Only those who have experienced this will understand

The Purpose of a Strip of Fabric on Hotel Beds
At first glance, it may seem like a brightly colored strip of fabric is useless, and guests often remove it for comfort.

Most hotel beds around the world, in addition to providing a full set of blankets, sheets, and pillows, have a dark piece of fabric (called a runner) about two feet wide placed across the bed.

Many people use a runner for the following 4 purposes.