The most up-to-date and upgraded hotel room facilities & amenities, that will enhance your guests’ experience and increase your hotel’s additional sales

13 mins read

The global hospitality industry is constantly affected by new trends and developments. Nowadays, the “classic” room facilities have turned into a more modern, customer-friendly, personalized, and smart environment. But which are these comforts and amenities, that manage to distinguish the old and classic hotels from modern and up-to-date properties?

In addition to the classic hotel room amenities, such as room air conditioning, soundproofing, safe box, hair dryer, refrigerator/mini bar, clean towels & linens, free self-care products & toiletries, slippers, ironing services, kettle, telephone and TV, a modern hotel room, needs to incorporate the following amenities that are now necessary for a modern traveler, in order to be competitive and follow the latest trends of the tourism industry:

1.Fast Wireless Connectivity (Wi-Fi)

Photo by Emmanuel Kontokalos on Unsplash

It is a given that every hotel should provide free and fast internet access for all of its guests, either they are on a business trip or on holidays. There are several wifi-related issues that can affect customer reviews, such as:

  • The Wi-Fi has to be fast and able to work perfectly even at maximum hotel capacity when almost every single customer is connected to the network.
  • The signal must be strong in all public areas, as well as in all rooms, whether they are located on the ground floor or on the top floor of the hotel

The last thing you want is to have disappointed customers who will write bad reviews about your hotel and discourage other potential customers from visiting your hotel, because of something as simple as a bad Wi-Fi connection!

If your hotel lies within an older building with thick walls or if it has other architectural features that make it difficult for the central Internet connection to reach all areas, make sure to contact specialized companies that provide solutions for signal enhancement, even in each room separately.

2. Smart Rooms & Smart Technology

Olive Green Hotel

Smart Homes are already a big part of our lives and they are the forerunner of how our future houses will be. Following this trend, the hotel industry will soon realize the major role that personalized services combined with a modern smart room play in the overall travel behavior.

The term “Smart Room” refers to all the services that can be controlled and adjusted to each guest’s requirements through a mobile application (App) or a device that controls all of these services. More specifically, the guests can control the intensity and shade of lighting, set the preferred room temperature, schedule what and when will watch on their Smart TV, draw or close the curtains etc. Smart options open a new road that promises fresh & useful amenities for the customer!

The use of modern technology within the rooms creates an additional set of other options that are linked to the guest’s stay as well as to the hotel’s additional service sales (upselling). For example, the guests can make a reservation at the hotel’s restaurant, arrange a spa appointment, contact the reception 24/7 without having to call, order in-room service, and enjoy several other benefits that aim to satisfy their personal requirements in the most easy and direct way.

 

3. USB charger ports & universal plug in power

Modern Room

One of the most important amenities that travelers need nowadays, is USB ports for charging their various electronic devices.

The gadgets and devices we bring with us on our trips are sometimes even more than our clothes (especially when we are on a short trip)! This means that a modern hotel room can no longer have just a couple of centrally located power plugs, but, given the increased demands of technology, many sockets and USB ports for instant charging in several places — and most importantly next to the bed!

If you want your property to stand out, even more, a good idea would be to equip your rooms with universal sockets (in addition to USB ports), that will satisfy all travelers, regardless of where they come from (either from a close-by destination or from the other side of the world).

 

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4. Smart TV with Complimentary Movie Library or Netflix

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

From time to time, we have all stayed in hotels where the only thing we could watch on TV were local channels in local languages — something that automatically canceled even this very simple and classic room service.

Nowadays, Netflix and other digital platforms have become a daily habit for a big part of the world. In a few simple steps, the guests can log in their account on their room’s Smart TV and watch the rest of the movie they began watching during their flight or catch the latest episode from their favorite series before going to sleep.

Alternatively, you can provide your customers with a digital library with various categories of movies and programs, through which they can choose what they want to watch. This is a trend that gains more and more ground in hotels, and it is something that you should immediately start looking at for your property.

Make sure that the Smart TV devices you choose for your hotel will quickly and easily connect to both Android and Apple devices. By ensuring a smooth and direct connection with all types of devices, you strengthen this service even more. On the other hand, if the customer has difficulties to connect (or is not able to connect at all), then the impact will be worse than not having at all this particular service.

 

5. In-room coffee machine

Modern Room

Nespresso

It does not matter whether your hotel offers breakfast or not. In any case, offering your guests the possibility to quickly and easily enjoy a cup of quality coffee from the comfort of their room and without having to order it via room service, is something that greatly enhances their overall experience. Just by inserting a coffee capsule and pressing a button, the guests can enjoy the coffee they desire in their room, whenever they want to.

Depending on your hotel category, you should decide the number of complimentary daily coffee capsules you will provide to your customers. The most common tactic, especially in higher-end and luxury properties, defines one or two capsules per customer per day (which are supplemented daily by the housekeeping). If the customer requests more, then there is an extra charge per capsule (which, again, should not exceed a reasonable pricing policy).

6. Modern Desk with a Laptop or Tablet

Modern Room

 You might think “why would I need a desk during my holidays?” However, in addition to business trips (where a desk is a requirement), it is a fact that modern travelers need a desk even during their trips for leisure. A desk has multiple uses for the guests, such as placing their personal items or devices, supporting their laptop or tablet while browsing the web, or even going through the Room Directory for finding out what they can do in the hotel or in the surrounding area.

Moreover, with so many electronic devices and photo equipment (after all, we do live in the age of image and Instagram), there is a great number of customers who need to charge all of their equipment and upload their images to their laptops. So, the guests can leave their laptop on the desk during the uploading process, while they enjoy the hotel’s swimming pool.

A smart idea is to provide your clients with a laptop or tablet for free use, through which you can pass information about the surrounding area, such as nearby restaurants, attractions etc., as well as efficiently promote your property’s additional departments and services.

7. Music Player with wireless connection for tablets/smartphones

Modern Room

Marshall

A modern music player should not be absent from a contemporary hotel room. Easily connecting to this bluetooth device, the guests can choose and control the music they want to listen to according to their mood, just like they do with their room’s lighting and temperature.

Make sure to choose high-quality and stylish speakers that produce great sound (setting a limit to the maximum volume level, for ensuring your other guests’ comfort). In collaboration with your Interior Designer, place the speaker in a visible spot in the room, and turn this simple service into a truly luxurious experience. After all, luxury is all about comfort!

 

8. Create magic with cove lighting

Modern Room

1864 The Sea Captain’s House Hotel

Apart from Smart Lights, the study of your room lighting should definitely include cove lighting in various spots, as well as under-bed lights. This contemporary approach, in addition to the more atmospheric and relaxing mood it creates, it also gives the room a very modern and unique character, regardless of its furniture and design style.

Under-bed lights cover the need of your guests who do not sleep in complete darkness. In order to provide the maximum comfort for your clients, make sure that they can easily adjust the intensity and shade of their under-bed light, so that they feel comfortable if they need to get out of bed during the evening.

 

9. Keyless entry system with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

Modern Room

Hilton – Digital Key

Hotel key cards, after several years of global use, are finally passing to the next level. Today, classic cards are being gradually replaced by mobile phones through RFID.

In this way, the guests’ entry into their rooms becomes easier and safer, and they no longer need to be stressed about losing or deactivating their cards.

If you have specific places in your property where the entrance is allowed only to the hotel residents or only during certain times of the day (e.g. gyms, spa, etc.), then the RFID technology allows your guests to move around your hotel easier, without having to inform the reception or use multiple key cards.

 

10. Welcome Gift & Local flavor Gifts

Modern Room

The first impression in a hotel, just like most occurrences in our daily life, is of great importance. So, when your guests enter their room for the first time, you need to ensure that their first impression will be perfect, giving special attention on improving basic features such as cleanliness, smell, light, and room temperature.

A welcome gift wrapped in a nice package or served in a special way will excite your customers and make them feel special. You do not have to offer something expensive or big — for example, you can offer a cereal bar made of local products or a bottle of wine from a local vineyard.

Also, a nice welcome gift, especially when it is made of local products, can bring additional revenue to your hotel, for three reasons:

It introduces your customers to the level of your hotel’s gastronomy, convincing them to try your restaurant.

  1. It makes it more possible for the guests to ask to try again what you offered them on their arrival, or even buy it to bring it back home.
  2. A particularly nice welcome gift is very likely to be photographed and uploaded on your guests’ social media, enhancing your reputation and attracting new customers.
In addition to the welcome gift, give to your guests a handwritten welcome note, signed by the hotel manager. The personal tone and handwriting will enhance the guests’ mood, since it will make them feel that the hotel offers them a personal welcome and not a cold and distant printed message.

 

Additional amenities that are expected to dynamically evolve the industry

 Apart from all of the above, there is a range of extra amenities that many hotels have already incorporated into their operation: 

  • Providing Mobile Phones to customers during their stay, with free MB & phone calls to the hotel
  • Personalized in-room breakfast at any time of the day, evolving the hotel’s classic service into a more specialized experience, that allows guests to enjoy their breakfast in their room, without time restrictions.
  • Complimentary water on arrival, but also throughout the stay.
  • Custom Mini-Bar service, with daily products that the customer has requested via a special app.
  • Robots Room Service for the delivery of products or for procedures that are able to be completed by Robots.
  • Mirror TVs that combine a mirror with a special type of TV, and manage to decorate more spots within the rooms, such as the bathroom. This technology offers touch screens with internet access, for direct use by your guests.

Modern Room

Conclusion

It is a fact that within a modern and competitive environment, in order to achieve high levels of guest satisfaction, you need to focus on each guest’s personal needs and requirements. By offering personalized services and facilities within a modern and user-friendly technological room environment, your customers will feel completely satisfied, while you will manage to win their trust!