Here's my candid feedback for hotel management companies to consider when designing and operating hotels. I often wonder what process hotel designers use to understand how the guest is likely to experience the room before they create hundreds or thousands of that very room.
1) Bedside outlets: When I tuck myself in at night, I still spend time catching up on back-logged emails. I also use the alarm on my smart phone in lieu of the less familiar hotel room alarm clock. I'd love at least two outlets that are easily reachable from the bed. A wall outlet behind the bed doesn't count, unless you want the next item of the list to become a more frequent issue...
2) Cleaning those hard to reach places: The last thing I want to see when you force me to contort my arm to reach an outlet behind the bed is to see various food and grime stuck on the floor back there. Housekeeping needs to keep a list of those hard to reach areas that might not be immediately visible when doing a quick scan of the room and then make sure they are cleaned at least weekly. I've encountered old gum drops, band-aids, tissues, and dust behind the bed when searching for outlets.
3) Make ironing less of an ordeal: Unpacking and ironing is never a fun part of arriving at a hotel. It's even less fun though when the in-room iron has a water chamber that's nearly impossible to maneuver under the bathroom faucet. Is it too much to ask to leave a small pitcher with the iron to avoid water-logging the iron's circuitry?
4) Minimize hallway noise: I totally understand that you can't always keep off a guest floor that happens to be filled with prom-goers or a high school field trip. However, the guest room doors should be a bit more effective at preventing guests from hearing the slightest pin drop from outside the room. Is there really a need for the 3/4" gap between the bottom of the door and the floor?
5) Keep the shampoo in the shower: Most people I know most frequently use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash while in the tub or shower. I'd rather not begin to enjoy my hot shower and then realize I have to walk across the bathroom in the cold to grab the shower-related toiletries that have been neatly displayed next to the sink. Hilton Hotels are frequent offenders in this category.
6) Eliminate resort fees: If every guest is forced to pay the resort fee whether they use the gym, pool, newspapers or not, there's no reason other than trickery that it should not be included in the rate. Baggage fees from airlines are an optional charge based on behavior. Resort fees are mandatory charges and should be embedded in the published rate for comparisons. If it is in fact going to be a separate charge, guests should be able to opt-out of the services that the resort fee theoretically covers.
What are your top concerns about your hotel stays?
To be continued...
