If you are a traveller, you have some expectations regarding hotel amenities. Certain offerings are certain offerings that are non - negotiable and specific offerings that may or may not be essential to your experience. The guests choose hotel amenities that are most valuable to them.
For example, you need a private bathroom, but you can do without a TV. The same goes for several other hotel guests, whom hoteliers cater to.
As a hotelier, you need to choose hotel amenities that are essential. One also needs to choose which ones can be incorporated or not, based on other factors. These play a key role in shaping the overall guest experience. We are here to help you choose the best amenities for your hotel.
What Are Hotel Amenities?
The facilities that the hotel provides for their guests for enriching their hospitality experience are known as amenities for hotels. It includes several offerings such as a cupboard, private bathroom, beds, Television, Wifi Connection, towels, toiletries and more.
Some hotels may have additional amenities such as Jacuzzi, smart TV, and even a private pool. However, these offerings depend on various other factors such as requirements, budget the brand image the hotel wants to showcase to the customer. You need to choose hotel amenities accordingly.
There are two types of hotel amenities - room amenities and general amenities. Room amenities are those that are available in the room and hence, impact the immediate stay experience of the customer. These included towels, toiletries, private bathrooms, in-room Wifi and many others.
General amenities are those that are located in other parts of the hotel and are for general guest use, eg swimming pool, spa and in-house restaurant.
How To Choose Hotel Amenities? Here Are 6 Factors To Consider!
Choosing hotel amenities can be one of the most challenging tasks for a hotelier. For your hotel business to be a success, you need to have the right combination of amenities to deliver the best guest experience.
When you consider the various amenities for hotels, you need to consider these 6 factors before you make a choice!
1. Guest Segment
Before you choose hotel amenities, you need to know your guests. If you start taking decisions for your hotel business without understanding your target audience, disappointment is guaranteed.
In terms of segmentation, there are types of hotels - general and segment specific. General hotels cater to guests visiting the area in general. They have general amenities and they aim to provide a comfortable stay for guests across segments. Many hotels offer conference rooms, swimming pools, and spas; these amenities are useful for most guests.
Segment-specific hotels on the hotel hand deal with specific guest segments such as business travellers, budget travellers or family travellers. Some also cater to guests based on experiences such as adventure resorts, wellness retreats or boutique hotels.
You need to choose hotel amenities after understanding your guest segment. For business travellers, a conference room, good Wifi and pick-up and drop facilities are essential. You can offer some relaxation options as well such as a pool and spa.
If you are a budget hostel, catering to youths, you have to prioritize price over amenities. Offer them a well-designed common area where they can relax, over some frills.
2. Guest Preferences
A hotelier should choose amenities for hotels that are demanded by the guests. For example, unless the guest is a super budget traveller, they want their private bathroom and are willing to pay the money for it.
Wifi has become a non - negotiable, given its importance for work and leisure. Other amenities such as a swimming pool are popular with guests, but they are not that essential for most guests. Reputation management services and software can help you help understand what the guests want and help you choose hotel amenities accordingly.
3. Hotel Budget
Now let's come to the ‘b-word’. The budget determines the direction and choices of your business. As a hotelier, you may want to do a lot of things, but the budget is a constraint that one has to deal with. The Covid pandemic has certainly affected the revenues of the hotel they are now streamlining their operations to stay in business. Hotels need to choose hotel amenities considering these factors.
Your hotel amenities should justify your budget. For example, if you are a budget hotel, there is no point in keeping a separate luxury spa. However, if budget permits, you can keep a simple jacuzzi to offer a relaxing experience.
For hostel accommodations like the Zostel chain, keeping things simple yet delightful saves on cost and also offers a budget experience to the guests. Other hotel amenities like a swimming pool can be pricey as well and you need to be a cost-benefit analysis.
4. Your Property Type
Hoteliers need to choose hotel amenities that justify their property type. If you are a luxury hotel, you will need to provide high-class amenities to justify your room rates. If you are a resort in Goa, you will need to have a swimming pool, for your property to gel with the location ambience.
Based on your property type, you need to select different amenities for your hotel. For example, if you are catering to corporate guests, you need to make all the amenities in place to make their business trips easier.
5. Availability Of Amenities
You need to choose hotel amenities that are easily available and that can be offered to the guests consistently. Hoteliers should partner up with suppliers that offer consistent supplies. Many hotels have the mistake of choosing supplies that may be unique and attractive, but due to lack of economics of scale, cannot be produced consistently and supplied regularly. This adversely impacts the reputation of the hotel.
6. Future Demand
Hotel trends come and go. You, as a hotelier, need to decide whether or not these trends are long-lasting. Some hotel trends come and go based on a popular fad. For example, Dalgona Coffee was popular during Covid, so a hotel decides to dedicate a separate counter for it in the restaurant.
This sounds like a great idea, and it works, since many guests, immediately after the lockdowns, find it interesting to experience a drink they loved during the lockdown, at a hotel. However, after a while, the trend dies a sudden death. How you look like a fool for having a separate counter for a drink that was merely a trend. You invested money and now it is not giving the returns. That's why hotels have to be careful while choosing hotel amenities.
A better idea would have been to convert an existing counter into a Dalgona coffee counter. The hotelier would have saved money and also changed the counter to offer new drinks and offerings.
With these tips in mind, you will be able to choose hotel amenities wisely and strategically. Your hotel needs to make the right combination of these to deliver the best service. Read our blogs to know more about the hospitality industry.
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