Brentwood, TN

I'm a germ-phobe. In a standard motel room, I immediately fold up the bedspread and place it on the floor of the closet. Sheets are washed between guests, but I can't stand to think of my children under a bedspread that's only occasionally cleaned!

--->Ewwww! What's lurking in your Brentwood hotel room?

I could not believe my eyes when we checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Georgia. The ugly polyester bedspread was GONE. In its place--a light, duvet-style blanket sandwiched between THREE clean white sheets.

--->Yep, you read that right. Holiday Inn's SimplySmart bedding uses a 200-thread count fitted sheet, a long flat sheet, the duvet, and a third, decorative top sheet over the duvet. The hem of the second sheet folds over the duvet for a crisp, clean covering.

Luxury hotels have always used triple sheeting to cover blankets. Holiday Inn Express is the first economy hotel chain to use the technique.

It was the best night's sleep we've ever had in a hotel. Why? It felt like home. The synthetic duvet was light and cushy. We didn't even fight over two flat pillows--our bed came equipped with several pillows labeled FIRM or SOFT. I wasn't impressed with the SimplySmart bathroom upgrade, but the hotel bed alone made it worth our stay.

The Brentwood Holiday Inn is a nice hotel, even if it lacks my new standard of excellence. It has a decent restaurant and is within walking distance of Target, LongHorn Steakhouse, Panera Bread and Qdoba. Now, if only it will upgrade its hotel beds!

If you'd like to try a Holiday Inn Express in the Nashville area, here are the two closest locations which use SimplySmart bedding:

• Holiday Inn Express Franklin, off I-65 at the Hwy. 96 exit.
• Holiday Inn Express in downtown Nashville, on Broadway.