In a hotel, a bed has two jobs: to give the guest a good night’s sleep and to comply with fire-prevention rules. The two are often handled separately, and the result is mattresses that are certified but uncomfortable, or comfortable but non-compliant. You do not have to choose.
This guide sets out what to ask a supplier. It does not replace your property’s fire-safety design: the level required in your case is set by the engineer who signs it off.
What “class 1 IM” means
In Italy, the reaction to fire of upholstered furniture, mattresses included, is classified under DM 26 giugno 1984. The classes run from 1 IM, the best, to 3 IM. The letters IM stand for imbottito, “upholstered”.
Class 1 IM is the one you will meet most often in specifications for hotels and residences, because the technical fire-prevention rules for hospitality premises demand high performance from mattresses, upholstered furniture and curtains.
It is the whole that is certified, not a single material
This is the point that causes the most trouble. The class does not refer to the filling alone, but to the finished product: cover, fillings and structure tested together.
Two practical consequences:
- changing the cover to a fabric other than the one tested can void the classification;
- a topper or mattress protector added later must be assessed as well.
That is why it pays to choose mattress, topper and covers within the same project, with a supplier who knows the certified composition.
The documents to ask for
For every supply of classified materials you need:
- the homologation certificate for the product, issued by the Italian Ministry of the Interior;
- the declaration of conformity from the manufacturer or supplier, referring to the batch delivered.
These are the documents your engineer attaches to the file and that a fire brigade (Vigili del Fuoco) inspection may ask to see. Keep them together with the invoices.
European standards
On international projects you will also come across the European standards on mattress ignitability, EN 597-1 (smouldering cigarette) and EN 597-2 (match-flame equivalent), as well as requirements specific to certain countries, such as the United Kingdom. They are not equivalent to the Italian class: for a property in Italy, the Italian classification is what counts.
Fire-retardant and comfortable
Many high-end brands have a contract line designed for hotels, using the same construction techniques as their residential collections and carrying the required certifications. Hypnos, for example, has supplied luxury hotels for decades.
What matters for a hotel is that guests sleep as they do at home. A guest who sleeps well looks up the make of the bed, and often comes back.
Not just the mattress
Upholstered headboards, armchairs and curtains also have reaction-to-fire requirements. The advantage of a single supplier is that mattress, headboard and curtains are conceived in the same project, with the paperwork in order for everything.
This is the work we do in contract for hospitality. If you are a designer or architect, you will find our reserved terms in the trade programme.
