NYC hotel hires sleep concierge

Sleep concierge in a New York City hotel wants to be customers get a good night's rest.

Photo: NYC hotel hires sleep concierge

"I've learned a lot about sleep since I started this job," said Anya Orlanska, who four months ago took the job at The Benjamin, a hotel in midtown Manhattan. "There are so many things that can be done."

The hotel, which created the position several years ago, is serious about its mission, offering customers a mattress specifically created for the hotel and a menu of over a dozen different pillows, including one with a speaker built into it and a cord that plugs into an iPod.

Guests also have the option of a before-bedtime massage and snacks believed to make you sleepy - for an extra charge.

"We've done a lot of research regarding sleeping, how to make people comfortable," Orlanska said in an interview Monday.

She said she has taken the hotel's different types of pillows - some made with buckwheat, others with down - home with her to try them out for a couple of days.

"You have to experience it yourself to actually sell the product," she said.

The hotel guarantees customers will sleep as well at the hotel as they do at home, or they get a free night's stay. Room rates vary depending on the day of the week and the time of year.