Luxury amenities and in room installations: The good ones and the bad ones
While we have talked about the big things like beds and showers, I do not think we have discussed this one before. What are the little things in the luxury hotel rooms/villas and suites that you really appreciate and the ones that you do not at all need?
My answers:
I love:
- A great coffee machine with complementary coffee
- Complimentary fresh milk for the coffee or tea instead of the powder stuff
- The big basket for laundry provided at FS resorts
- The spiral smoking thing against mosquitos outside
- Fruit, preferably a selection and refreshed every day (FS Landaa in the Maldives has the best one!!!)
- Sun loungers with a "built in shade" over the head only (more normal in Italy than in Asia)
- Great bath robes
- Duvets instead of sheets!!
- Quiet aircondition that do not blow directly at bed
- Lots of pillows in sofa and bed
What I do not need or like:
- A phone at the toilet (maybe it is for emergencies, but I would normally never even think about using the phone at this place)
- A double sheet/duvet on the bed, i.e. my husband does not like it because I end up using the whole thing myself. I prefer separate sheets, but has noticed that luxury hotel king size beds always seems to provide the double version and we need to get an extra duvet from housekeeping, often very late at night because we tend to forget before wanting to go to sleep
- Slippers and towel next to my bed
- A stricht regime with regards to where in the villa or room the different items should be placed so that I have to move back the things to my favourite places every time housekeeping has been there
- Re-organising of my toiletries in the bathroom after cleaning. I have put things the way I prefer them to be put!!
I might remember more later, but would love to hear your favorites and dislikes!
Binoculars or a telescope. That means there is probably a really good view on something.
A good bedside selection of magazines - and a hotel catalogue. No matter what hotel group, I always like to flip through them.
Lots of TV channels - can't sleep without a TV running.
Automatic TV access to central DVD library with collection of movie classics.
When it's really cold outside, a hot-water bag from turndown service (like at Huka Lodge) is a nice detail.
Interesting that Germans and Scandinavians are big fans of single duvets. While I see the benefits, it is not the most romantic solution for a holiday!
It is very romantic and nice with a double duvet before sleeping, but when sleeping I need to have one for myself, and I end up stealing the whole thing in my sleep to wrap around me.
Really high thread count sheets and thick soft towels;
No guilt trip about wanting my sheets changed every day (I am on holiday - it's one of my treats - even the FS has started asking whether they can leave the sheets on a second day and they all play the "environment" card, so I end up feeling profiligate);
Bathrooms which have drawers and cupboards so I can actually put things away rather than having to squeeze my considerable array of essential tolietries/ cosmetics on the counter (only to have these rearranged by the chamber maid - see above niggles);
Turndown actually done at the time you said you wanted it (some hotels do this really well);
Fresh flowers (mind you, my husband never notices);
Little gifts each day - usually food (when the hotel gets these right I really look forward to the daily "offering").
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tanyam99
No guilt trip about wanting my sheets changed every day (I am on holiday - it's one of my treats - even the FS has started asking whether they can leave the sheets on a second day and they all play the "environment" card, so I end up feeling profiligate).
Well said Tanyam99. I totally agree (mostly reflected in my need for many fresh towels). Good to know that not everybody is a slave of "political correctness" these days.
Good quality art. Oils instead of prints, originals are good, local artists or connection of the art to the city in which the hotel is located is best. Kudos to the Hotel Continental in Oslo - my room had two abstract/modern oils and a nice modern glass sculpture (properly spot-lighted) that looked to be of Steuben quality.
One position or location within the room where one can sit and read properly. Comfortable seating, very well-lit (use energy-saving lighting everywhere else, but not in the reading spot).
Bath sheets instead of (or even better, in addition to, bath towels). I am a big person and most robes barely fit and are constricting. When two robes are placed in the room, one should be size XL and the other size medium (a bit too big is better than a bit too small).
Dislike:
When ANYTHING that is supposed to be in the room is missing. When housekeeping signs off on the room as being ready for the incoming guest, it should be truly ready. Not only is it an annoyance to have to call down for basic items, it demonstrates that an essential hotel department is not being held to luxury standards.
Special requests not met, or even acknowledged - it demonstrates more sloppiness.
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Fascinating reading as many of the very valid points made are really just common sense practicality and not luxury or extravagance. I recently stayed at the Westin Denerau which happened to satisfy every single point on the list and subsequent posts (except for the coffee machine -- but that was provided at the breakfast buffet which was included in the room rate ... yes, high quality espresso at a Westin, for "free"). The Westin bedding really is close to luxury standard (though there is no pretense to be a luxury hotel). I suppose my point is that luxury hotels do not pay any more (or less) attention to these points of customer comfort than "less luxury" but good hotels do.
Every motel in Australia provides fresh milk -- so not just a luxury item, but being provided at the very low end. It is all to do with customer expectations, I suppose.
Rather ironically I cannot think of a single luxury hotel that would ever put a coffee machine into a room -- they all prefer that you use room service for that (or have your butler make the coffee). Recently I've been staying at Sofitel precisely because of this (they all have Nespresso machine in the room).
So what is the point of staying in a luxury hotel? There are many, but comfort and satisfaction with the room and environment is rarely one of them
So what is the point of staying in a luxury hotel? There are many, but comfort and satisfaction with the room and environment is rarely one of them
While it is true that many items mentioned should go without saying, I still disagree. To me the quality and convenience of the room is a very big factor in the luxury equation. It's to do with the amount of thought that has been put into making it not just pleasing aesthetically (and our tastes all differ after all) but also satisfying to use and just "be" in. I tend not to hang about a hotel's public spaces and I love a room that feels like a haven and that I can't wait to return to.
One big differentiator is often space - it truly is a luxury in many cities. Then there is how the space is used and that relates both to floor plan and design elements. A broom cupboard filled with overstuffed furniture, however grand, is not my idea of luxury. But a cleverly designed and decorated room of 30 sq m can feel like a palace.
My next pet peeve is lighting. IME luxury properties understand the value of appropriate lighting infinitely better than the run of the mill 5* hotel does. But too often they stumble in one area and here I agree with Non-NonRev: proper reading lights are not negotiable. And the efficacy of bedside reading lamps should never be sacrificed to the decorating scheme. The number of times I've had to jerry rig a workable reading light (by standing the bedside lamp on an upturned wastepaper basket, for example) or used my cap to keep the downlighter from blinding me, makes me think that the designers have never stayed in their rooms or they don't read.
The spaciousness of the bathroom is highly correlated with my impression of luxury. An instant disqualifier for me is a shower/tub combination. I can live without double vanities (though I do like space to set out my stuff) but standing in a bath to shower doesn't do it for me. (On the topic of housekeeping moving personal toiletries, I was charmed at a MO when I returned to my room to find all my stuff exactly where it had been on the vanity - every item in the order I had left it - but now sitting on a little MO towel.)
Appropriate bedding appeals. A thick goose down duvet in the Maldives is just silly. By all means have them available for those who want them but for most people a sheet will suffice even if they are too timid to sleep with their villa doors open to the sounds of the sea.
Like Musken I like fresh milk. Yes it is common in some countries, and certainly more common in upmarket B&B's, but I do prefer it and won't drink black tea with any powdered or long-life muck. And I like housekeeping that is observant of what you use and puts plenty of it back when they replenish! If the ginger tea is always used it probably means I like it!
I guess I agree with number_6 in one sense that most of these things are not the exclusive preserve of luxury hotels. But the room and its amenities and fittings go a long way in impressing me or turning me off a property.
- Good makeup table and good quality makeup tool supplies. Several rooms at Blantyre have really wonderful and beautiful makeup table that make me feel like a Broadway starlet or a pampered princess. Beauty tools like Q-tip, cotton balls or makeup wipes are great great extras too, especially those with good quality. Oh and I like having a full body mirror in the room too, it really makes dressing up easier.
- Bathroom that comes with steam! LOVE this feature in Palmetto Bluff's bathroom
- High quality toiletries, can either be brands like L'Occitane, Kiehl's or Molton Brown, but some hotels have their own brand and sometimes it surprises me how good they are (ex. Dunton Hot Springs)
- I do like having good slippers in the room so I don't need to bring my own
- I think a luxury hotel should include daily refreshments, mini-bar (soft drinks and water), internet access in the room rate
- Love rooms that have balcony or porch with a great view and comfy chairs
What I don't like:
- Can't think of any at this moment...but maybe bad lighting. Not everyone is on honeymoon so I think lighting in the room should be adjusted by guests
Soundproofing is important for me. It can be quite irriating knowing that you have paid USD 1000 for a room, and then have interrupted sleep due to external noise. I have stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo this week and the hotel was beautifully soundproofed. I did not hear a single guest or outside noice all week. Perfect.
Good slippers are also important for me.
I have no problems with charges on minibars. Some hotels will skimp on the minibar when it is included in the rate.
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Some that may not have mentioned here before:
A huge floor to ceiling window, preferably the full length of the room and superb views to go with it.
A PEN hotel beside remote control console
A TV that I can watch wherever I chose to sit or lie in the bedroom - not bothered about TVs and Phones in the bathroom (TV's in the bathrooms I think are a bit of a gimmick)
Decent clothes hangers that you can take off the rail and they still function as a clothes hanger (i.e. no security device on them)
Mini Bars WITHOUT automatic sensors - the automatic sensor mini bar penalise you for daring to look at the calorific content of the biscuits - so wrong.
Quality workmanship! I stayed in a hotel recently that had such a huge gap between the bathroom door and the floor that when shut I could slide my foot under the door!. Similarly, some hotels have been known to shave the doors so they can ram your morning paper underneath it - so wrong.There was talk that The Ritz in London did this in the late eighties - can anyone confirm.
Quiet plumbing - I don't want to hear the next door neighbour having a bath, shower, or worse...
Complimentary stuff (water chocolates etc.) positioned so it is obviously so - Don't clutter my desk up with bottles of wine with price tags on them.
Don't put guest questionnaires all over the room - 1 on the desk - and give me an incentive to fill it in - Some chains do, some don't - Shangri-La used to give you about $25 room credit just to fill it in - if someone is paying me 25$ to fill a questionnaire in I expect that what i write will be taken on board. Also, If I've gone to the trouble to fill one in, I expect the hotel to go to the trouble to acknowledge receipt with a personal letter, if only to say "thank-you, we're glad you enjoyed your say" - little things like that make a difference to me.
Silent or near silent air conditioning with simple instructions
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I disagree about the combo shower/tub versus separate. Because it is impossible to shave one's legs in most separate showers without winding up looking like a contortionist - and a PITA to draw a bath for that sole purpose. I have a relatively big shower at home with a small stool which I use to raise my leg - but most hotel showers are too small for something like that. Obviously - most men don't have this problem .
Someone mentioned the problem of finding an XL robe - and other people have mentioned slippers. I am 5'0" and wear a size 5 shoe. So most hotel robes and slippers are too big for me (except in Japan). Perhaps luxury hotel chains could have 3 different sizes - and those one frequents could make a note of your particular preferences.
I want a TV system where I can go immediately to the free channels (usually to watch the news/weather) - and not have to go through an extensive menu system.
I must have a coffee maker. I wake up early - my husband wakes up later - and I want my morning coffee before I get the sleep out of my eyes. I don't look too bad in the morning - but I have no desire to see strangers delivering room service. FWIW - I prefer non-dairy creamer. A luxury hotel should provide both dairy and non-dairy.
Duvets versus sheets. Think this depends on what you're used to at home. In my case - it's duvets - tropical weight in the summer (I buy them on line from a place called the Company Store - they're perfect for Florida summers) - light weight in the winter. If I try to deal with top sheets - bottom sheets - etc. - by the time I'm comfortable - the bed is a mess. I think more than 4 pillows on a king bed is a waste (I wind up throwing them on the floor).
Unlike other people - I like a TV and a phone in the bathroom.
I like a combination of hangers - including the padded kind where I can hang up knits/sweaters and not have little stretch marks on them when I remove them from the hangers. Many hotels have the padded kind - but many also put little pins in them for reasons I don't understand. So the stretch marks wind up at the top of your shoulder line.
I would love to see half-full mini bars - so - when I am staying in a hotel for a week - I can put some personalized goodies in without rearranging the whole mini-bar.
Good plumbing. Quality workmanship. Goes without saying. We stayed at the RC New Orleans when it first opened - and you couldn't pull up the sink stopper because the shelf above the sink was too low. Didn't bother me - but my husband had a heck of a time shaving.
Don't much care about free stuff one way or the other. Especially considering today's discounting at luxury hotels. It's not essential - but nice when it comes. Just don't put out some fruit when I'm staying for a week - never refresh the plate - and let the stuff I don't eat rot during my stay. Best freebie stuff I've seen in recent years was at the MO in Munich just after it opened and at FS Paris. New delicious goodies every evening. Best fruit was at FS Los Angeles/Beverly Hills (but California is of course the home of great fruit and people who are weight conscious). Similar thoughts about flowers. Won't miss it if it isn't there. But if you're going to do it - do it right.
Regarding feedback requests - I've always found them to be discreet. And either my husband or I usually answer them. We don't expect to get anything in return. We are frequent stayers at FS properties - and figure that since they're usually terrific with us - we'll try to help them in terms of feedback concerning what is right or wrong.
Toiletries - there's a separate thread on that with dozens/hundreds of postings. Enough said.
More space. I like space. Sometimes it's inexpensive - sometimes it costs a fortune (major metro areas in world class cities tend to charge a lot for it). But I like it (although there is a limit on what I'm willing to pay for it). Decent reading area/lighting may or may not be necessary depending on length of stay.
My husband likes a decent fitness facility. He uses a recumbent bike. If he doesn't find one - he's not a happy camper. Sometimes he swims if the hotel has a decent pool. In which case he likes to have a "salad spinner" that dries out his swim trunks.
While he is at the fitness facility - I want my morning papers. The greater the choice - the better (although I usually stick with the WSJ and the local paper - assuming the local paper is written in English).
One thing no one has mentioned is outlets for your computer and other electronic junk. I want a desk area where I don't have to fumble around on the floor to find plugs and/or internet connections. Where I have multiple outlets for camera battery chargers - phone chargers and the like. Best 2 setups I have ever seen were at MO Munich and FS Marunouchi. Plug and play without once having to get off my desk chair. I also want a good wired internet provider (wireless usually not being very secure). I hate Wayport (common FS provider) - and hope never to see it again. Robyn
It's interesting that several of the items mentioned by robyng are proactively addressed by several near-luxury properties (4* to 4.5*).
The Solamar in San Diego provies three robes of different size and texture (plush and also waffle-weave). Most Omni hotels provide morning coffee/tea service, left on a tray at the door (the guest specifies delivery time via a hang-tag).
And several near-lux properties do provide proper electrical outlets (at the Hyatt Churchill in London, outlets for UK, US, and European plugs are installed next to the desk, aligned to the desk surface so that the guest does not need to crawl on the floor to use the outlet.
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The number of times I've had to jerry rig a workable reading light (by standing the bedside lamp on an upturned wastepaper basket, for example) or used my cap to keep the downlighter from blinding me, makes me think that the designers have never stayed in their rooms or they don't read. 
