Hotel Bed Sizes in Europe: Single, Double, Queen and King Conversions

European hotel beds are specified in centimetres, usually 200 cm long. Common widths are 90 cm for a single, 140 cm for a small double, 160 cm for a standard double or queen, 180 cm for a king and 200 cm for a super king. Names vary by country and brand, so always specify width by length.

A US king is not the same as a European king. When an international brand standard says "king" and a European supplier quotes a 180 by 200 cm mattress, check the dimensions on both sides before you order. A mismatch of a few centimetres means returned linen and bases that do not fit.

Mattress sizes in continental Europe are metric. Length is almost always 200 cm. Widths below are as commonly listed; manufacturers round and brand standards differ.

• Single: 90 by 200 cm, with 100 and 120 cm widths also used.
• Small double: 140 by 200 cm.
• Double or queen: 160 by 200 cm.
• King: 180 by 200 cm, the most common double in northern Europe.
• Super king or extra wide: 200 by 200 cm.

UK and Irish sizes differ from continental ones: a small double is 122 by 191 cm, a double 137 by 191 cm, a king 152 by 198 cm and a super king 183 by 198 cm. If you are supplying a UK-flagged property, the linen and bases are not interchangeable with continental sizes.

A zip-and-link bed is two 90 by 200 cm single mattresses that can be joined into one 180 by 200 cm king using a zip along the side, with a linking base. It lets a hotel reconfigure a room as twin or double without changing furniture, which matters for tour groups and shared rooms.

• Specify a zipped mattress topper or cover, or the join is felt by the guest.
• Specify a linking base with a bridge between frames, not two separate bases pushed together.
• Buy king-size sheets and duvet covers, plus a spare set of single sizes for twin configuration.

Bed size drives the entire bed package: base, mattress, topper, protector, sheets and duvet. Switching a room from 160 to 180 cm width changes every one of them. Our linen par formula assumes you know how many sets of each size you need, so settle the size mix before you set par levels.

Make sure the base and mattress sizes match: a 180 cm mattress on a 160 cm base looks wrong and wears the edge. For the mattress itself, see our mattress buying guide.

A worked example shows why. A 60-room hotel with 40 king rooms and 20 zip-and-link rooms, at a par of four, needs 160 king sets. If the 20 flexible rooms might be set as twin, add single sets for them too, or you will be washing and re-making in the middle of a stay. Fix the room mix first, then buy linen.

Match the bed to the room and the market. City hotels with small rooms often use 160 cm doubles. Leisure and resort hotels commonly use 180 cm kings, with zip-and-link options for family rooms. Check the brand standard before you spec, and see the bedroom catalogue for stocked bed options.