How Can Hotel Amenities Help Increase Customer Satisfaction
Do you wish to make your hotel stand out in the eyes of potential guests? If so, incorporating smart and sophisticated hotel amenities are an easy and impactful way to gain a competitive edge.
But what amenities and services can help you improve your guest experience?
Nowadays, it is easy to get overwhelmed when trying new things to set your hotel business apart from competitors. It is because the global hospitality sector is constantly evolving with new developments and trends.
Let's find out what hotel amenities are, how they can improve your guests' experience at your hotels and which popular and effective ones to include.
What Are Hotel Room Amenities?
The premiums or extras that hotels offer to their customers are known as hotel amenities. Typically, there is a fee or expense involved with using on-property amenities.
Beyond the essentials of a hotel room, bathroom, and a neat, secure environment, anything can be considered an amenity. For instance, the following is present in a standard hotel room:
- Smart TV
- Minibar
- Cupboard with hangers
- Stationeries
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Safety box
- Study table and chair
- Coffee table
The toiletries, minibar, and stationery items are a few of the hotel room amenities that guests can use or consume. The rest, however, is only theirs to use and cannot be taken.
That’s basically two different types of hotel amenities, which can be categorized as complementary and paid services.
In fact, there are several other categories, for instance, luxurious amenities, which include spas, golf courses, theater rooms, or private pools in suites.
Moreover, you can include some unique hotel amenities such as welcome and parting souvenirs, fruit baskets in rooms, cookies or chocolates hidden under pillows, books to read in rooms, etc.
Importance of Hotel Amenities
A guest's experience at a hotel can be enhanced or ruined by its hotel amenities. It can also influence whether they choose to book a reservation with you in the first place or write positive reviews after their stay.
Free Wi-Fi or a complementary breakfast could be important factors to consider when choosing a hotel. However, specific hotel amenities are vital for business travelers who prioritize comfort and efficiency.
Additionally, travelers are aware that there are millions of hotels out there with modern and luxe amenities and that if they don’t like one, they can simply choose another.
In light of this, it's crucial to choose wisely when installing amenities in your hotel rooms or other areas of your property. You also have to determine which amenities are chargeable and which ones are free or add-ons.
What Hotel Room Amenities Should You Include to Improve the Guest Experience?
Offering special, essential, and luxe hotel amenities is a great way to ensure that your guests are relaxed and well-cared for during their stay at your hotel.
However, carefully choosing your amenities is crucial, keeping in mind your business's financial state and capacity to operate profitably.
You can also improve your property's chances of showing up higher in search results or on booking websites by offering accurate and engaging content about your hotel amenities in your OTA listings.
The following amenities were once the major appeal for hotels, but now they come as standard. Simply put, when customers stay at a hotel, they expect the following amenities to be conveniently accessible and free of charge:
- Personal care items such as a hairbrush, body lotion, shaving cream, razor, shower cap, hair dryer, etc.
- Toiletries such as soaps, shampoos, facewashes, etc.
- Coffee kit including a coffee maker, coffee, and creamer
- Bathrobes and slippers
- Tissue box
However, if you want to gain a competitive edge, consider providing the following hotel guest services as well:
1. Free Wi-Fi access
Free WiFi is rapidly becoming an essential amenity similar to toiletries or stationaries: visitors expect it but don't wish to pay for it. The lack of free WiFi could be a deal-breaker for some visitors.
If you want to go the extra mile, allow visitors to watch their favorite television shows on your hotel's TVs using online streaming services such as Netflix.
2. Complimentary breakfast
Guests want to save money while still having the comfort of either preparing their breakfast or eating it just steps away from their hotel room. Offering complimentary breakfast is one of the best hotel amenities and is a great way to entice potential guests to book with you.
3. Multiple pillow options
By making feather, foam, and hypoallergenic pillows available, you can make your hotel seem more like a home because many visitors have sensitivities or specific preferences for particular types of pillows.
4. Premium coffee
Replace the cheap non-brand sachets of coffee with freshly ground beans from a local roaster or provide a fancy espresso machine to upgrade your in-room services.
Consider installing a machine in the lobby that can make cappuccinos and lattes if upgrading the in-room coffee services isn't viable for your business.
5. Fitness center or gym
Guests these days don't want to sacrifice their workout regimen even while traveling. Customers will value discounted rates or free gym classes at a local fitness center even if your property doesn't have its own gym.
6. Mobile check-in facility
Although there’s a lot of talk about hotel technology and sustainability in the hospitality sector, these innovations go beyond the guestroom. Additionally, you can make your front desk more eco-friendly and speed up the check-in process.
7. In-room cocktail station
We've already mentioned how premium coffee can make a major impact on customer experience, but a customized cocktail station is another way to improve your in-room beverage service.
8. Turndown dessert
A piece of chocolate placed on or under the pillow during turndown service is a nice option, but you can also give your turndown treat a unique touch.
Partnering with a local chocolatier to either create an exclusive flavor or incorporate your branding is a great way to enhance your turndown treat.
9. Relaxing items
When visitors are in a hotel room, they want to relax after an exhausting day of meetings, a long flight or the inconvenience of jet lag, or both. Here you can offer them something special that can help them unwind.
Consider the elements of a spa that you enjoy the most: soothing music, delightful aromas, and perhaps even a massage. Consider how you can create a spa-like atmosphere in your guest rooms.
Soothing eye pillows, scent diffusers, and white noise machines are affordable options and easy to install. Therefore, including relaxation equipment in your room's amenities is not a difficult job.
10. VIP shopping at local businesses
When they stay at your hotel, do visitors shop locally or eat at nearby restaurants? If they do, they'll undoubtedly value a small discount or some goodies.
It's not necessary for you to take on this endeavor by yourself. A local coupon book that offers discounts at local shops, free fitness classes, and restaurant specials can be made in collaboration with neighborhood businesses.
This collaboration is a win-win for your guests, your hotel business, and the other local business partners involved.
Final Words
That wraps up our list of hotel amenities (from simple to sophisticated) that you should consider right now.
Your guests will be delighted and satisfied, and you will have earned their trust if you provide tailored services and amenities within a sophisticated, guest-friendly technological room environment.
With a little more planning, you can add amenities that offer unique local experiences, practical functionality, and individuality that will entice visitors to book again with you.
AxisRooms Editorial Desk
AxisRooms, a software suite provider for the hospitality industry, is committed to aiding your business growth, not just with our state-of-the-art products and services, but also with the latest updates from the travel and hospitality industry. Got something to say? Write to us at: [email protected]
