Why do hotels always have a cloth across the bed?
That decorative cloth you often see folded neatly across the foot of a hotel bed isn’t just there for looks — although that’s certainly part of it. Known as a bed runner, this piece of fabric serves several practical and aesthetic purposes in hotel room design.
A Touch of Style and Branding
Hotels use bed runners to enhance the room’s visual appeal and add a pop of color or texture that ties in with the room’s overall theme. It’s a simple, inexpensive way to make the bedding look more luxurious and coordinated.
Protecting the Bedding
Guests often place suitcases, shoes, or even food trays on the foot of the bed. The runner acts as a barrier, protecting the more expensive and harder-to-clean duvet or comforter from dirt and stains.
Cost-Effective Cleanliness
Since runners are much smaller and easier to wash than full bedspreads, they allow hotels to keep the room looking fresh and clean without laundering the entire comforter after each guest.
A Visual Cue
That little cloth also sends a subtle message: the room has been prepared with care. A neatly placed runner gives the bed a finished, tidy appearance that reassures guests of the room’s cleanliness and attention to detail.
FAQs
Do people actually use the bed runner?
Most guests don’t use it directly, but it serves its purpose as a protective and decorative element.
Are bed runners sanitary?
They’re not always cleaned between every guest, which has raised concerns. Some travelers remove them right away for hygiene reasons.
Why not just remove them entirely?
For hotels, it’s about balance: appearance, branding, and cost-saving maintenance. Until a better solution comes along, the runner stays.
So next time you check in and see that band of fabric across the bed, you’ll know it’s doing more than just sitting pretty.
