The Preidlhof Hotel and Spa in South Tyrol, Italy, has unveiled a Dream Well Suite, which has won this year’s Innovation Award at the European Health and Spa Awards.

Guests staying in the Dream Well Suite at Preidlhof can awaken to a slow-starting bird concert and sunbeams finding their way through treetops, or fall asleep to a sunset at a small mountain lake.

Daniel Lathan at Sonami AG – who has 20 years of experience in natural sounds, psychoacoustics, room acoustics, architecture and lighting design – has designed the room for Priedlhof.

Preidlhof’s Dream Well Suite features a special acoustic ceiling, designed to reduce the reverberation time and echo in the room to create optimal conditions for a restful sleep.

The room acoustics were developed and modeled on nature, and the ceiling absorbs certain frequencies in the forest and/or reflects them in different directions, similar to the effect of the treetops in a forest. Controllable colour LEDs simulate sunrises and sunsets, all controlled via touchpad.

"The goal was to create a completely authentic space that was as close as possible to the acoustic environment of a deciduous forest," said Lathan. “Multiple combined sound and light programmes selectable via a touch panel allow for an optimised sleep and wake up process”.

Other in-room sleep promoting features at Preidlhof include a “Good Night” menu including 12 different kinds of pillows, mattress toppers, and a relax bag with different sleeping aids. WLAN service is switched off during the night from 12:00 pm to 7:00 am, however internet can still be accessed via cable.

The Dream Well Suite at Preidlhof aims to provide guests with the ultimate ‘private spa experience’, and comes complete with its own sauna, hot tub, swimming pool and gym.

“At Preidlhof we take the importance of a good night’s sleep very seriously; it is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle,” said Klaus Ladurner, owner of Preidlhof. “We are excited to collaborate with Daniel Lathan again on his pioneering new Dream Well Suite as we believe wellness experiences in the hotel room are the future. This innovative new sleep ‘architectural application’ as Daniel Lathan best describes it, also further enhances our existing sleep-enhancing products, services and spa treatment programmes.”