The Sleep Tourist Reviews...The Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress [MADE Hotel]

Plus, ways the hospitality industry is trying to help you sleep better

Mar 16, 2025

Let’s talk about hotel mattresses.

Who makes your favorite hotel mattress? Chances are it’s one of the major “S Brands” — Serta, Sealy, Simmons, or Stearns & Foster. These legacy brands are responsible for producing some of the most luxurious mattresses in the world, which is why major hotel chains partner with them to create their signature beds.

Just take a look…

The Four Seasons Mattress? Made by Simmons.
The Hilton Mattress? Made by Serta.
The Kimpton Mattress? Made by Sealy.
The Ritz-Carlton Bed? Made by Stearns & Foster or Simmons, depending on where you are in the world.

But times are changing, and online mattress brands are starting to show up in hotels, too. For instance, Saatva has partnered with 12 boutique hotels and B&Bs, while Bear mattresses can be found at properties such as the Mint House and the Walker Hotel.

Until I started reviewing mattresses for a living, I never thought about the beds in my hotel rooms — they just had to be comfortable and clean.

Now? I’m not shy about stripping the sheets off to examine what I’m sleeping on and conducting a series of (non-scientific) tests.

Thus, the start of my series: The Sleep Tourist.

What is The Sleep Tourist?

The Sleep Tourist will highlight mattresses and sleep amenities at hotels of any size and status.

My inspiration for this is two-fold.

First, travelers are prioritizing sleep more than ever before, as evidenced in the rise of sleep tourism (and the namesake of my moniker):

According to the 2025 Hilton Trends Report, two in five travelers now book hotels based on where they think they can get their best sleep.
Kayak now lets you filter destinations by optimal “Sleepcations.” According to their data, Split, Croatia, is the top destination in the world for this.
If you really want to go all-in, the Equinox Hotel in NYC offers a comprehensive Sleep Lab experience designed by Dr. Matthew “Why We Sleep” Walker. It starts at about $2,000 for a 2-night minimum stay,

I’m also intrigued by the increasing presence of online mattress brands in the hospitality sector. As someone who tests these beds for a living for consumers, it’s a fantastic opportunity for me to locate them in hotels and possibly help travelers, too. (Plus, I get to test more mattresses!)

For my recent overnight trip to New York City, I specifically scouted hotels that use mattresses from online direct-to-consumer brands. You’d think it’d be easy to find this information, but I actually struggled with my search.

Eventually, I discovered a property that uses a mattress I’d heard a lot about but never tested…until now.

Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress at MADE Hotel

Located in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood, MADE Hotel has been using Leesa Sapira mattresses in all 108 of its rooms since it opened in 2017.

The Sapira Hybrid is one of the brand’s more affordable beds but a premium pick in the wider market. A king-size Sapira Hybrid usually costs $1,839 on sale. By comparison, the average rate for a one-night stay at MADE Hotel in a room with a king bed is $448, per Agoda.

MADE Hotel dresses its mattresses in Bellino Linens and adorns them with an assortment of pillows. The low platform bed frame is sleek and practical for storing things, but the Leesa Sapira is only 11 inches so sitting on the edge was awkward. (For reference, I’m 5-foot-4.)

What’s in the Leesa Sapira Hybrid

Cover: Viscose fiber blend featuring Leesa’s signature “jersey” design
Comfort Layer 1: Perforated foam to prevent air from being trapped
Comfort Layer 2: Solid memory foam to mold to your body
Transitional Layer: Buffer foam designed to support and contour
Support Layer: Over 1,000 individually wrapped coils with perimeter edge support
Base Layer: Thin, dense layer of foam to keep the mattress in place

Sleeping on the Leesa Sapira Hybrid at MADE Hotel

According to Leesa, most of their customers classify the Sapira Hybrid as medium to medium-firm. As an average-size side/front sleeper, I think it skews medium-firm.

Being dedicated to my craft, I made sure to try the mattress in all sleep positions:

Back Sleeping: Supportive. I’m not a natural back sleeper but after waking up in the morning I laid in bed for an hour, face up, staring at the exposed concrete ceiling of my hotel room. It was almost zen-like.
Side Sleeping: I feel like I’m splitting hairs when I say I would have liked a little more contouring for my hips when on my side, because the mattress was otherwise comfortable for me and I wasn’t worse for wear after waking up.
Stomach Sleeping: I was fine enough on my side that I didn’t find myself flipping onto my stomach at night, but when I did lie prone I didn’t feel my hips sink, which is a plus. However, I don’t think this will be the case for everyone.

Performance evaluation

Ease of Movement: The surface is flat and has a nice bounce, so changing positions wasn’t an issue.

Edge Support: The bed sat too low to the ground for me to feel comfortable enough to sit on it, but I didn’t feel unsteady. (The corners were noticeably squishier.) I was able to lean over the edge while in bed without fear of falling.

Motion Isolation: I traveled solo, but conducted my drop test: tossing a full glass bottle in the vicinity of an empty plastic bottle at different velocities and from various distances. Fortunately, the glass didn’t break — and the empty bottle, while it did mildly sway, remained upright about 98% of the time. Unless you’re easily disturbed by movement, I don’t think you have to worry about your partner waking you up. (Plus, a king-size bed affords you each plenty of space.)

Temperature: The Leesa Sapira Hybrid slept temperature-neutral and I didn’t overheat. There is a cooling version called the Leesa Sapira Hybrid Chill designed for sleepers with severe night sweats. Naturally, it costs a good bit more, and the MADE Hotel doesn’t offer it as an alternative.

How durable is the Leesa Sapira Hybrid?

I reckon the mattress I slept on has been in action for years judging from the slightly untidy mattress cover, but there were no dips or sags and it felt sturdy. The MADE Hotel no doubt hosts a lot of guests every year, so this bodes well if you’re thinking of purchasing this mattress for home use. (It comes with a lifetime warranty.)

Final Grade: A

The Leesa Sapira Hybrid is, quite simply, a very good mattress. I can understand why my peers in the mattress review space rate it so highly. The responsive medium-firm surface will suit many types of sleepers, which is ideal for a hotel. However, I think side sleepers who like the contouring of a plusher pillow top bed will be left wanting.

It’s also not the cheapest option out there. If you’re able to try it ahead of time at MADE Hotel or another property, book a trip for the night or a long weekend. (Leesa does offer a 100-night trial with free returns.)

What it’s like to sleep at the MADE Hotel

I wish I could have gotten this Bluetooth clock radio to work.

The bed gets a passing grade, but is the MADE Hotel an otherwise sleep-able place? Sure, but it could be better.

Noises carry through the hallway and between rooms, and being right in Midtown Manhattan, you’ll be serenaded by plenty of horns and sirens. Bring earplugs or a portable white noise machine if you're extremely sensitive to sound. (I have a pretty good internal filter for the most part.)

Other than that, the rooms are stylish and well-maintained, even if the bathroom is… odd. It doesn't have a door, and tiny open windows face the bed. Despite being alone, I made sure the “peep holes” were covered by towels and robes.

I do want to praise the MADE Hotel Lobby Bar, which serves the prettiest, tastiest, and most well-balanced breakfast I’ve ever had at a hotel.

The lobby is also adjacent to a coffee shop, Paper Coffee. I recommend the iced matcha latte with oat milk and a shot of lavender for a nice morning boost.

Would I stay at the MADE Hotel again? Yes. The staff are great, the location is convenient, and even with its quirks I still enjoyed my stay. Honestly, I’d go back just for the breakfast.

Want to read my review of another hotel mattress? I wrote about the updated Westin Heavenly Bed for Tom’s Guide.

This week’s poll…

What do you think of “Sleepcations”? Would you book a trip just to get a good night’s sleep — or have you already done that? Cast your vote and share your thoughts in the comments.