They say that hard mattresses and pillows are better for you. It supposedly cures back pain. Plus, back in the day, many people only had bamboo or bricks to make their beds out of so maybe the hard-bed thing just stuck over the centuries.

I think who says firm mattresses are better are the companies that make them.
If I sleep on a firm American mattress, my hips and back will be sore in the morning. A luxury comfort bed hugs your body, not a hard as brick bed.
Old beds were made feathers, woved lats,furs,. I'd sleep on a pile of straw before a pile of bricks. I wonder if room service can send up some straw?

They're not comfortable as you mentioned, my hips and ribs, well everything is sore in the morning... I bought a NICE bed so no worries sleeping at home but the beds everywhere else are more like sleeping on a boxspring...

I feel really tired if the bed is too soft.
Guess I am just used to hard bed, luckily that beds in Germany and Uganda r all as hard as in China……

When I was in Germany they were super comfortable!?! Munich, Berlin, Baden-Soellingen, Lahr, Calw, AND MORE! You were quite unlucky! or I guess lucky seeing how you like hard beds... The beds I slept on had a wool or down pillow mattress pad... Quite comfortable!

Guess that's just my luck, I always got hard bed, not matter in Hotel or in my friends homes…… In Munich and yeah, also in Austria……

I read most hotels have massage parlours,, or i order enough woman to make a nice soft bed to sleep on,, wonder what that wood cost ???