Travellers staying in hotels and holiday apartments are becoming more discerning, and this trend has accelerated with the pandemic. The range of accommodation on offer is immense and, apart from a reasonable price, tourists are beginning to look for a certain exclusivity. To ensure guests feel special during their hotel stay does not require a big investment; simply making a few small changes with regard to customisation and technology can make a big difference.
This article provides some ideas to improve the visitor experience by conveying an unbeatable image when responsible holidaying is on the wish list of millions of people. How should we prepare our rooms for the return of tourism? Here are 5 suggestions to add value and differentiation:
1. Security and technology
In the process of modernising tourism, many hotels have chosen to change mechanical locks for electronic ones. Electronic locks allow guests to open their rooms with a simple card or numeric code or using their own mobile phone via Bluetooth technology. In addition to ensuring the security and comfort of guests, it is one more measure to reduce contact during the pandemic.
A hotel safe is another accessory that adds value to hotel rooms and improves the guest experience. If the room already has an electronic opening system, the ideal solution is for the safe to be opened in the same way.
2. Convenience of the classic minibar
The trend of spending more time at home carries over to holiday time as well. Guests tend to spend more time in their accommodation - in their hotel rooms and less time out and about. So why not offer them the possibility of drinks and snacks from a minibar?
3. Welcome pack
Most hotels already provide their guests with little extras: toiletries in the bathroom, a pen and a small notebook on the desk, slippers to make them more comfortable ... Nowadays, it is also a good idea to offer tourists basic protective measures against coronavirus, such as a small bottle of hydroalcoholic gel that they can take out on their trips or hygienic masks to be used when they need them. They are sure to appreciate this gesture.
4. Rooms with their own identity
How about adding a touch of originality to your hotel rooms? This trend is especially useful in smaller hotels, where rooms can be customised with a wide range of themes. For example, the rooms in a mountain hotel could be named after the best-known peaks. Staying in “Pico Aneto” or “Monte Perdido” sounds a lot different to staying in room 132.
Also, inside the room something related to its name could be included; for example, a painting or a photograph of the mountain. The names of places in the region or the city can also be used, as well as topics related to literature, cinema, art, music or nature. Many hotels and rural accommodation centres have taken this trend a step further, by changing the ambience of their whole establishment, and attracting fans of a particular genre.
5. Guide to recommended places
Traditionally, hotels only offer maps to their guests but not travel guides. This is because guests can obtain this information first-hand and clarify any doubts at reception or at the travel and excursion desk. However, because of the pandemic, more and more hotels are providing tourist information in the room itself, which was already a common practice in rental holiday homes. This way, recommendations for establishments or visits in the area can be made, but guests can study them at their leisure in their own room.