For those of us who aren't great sleepers to begin with, unfamiliar settings (i.e. hotel rooms)—not to mention a time change—can wipe out any chance at a good night's sleep. So I was interested to note that some hotels have recently started getting a more serious about sleep-related amenities (beyond pillow menus)—I'm guessing in light of our unsettling times keeping a lot of people up at night. Behold Sleep School at four AKA hotels in Manhattan.

AKA is a new group of upscale, extended-stay hotels with locations in several U.S. cities. In addition to setting up painting classes, wine tastings, and even trapeze lessons, they recently rolled out Sleep School for guests staying at any of the four NYC properties. To create the program, which is meant to ensure guests sleep well at the hotels but also after they return home, AKA partnered with the New York University School of Medicine Sleep Disorders Center and the New York Sleep Institute. Free of charge, the hotel will equip a room with light boxes, black-out drapes, and light-sensitive alarm clocks, and invite guests to attend free Sleep School seminars, which address topics such as pre-bedtime routines, sleep myths, tips on how to combat sleep apnea and more. For an additional cost, experts from NYU and NYSI will make house calls to AKA guests’ suites to assess individual sleeping patterns and make recommendations, and if necessary, arrange further evaluation at their respective facilities.All in all, it seems like a pretty legit program. I don’t have anything against pillow menus—or aromatherapy or sleep CDs—but it’s neat to see a hotel tackle this issue in a real way, with (mostly) complimentary amenities.