What Makes a Great Hotel Room?
Anyone working in the hotel industry knows that the most effective path to success is to ensure you are exceeding your guests’ expectations in more ways than one.
One of the best ways to cater to their expectations is by ensuring the room they are staying in is not only comfortable but also includes all the amenities they are expecting… and more!
What kinds of things should be included in a hotel room?
There are millions of hotels across the world, but only some of them are truly successful. Success starts with the room itself. What should you consider when putting together a guest room to ensure that your guests will have the best stay possible?
Amenities
- TV: For many potential guests, a TV is a necessary object that should be included in the room. A satellite TV can offer your guests the greatest selection of sports, shows, and movies, thus ensuring your guests have a comfortable, relaxing experience in their room.
- Parking: While this is not a part of the room itself, most guests will come to you on their own car or a rental car, as this is often the most economical way of transportation. Since this is the case, it is important that you offer enough parking for all of your guests that is both free and easily accessible. You could also offer valet service for an extra charge, but make sure your guests have 24-hour access to their vehicles.
- Fridge: Guests looking to stay for a longer period of time may get bored eating out for every meal and may want to prepare something of their own. Others may wish to eat snacks that require refrigeration. And some guests may simply have leftovers to store. It will help all these groups if your hotel rooms include a small fridge somewhere in the room (even if it needs to be tucked away for appearances).
- WiFi: In today’s world, guests need WiFi for almost everything. Whether it be business or general web surfing, WiFi is more important than you may think. In fact, some argue that WiFi is one of the most important amenities that a hotel could include with the room. By “include,” we mean that the WiFi cost is included in the cost of a guest’s stay. Any locations that don’t include free WiFi tend to receive not just complaints but also negative reviews on social media and popular websites.
- Hairdryer: People often expect a hairdryer to be included in their room. Because they expect it to be provided, many may end up not bringing their own. While it’s an inexpensive amenity to add to your room options, they often break down and may need frequent replacing. So, you can offer a service that will bring a hairdryer to the room if it is requested by the guest.
- Clothes Iron and Ironing Board: Clothes wrinkle easily in luggage bags. One of the best ways to exceed your guests’ expectations is to offer a solution to that. By including an ironing board and clothes iron in your room, guests can easily smooth out those pesky wrinkles rather than having to struggle with some abstract, last-resort method, like using a straightening iron or wetting the clothes down and letting them airdry. Again, if you’d rather avoid this, you can offer it as a service if requested.
- Coffee Pot or Tea: Only the most sociable people enjoy getting up and meeting strangers in a common breakfast area first-thing in the morning. By providing the option of coffee in the room, guests can give themselves a chance to properly wake up before they are ready to face the world. Providing tea, a water heater, and a few cookies as well as the option to make themselves fresh coffee will offer your guests the most enjoyable experience overall.
- Air Conditioning and Heat: Do you like to sleep with your room cold, hot, or somewhere in between? Everyone has their own preferences. By offering your guests the chance to control the temperature themselves, you won’t have to worry about unsatisfactory temperatures!
- Power Outlets: Ensure each room has plenty of easily accessible power outlets so devices can be charged from just about anywhere in the room. Putting outlets near desks, chairs, beds, and on nightstands can save visitors the frustration of having to move furniture or perform acrobatics to find a place to plug in their device.
Living Space
- The Bed: The main purpose of a hotel room is to give travelers a place to sleep and shower. This is why providing your guests with a comfortable bed is one of the most essential aspects of a great hotel room. Imagine falling into a hard, small, thinly sheeted bed after a long journey versus falling into one that is large, soft, and fluffy. Which one would you rather have?
- The Bedding: While this is technically in the same category as the bed itself, bedding like fluffy pillows and hypoallergenic sheets is a wonderful way to one-up competitors.
- The Shower: There’s a lot to consider when it comes to the shower. Firstly, think about water pressure and how you can alter it in order to create a happy medium between an annoying soft trickle of water and a painful, sharp jetstream. Next is the temperature. Some people are speedy showerers, but others like to take their time. Make sure your guests can take a decent amount of time in the shower before it gets cold. Finally, consider the size. Depending on the type of room, the shower size may vary. Just remember that not everyone is a size 6!
Other Details
- white, towels are extremely appreciated by any guest you may be catering to in your establishment. Having comfortable towels available for guests, or even a bathrobe if your location is particularly high-end, is an important accommodation to include in each hotel room.
- Fog-free mirrors: It’s a small touch, but having a fog-free mirror in their hotel room bathroom is something many guests may unknowingly appreciate. It’s a lot easier to put on after-shower facial products or makeup when you can see what you’re doing!
- Provided Products: Providing your guests with cleansing products, body scrubs, or lotions is another way to ensure you are selling a great hotel room.
- Chocolate: Providing your guests with a small chocolate on their pillow or countertop is the perfect way to draw many people back to your hotel. If you want to think out of the box, try going for truffles or some other type of chocolate that isn’t your basic minty chocolate square. This is especially the case if your hotel is located in a city or town that prides itself on a local delicacy.
- Snacks: A unique method of exceeding guest expectations is to provide snacks in the room at check-in. Some locations even replenish these snacks daily. Whichever you decide to do, your guests will thank you for it.
How can you make sure your personnel is adding to the experience?
- Managers on the floor: Keep any managers out of the office and on the floor, where they can interact with guests. This way, visitors will feel they can trust your team and service. Also, by keeping someone who’s in charge visibly on the premises, other employees will be on their best behavior.
- Check-in, check-out: Making sure that everyone on the team who works at the front desk knows the quickest and easiest way to check in and check out customers while still keeping a smiling face. This will both make guests feel welcome and encourage them to trust your team. If a line forms as, for example, when a big group arrives, try having employees walk around the lobby to check guests in on their tablets, thus speeding up the process and minimizing the inconvenience.
- How things work: Each employee should know the basics of each of their coworkers’ different jobs. That way, everyone will be able to help a guest in need of assistance (or at least know who to grab for help).
What are some common facilities found in a hotel?
- Spa Areas: Most hotels provide some form of saunas, hot tubs, or massage services for their visitors. While it is up to you whether or not you charge for spa services, it is always a good idea to have them available for anyone who may be interested. You can also team up with local spas or professionals and offer discounts on their services.
- Fitness Centers: Some guests enjoy to stay active during their stay in a hotel, so think about including a gym of some kind in your building. Just like with spas, you can join forces with a local fitness center if you lack the space for a dedicated fitness center.
- Swimming Pools: Just like a spa and gym, a swimming pool is a common facility in many inns and hotels, no matter their levels of luxury. Swimming pools are great for anyone from honeymooning couples to families with kids and should be considered as an option in your building. You may also consider using only an outdoor pool, only an indoor pool, or both. You can also arrange for your guests to use a local swimming pool if you can’t have one on your premises.
- Computer Lab, library, or reading room: While this is not a common facility for many hospitality establishments, nothing says “cozy” like a welcoming armchair with plenty of books to read. A computer lab, library, or reading room is a great method of exceeding your guests’ expectations in a unique way.
- Shopping: People are known to forget things such as shampoo, headphones, razors, toothpaste, and other everyday materials and tools. By having a small space where visitors can buy these things, you are ensuring a better hotel experience.
- Meeting or Conference Rooms: If you cater to business types, you may consider adding a meeting room for your guests to use. This will help establish your hotel as a premium destination for any professionals visiting your city or town.