No matter your role at a property, Canary offers solutions
to your day-to-day challenges.
Canary enables you to easily create digital guest experiences as unique as your property.
No matter your role at a property, Canary offers solutions
to your day-to-day challenges.
Canary enables you to easily create digital guest experiences as unique as your property.
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What comes to your mind when you think of hotel amenities?
The most common answers are probably little bottles of toiletries, an in-room coffee station, slippers and a bathrobe.
While guests expect these and similar items in their rooms, just offering basic amenities isn’t enough to make your hotel stand out.
But if you can go above and beyond with your amenities, travelers will love you for it. And they’ll tell their friends and social media followers about it.
So let’s look at how you can make that happen…
First, let’s quickly explore what hotel amenities are. The term covers services or add-ons guests can enjoy during their stay at no extra cost. Their goal is to make the travelers’ stay more fun, enjoyable and memorable.
In-room amenities include items like toiletries, a hairdryer, stationery, Wi-Fi, etc. In-house amenities refer to offers such as a pool and gym, direct beach access, or a rooftop terrace for example.
The quality and quantity of amenities you offer depend on the type of property you run and which audience you want to attract. For instance, generic toiletries will work at a three-star hotel. But guests at a five-star resort will expect name-brand products.
It’s easy: they can have a significant impact on the guest experience. In many cases, travelers expect basic amenities and not having them could put a damper on their time with you.
Invest in high-quality amenities to impress guests and make them feel valued. Well-thought-out options fulfill needs and show that you care about making the stay as smooth and special as possible.
Go a step further and come up with some special, unique add-ons to truly wow your guests. This increases your chances of a repeat booking and gives them something cool to tell others about. That can translate to positive word of mouth, raving reviews and favorable social media mentions.
Since most travelers expect basic hotel amenities, it’s time to think of something new if you want to impress them with your extras.
You’ll find the latest trends listed below for some inspiration.
Our industry is moving away from cookie-cutter experiences and towards more personalized offers. Data from McKinsey reveals that 71% of customers want businesses to provide more personalized experiences.
Your amenities should reflect this trend. One way to do that is to create welcome amenities and in-room services based on guest preferences.
Instead of gifting the standard bottle of wine or fruit platter, provide something more customized such as:
For this to work, record guest preferences in their profiles and communicate the information between front office, room service and housekeeping.
People are increasingly decking out their homes with the latest tech. That includes using smart and voice-controlled devices. According to Statista, there are already over 63 million smart homes across the United States alone.
Provide smart technology or the chance for guests to connect their own devices at your hotel to allow them to recreate their home atmosphere while on the road.
Some tech-driven services your guests will enjoy:
An Ipsos survey found that 62% of Americans focus more on their health and wellbeing now than before the pandemic. Today, many of them look more closely at what they eat, are more serious about exercising and improving their overall lifestyle.
These three amenities will help you score big with your health-conscious guests:
According to Booking.com’s Sustainable Travel Report 2023 76% of travelers say they want to choose eco-friendlier options this year. One way for guests to minimize their trip’s carbon footprint is to book hotels with strong green initiatives.
Make your property the obvious choice by ticking these three boxes:
Let your guests know you’re working on these points and are committed to doing better. That’ll help you attract more eco-conscious travelers. On top of that, many of these green initiatives will save you money in the long term.
Now that we’ve looked at general amenities, let’s zoom in on your guest’s experience. How can you make it extra special with signature hotel amenities?
Here are some novel ideas to play around with.
VR and AR technology are developing rapidly, constantly offering new ways to interact with your surroundings and virtual worlds.
There are two main ways you can use these new tech options:
Just like hotels, restaurants need to find new ways to stand out and attract guests. So why not try something new in your F&B department?
Do you have venues that set you apart from the compset? Leverage them to create memorable experiences for your guests!
Don’t have a rooftop bar or terrace? Consider revamping and using some of your smaller function spaces for such events and activities.
A survey by Morgan Stanley found that overall business travel budgets are back up to 98% of 2019 levels. On top of this recovery, many people still have the option to work remotely at least part of the time. That means you can expect solid demand from both business and bleisure guests.
Cater to this important market segment with top-notch business amenities:
Nothing ever stands still in hospitality, so customer expectations will continue to evolve. At the same time, technology will create ever new opportunities for hotels. Keep an eye on these developments, so you can always provide the cutting-edge services your guests expect.
To get you started, here are a few amenities that are becoming more relevant.
AI offers many new use cases that our industry still needs to explore. One way to use it is via AI-powered virtual assistants in rooms. Guests can interact with them and get personalized recommendations based on their questions, previous behavior and demographic.
Thanks to AI, these recommendations will not be static. Over time, these AI assistants will become more sophisticated and learn to adapt suggestions based on the hotel’s service offers and guest responses.
This topic will only gain importance, so it’s essential to keep stepping up your efforts. With many cities and countries aiming to go carbon neutral, businesses are encouraged to do the same. What would it take for your hotel to become carbon neutral? Or to go completely zero-waste? Another option would be to shift entirely to renewable energy sources or use only green building materials in future renovations.
All are big commitments that take elaborate planning. But they pay off in many ways. First, you save money after your initial investments. Second, you’ll be able to boost revenues since eco-conscious travelers are often willing to pay a premium. And finally, you build a reputation as an environmentally conscious business and attract more travelers who share this value.
We already discussed how travelers want to keep up healthy habits while they’re away from home. But even here, there’s a trend towards expecting increasingly personalized options.
Here are four ways to offer guests more tailored health and wellness services:
While the demands in our industry are always changing, a hotel’s goal remains the same: to attract and wow guests with outstanding service and amenities.
The best way to achieve this goal now and in the future is to listen to your guests, act on their feedback and monitor general industry trends.
What are people asking for more often? What are they sharing on social media? And which of these things could you offer at your hotel?
Try new amenities regularly to keep your offering fun, exciting and engaging for your guests. That gives you the best chance to stay relevant and continuously draw in the right travelers.
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