The overlooked feature luxury hotel beds have that you won't find in most mattresses in a box — and what it means for your sleep

An Avocado employee needle-tufting a mattress by hand.

I've been fortunate enough to sleep in a few luxury hotel beds in my time, and I've always been struck by how well I sleep on them, especially considering that I don't tend to sleep well on an unfamiliar mattress.

In fact, returning to my regular bed after a few opulent nights on a five-star mattress can feel like a real disappointment. Or rather, it did until I recently acquired a mattress that boasts the same feature that you'll find in hotel beds and in other premium mattresses, but that you'll rarely find in the average mattress in a box or even in several of the entries in our guide to the best mattresses of the year (with the hand tufted Saatva Classic being a notable exception.)