Guests at an international hotel chain may sleep more soundly after the introduction of "snore patrols" and "snore absorption rooms" at a number of sites worldwide.

Crowne Plaza is trialing the first "snore absorption" rooms at 10 hotels in Europe and the Middle East, whilst six branches in Britain have implemented "snore patrols" this month in a bid to combat noisy sleepers.

"Snore monitors" patrol corridors in the designated quiet zones of Crowne Plaza hotels in the cities of London, Leeds and Manchester. Their job is to listen out for offensive noises and knock on the door of guests who snore too loudly.

"We have quiet zones on two floors of the hotel. As Snore Monitor, I conduct floor walks to check for noise disruptions, paying particular attention to the quiet zone rooms," said Laura Simpson, Snore Monitor at Leeds Crowne Plaza hotel in northern England.

"Guests can ask to stay our quiet zone rooms if they are particularly light sleepers."

However, repeat offenders will be offered an alternative room away from the "quiet zone" for their next stay.

"If guests do continue to make noise we will suggest that the quiet zone is not really an area for them, and that they would probably be better off in one of our normal rooms," Simpson said.

Snore-proof rooms are an additional measure being tested by the hotel brand, owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Guests in a "snore absorption room" can expect the latest snore control technology to reduce the repetitive noise. Sound proofing on the walls and headboards, anti-snoring pillows and white noise machines are among the features designed to ease snoring.

"We've all been there -- lying wide awake at three o'clock in the morning burying our head under a pillow to drown out our partner's snoring," said Tom Rowntree, spokesman for Crowne Plaza.

"There's nothing worse than being kept up all night, that's why we've designed this specific snore absorption room to help give our guests a great night's sleep."

Snoring is caused by a partial blockage of the upper airway and affects four in 10 people in the United Kingdom, according to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association.

(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)