Welcoming Guests with Space

In 2018, Rick Steves, a prolific travel writer, posted a video clip titled "Hotel Pet Peeve: So Many Pillows!" He counted a total of 13 pillows on his bed.

Pillows may be functional, but which guest needs that many? In the first place, are they even clean? Rick Steves probably was not the only one who tossed those extra pillows onto the floor.

Moving forward a few years to late 2024, what greeted me at the desk of a five-star property was this: a collection of documents comprising in-room dining menu, no-smoking notification, sustainability message, etc.

Where to place my tablet, computer, charger and book?

The above anecdotes are not isolated incidents. Walk into the bathroom and there is a chance that the counter is occupied by an amenity tray plus a stack of face and hand towels. They need to be moved aside before guests can lay out their own toiletries.

As pointed out by Ingrid Pope who wrote "Uncluttered: How to create space to think, work and live", having things is not an issue in itself; it is having too many things that may be a problem.

Private Space in a Hotel Room

The hotel room is a guest's private space. Beyond just a place for sleep, the room affects physical relaxation and emotional well-being, impacting the guest's mood and overall travel experience.

The room is perhaps the main (or only) sanctuary that travellers can rely on for comfort and security. Studies have cast light on how guests perceive hotel rooms as their second homes during their travels.

Armed with this knowledge, hotels have dynamically configured offerings to let guests feel at "home", such as through the range of pillow options. Hotels also pay attention to the various aspects of room design — layout, decoration, furniture, lighting, and hi-tech facilities.

But what about the purposeful design of private space?

It was established in studies that optimised private space can positively influence guest satisfaction. If the hotel room is meant to be a haven, then the space ought to allow the building of guests' own intimate spheres.

Upon check-in, guests need to arrange their personal items to initiate a bond between the hotel room and re-construct a sense of "home". The placement of familiar items is a symbolic act of rooting in a new place through personalisation. Research findings have indicated that such a ritual provides guests with that temporary but exclusive sense of ownership of the space — which can heighten enjoyment.

However, when a hotel room is filled with many well-intended but unwanted items, it can send a message that there is no room for guests' personal possessions — which then becomes a hindrance to that creation of "home away from home".

Psychological Ownership

It was found that users can have perceptions of ownership even for items that they do not legally own, including public lakes and parks. This perception can increase the level of loyalty towards the object. For the hotel sector, the sense of psychological ownership of a room can impact guest attitude towards the brand.

When researchers examined written reviews, they discovered the usage of first-person possessive pronouns by guests. Examples are "my room" and "our room". This language use underscores the psychological ownership perception during a hotel stay.

Clutter Reduction

Room design can cultivate psychological ownership by respecting empty space. In fact, “quiet luxury” can be attained by giving guests more visual breather and mental break. 

To clarify: this minimalistic approach is not about having the least amount of decoration or amenities. Rather, it is about eliminating unwanted things and visual noise to compose a sense of order. It involves the reclamation of some more private space. 

A few simple possibilities are as follows: 

• Remove the redundant cushions and pillows. (Rick Steves will be thankful)
• Display important information on user-friendly digital screen instead of spreading half a dozen notices on the desk. (This author will be grateful)
• Take away more pillows (?!) and blankets from the wardrobe shelves. 
• Place hand and face towels in wall-mounted holder above bathroom countertop (that may get wet).

Research suggests that even minor adjustments in the design of guest experience can significantly help enhance satisfaction. Thus, it is beneficial to augment any small amount of private space for guests. 

Concluding Remark 

When travellers choose to stay (again) at a hotel, the decision is not limited to cognitive attributes (e.g., price and service quality). The consideration factors include affective (e.g., comfortable feeling) and sensory features.

That psychological ownership of a space that is supposed to be ‘home away from home’ has a role in that choice-making.