When blankets and tape become your bedroom wall
After a long day, every soldier wants the same thing: a place to rest where nobody is watching. In Vlissingen, that place did not exist for the 440 US military personnel who stayed there for 45 days. The teams slept together in a large open hall, so they got creative. They hung blankets and taped them up to create a bit of privacy around their beds.
It said a lot about the people involved. They made it work with what they had. It also told us something was missing. Rest is not a luxury for teams on a mission, it is part of being ready the next day. We knew we could do better.
Bringing privacy and comfort back to the night
Commissioned by Verbrugge, we introduced beds with privacy screens. Each person got a sleeping space of their own, closed off from the rest of the hall. The improvised walls came down and something more permanent took their place.
The change is simple but it matters. When people have their own space, they sleep better and feel more at ease. Comfort and privacy improved at the same time. It worked so well that we returned to Vlissingen several times between 2021 and 2024.
Heating a small space instead of an entire hall
There was a second problem. To keep the teams warm, the military was heating the whole hall. That is a lot of air to warm up, and the costs kept rising.
We suggested placing our Bed-Stay Hostel solution inside the hall. The soldiers slept in tents fitted with Bed-Stay bunk beds. Instead of heating the entire building, only the tents needed to be kept warm. The result was a reduction in heating costs of 80%.
Safe isolation during Covid-19
During the pandemic, the hostel solution took on another role. We used it to isolate soldiers who tested positive. They had a safe and private space to recover, separated from their colleagues, without the need for a separate building.
Testing a complete setup outdoors
We also ran a test to host the military outside. This was a complete setup with private rooms, storage, drying racks and heating. It showed that the same system works just as well in the open as it does inside a hall.
From a pandemic solution to a long-term partnership
What started during the pandemic has grown into an ongoing partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Defence. Every project teaches us more about what teams in the field really need at night.
You focus on the mission, we handle the rest
Bed-Stay takes care of setup, breakdown and all the logistics. Your team does not have to think about where everyone will sleep or how to keep the space warm. They can focus on the mission. Read more about our sleeping solutions for the army.
Changing the world of temporary sleeping, one night at a time.
Are you looking for private, energy-saving sleeping spaces for your team? Get in touch and we will look at what fits your situation. Would you rather see it first? Visit our Experience Center in Spijk.
