge on a big-budget respite for better sleep. Robbins explains that easy fixes can be done at home, such as replacing old pillows, upgrading from your old uncomfortable or sagging mattress, creating a more relaxing bedroom, or even simply setting the thermostat to a comfortable level between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (the ideal temperature for sleep). Our core body temperature needs to drop during sleep in order to conserve energy, so maintaining a cool setting can help facilitate better sleep and reduce the number of times we wake up at night.
To help us all transition from groggy mornings to well-rested risings (whether from traveling or otherwise), we sat down with Robbins to get her expert suggestions on how to get better sleep. Inspired by her tips, we also rounded up some of our own favorite snooze-friendly products ranging from the best mattresses and bedding to supplements and high-tech gadgets. Keep reading below, plus shop some of our go-to sleep accessories.
What are the most common hurdles that people face as they’re trying to get back to a regular sleep routine, especially for New Year’s Resolutions?
Some of the common hurdles when it comes to sleep generally fall into two buckets. The first bucket is the low-hanging fruit, and small tweaks and tune-ups to either one’s behavior and routine or their environment. For instance, a mattress that is too old, pillows that are worn out, or other elements of our bed itself really go a long way toward our healthy sleep. Simply refreshing your mattress and pillows could be the simple solution in that case.
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On the other hand, if someone finds themselves not conscious about their bedtime, the time at night flies by, and suddenly they routinely find themselves without enough time for sleep before their morning alarm. In this case, the easy tune-up is more awareness about bedtime and relaxing and unwinding to slip into sleep that will allow them to wake up refreshed. All of the above are small tips and tune-ups when someone simply has not been focused on their sleep but is interested in changing.
The second type of hurdle is a bit more challenging and could include difficulties falling asleep or maintaining sleep. If you experience these issues from time to time, first, realize that you are not alone! Sleep difficulties can be common for all of us from time to time. When you experience issues falling asleep, try to focus on relaxing and unwinding before bedtime and setting aside time to write down anything that is on your mind. You might also consider relaxation strategies, such as meditation when you are experiencing difficulties.
Similarly, if you struggle to fall back asleep after waking, you might also consider a relaxation exercise, gentle yoga poses, or reading with dim light in an armchair. The important thing if you’re struggling to fall back to sleep is you do not want to stay in bed and toss and turn. If these issues falling or staying asleep happen chronically, it might be time to speak to your healthcare provider.
For those who are feeling anxious about what seems like a monumental schedule overhaul, what are some easy baby steps for those who want to start small?
Human beings are creatures of habit. It is hard to change our routines drastically and expect to settle right into this new routine. Consider the case of international travel across multiple time zones. We refer to the painful physiological and cognitive consequences of such a drastic change jet lag because our bodies have jetted forward into a new time zone, but our rhythms lag behind. We experience, subsequently, brain fog, excessive sleepiness, sluggishness, and underperform physically and cognitively. This in large part has to do with our circadian rhythm.
Our circadian rhythm is housed in a region in the brain that acts as the central pacemaker for our internal biological clock, a clock that governs almost every process in our brains and bodies, from body temperature fluctuations to hormone secretion, to our sense of sleepiness, and more! This system cannot move on a dime. Therefore, the best way to change your sleep routine is to do so carefully.
Consider the case of someone wanting to go to bed earlier. A common mistake is to pick a night and crawl in bed two to three hours earlier than normal, thinking this is a positive behavior. Unfortunately, your brain has not caught up with you and this new routine. In this case, the best recommendation is moving your bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night for one to two weeks until you have hit your target bedtime and try to keep that night in and night out.
Fortunately, so many other sleep accessories and products have hit the market in recent years, making it easier than ever to create a sleep-friendly environment. From advanced mattresses that adjust to your body temperature and preferences to smart alarm clocks that gently wake you up at the optimal time in your sleep cycle, there are a wide range of options to choose from. Additionally, there are supplements and relaxation techniques that can help promote better sleep. It’s all about finding what works for you and making sleep a priority. So take a cue from Hollywood’s frequent flyers and prioritize your sleep for a well-rested and rejuvenated travel experience. Bon voyage!
