Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Entire hotel brand empires have been built around the mythological comfort of their luxurious bed linens. Who wouldn’t want to bring a little slice of the good life back home with them? Crisp, clean elegance is what distinguishes a hotel sheet from its humble domestic cousin, and we were curious to see where the 680 Thread Count Supima Cotton Sheets that Hotel Collection makes for Macy’s sat on the bed linen food chain. We put the sheets through two washes, and a week of sleeping, lounging, and a little snacking on our king size memory foam bed. Read on to find out if we found bliss or not.
Fabric Quality: It’s all about the ingredients
The sheets are 100% Supima cotton, which is a luxurious extra-long staple (fiber) cotton grown only in arid parts of the South and Southwest U.S. Supima is the same cotton species as pima cotton (“Supima” is the trademarked portmanteau for “supreme pima”). Still, only certified producers can use the Supima label. The resulting fabric has high tensile strength, fine luster, and a silkier hand feel than other cotton varieties. Typically sheets are made from either sateen or percale fabric. This Hotel Collection line is sateen, a dense, peachy satin weave with high gloss on the fabric face. Percale fabrics will usually have a crisper, cooler feel, with low or no sheen to them. Very hot sleepers might prefer a percale sheet for its better airflow, but both can feel soft and super-luxe when made with extra-long-staple cotton (like Supima).
Durability: Questions down the road
Though we put every effort into providing accurate and impartial product reviews for you, one limitation was built into our reviews that we can’t always get around: the test of time. We spent many hours testing these sheets, but some aspects may not appear until after months or years of steady use. Some customer reviews have stated that significant pilling occurred after using and laundering these sheets for several months, and the sheets roughened with wear. We didn’t experience any pilling or stiffening of the fabric, but that was only after two washes.
Thread count: Overkill?
Thread count describes the number of threads a fabric has per inch, but a higher count does not necessarily imply higher quality. While the weave of sateen will usually lead to a higher thread count than a plain weave fabric like percale, 680 count is probably a bit of overkill. At some point, the higher counts go from being plush and cozy to heavy and hot. Higher density means less airflow, and after using these sheets for a week, they could have backed off on the density. They don’t feel like a blanket, but they feel substantial. In moderate mid-September temperatures, we were OK with only the top sheet for a cover.
Softness: Oh, yes, quite.
The sheets are very smooth. They are subtly peachy without being too slippery.
Fit: One size fits most
The pockets of the fitted sheet are designed to fit mattresses up to 18 inches deep. That’s great for those with pillow-top mattresses or thick mattress toppers, but it didn’t work out as well for us with our ten-inch memory foam mattress. Making the bed was a breeze since the fitted sheet had circumferential elastic, but the extra fabric pulled up and crumpled around us once the bed was in use. If you toss a lot, this bunching fabric might get annoying. The king-size flat sheet is 110 x 108 inches, which is average and generous enough to be more sheet than we knew what to do with. Since the sheets are not sold as a set, we reviewed the standard pillowcases rather than king-size and found them roomy and overlong for our memory foam and gel pillows (which skew smaller). The pillowcases fit a pillow up to 20 x 28 inches, which should accommodate your typical down or fluffy fiber-filled pillow.
Care: Pretty straightforward
The washing instructions suggest a warm wash, non-chlorine bleach, and low tumble dry. Even though we removed them promptly at the end of the drying cycle, they still came out wrinkled. If such things are intolerable to you (we’re ok with a few wrinkles, ourselves), a warm iron is ok, but do not to iron directly on a memory foam mattress—it could warp or melt. We reviewed the white set, which has a light ivory cast. It needs to be treated with extra care to keep them looking clean and fresh.
Price: Ouch
These sheets are not sold as a set and must be purchased individually. Hopefully, we’ve said the word “luxury” enough times in this review to soften the blow a bit when you hear the price. Together, the king-size top sheet, fitted sheet, and two standard pillowcases cost $580. If you choose king size pillowcases, then that costs $595. That’s more costly than venerated linen brands like Frette and Matouk, and a hard number to swallow if you experience any construction issues down the road. Yes, they’re very nice, but if we had our choice between these sheets and a set of gorgeous Frette hotel sheets, we’d suggest looking more closely at the competition.
Competition: Actual hotel-approved hotel sheets
Westin Hotel Sheet Set: When Starwood Hotels and Resorts debuted The Heavenly Bed in its Westin hotels in 1999, the concept was so popular with customers, it launched a luxury hotel chain bedding war. The bed was so in demand, they began retailing the entire kit at Nordstrom’s, and thus a luxury retail niche was born. If you’ve ever slept in one, you’ll understand the reason for the fuss. It’s like curling up in a kitten’s lap. The Macy’s Hotel Collection has certainly been around for some time now, but the linens of the Heavenly Bed are the grande dame of the hotel sheet industry, so if you’re going to splurge, you might want to look at the hotel chain’s sheet sets in their online retail store. Frette Hotel Classic Sheet Set: Frette can go off the budgetary rails if you aren’t careful. Some of their prices beg the question, “Does their lonely little $1200 fitted sheet come with guaranteed sweet dreams?” However, their Hotel Classic Sheet Set is priced a little lower than the Macy’s set. It is a buttery-soft favorite of interior designers and fancy hotels alike. They are very nice. Very. But—and it pains us to say this—we don’t think they’re worth it. We like sleeping in a buttery-soft cloud cocoon just as much as the next guy, but we don’t love paying too much for it. And, I don’t love this looming specter of quality issues a few months down the road. But, if you find them on sale—and Macy’s often has good ones—jump at the chance.
