Dgosche

There is an interesting discussion going on over in travelbuzz about the relative importance of hard product vs soft product and it got me thinking about hotels the same way.

Personally, I really only care about hard product and unless the soft product is bad I'm unlikely to notice. In fact, most times I'm happy if I never speak to someone else from the hotel after check in. I'd much rather have a huge room with a great view, a very plush bed, and high quality amenities. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this debate. Selfishly, I'd also love to know if there was a hotel that blew you away with hard product even if the soft product was less than stellar.

MikeFromTokyo

If both physical plant (hard product) and service ("soft" product) are not up to standard, it's no luxury hotel in my eyes. However, exceptional service is an absolute prerequisite for an hotel to be considered a luxury hotel, no matter how nice the "hard product" may be.

scented

I'm the opposite, I value service over everything. Although many of the hotels and resorts discussed here manage to get both aspects right.

Also goes to show that so many guests have very diverse expectations, some require more attention, while others seek a hideaway and went to be left alone for the remainder of the stay. This sometimes happens in the Maldives. Resorts adapt very quickly. Amans are great at this.

The best hard product can feel very cold if the service is not there..

offerendum

Over the years I agree, bad service makes me furious....
... but not as furious as a bad hard product. So great hard product with mediocre service is better than good service with good hard product in my eyes.

MikeFromTokyo

Good point.... for me I think it depends on the situation.

I can live with an average hard product if the service is exceptional at a city hotel. And I prefer that to the other way around. Example: Four Seasons Marunouchi.

At a resort, if the location is stunningly beautiful, and I am so happy to be away from it all, I can occasionally forgive bad service. Example: Rayavadee (Krabi, Thailand). I keep coming back because I love the unreal location and its charm, in spite of its service which is average at best. The service would be unforgivable in fact at that price point... if only the location weren't so wonderful!

CappuccinoAddict

For me it's a balance, hard product is key but what really makes a hotel shine for me is the service.

For instance, a few weeks ago I stayed at the Sofitel in Munich near the Central Station. Great location and hard product (the hotel has great bedding, TWG tea and high quality coffee in-room, and Hermes toiletries), but the service was non-existent! Check-in was robotic, there was often no concierge in sight, and no one ever said hello to me or made me feel welcome. I would not stay there again. Sadly, the Mandarin Oriental is over double the price!

KatW

Yes, balance, not either/or. I need both in superlative quality.

chinmoylad

Never been, but from what I've heard, Amangiri.

MacMyDay

Kinda +1. Rooms are unimpressive, but everything else is pretty amazing.

You can throw in Aman Tokyo too.

xracer

I don't consider location to be part of 'hard product'. Maybe others think differently?

Amangiri's strong point is the location. Resort itself (what I consider hard product) is OK (especially for US) but not amazing. Service is...OK.

So, for me there are actually three components here: hard product, soft product and location.

Kagehitokiri

then why not rent huge more luxurious condo for less than luxury hotel?
aforementioned travelbuzz thread only asked re plane food/televisions

re amangiri, architecture can be separate from hard product, IMHO there too
re locations, some properties are about (private) beach (on private island)
some of us prefer properties that have nothing in common with big box hotels
some of us value what they offer a lot, as they can be fairly/completely unique

"soft product" includes how food/drinks work and quality (only option for remote)
there are limitless potential aspects of service offerings, use and value varies

uggboy

IMHO, quality of the hard product and services rendered depends a lot on the location and the style and traditions of a certain destination coupled with expectations of certain hotels/resorts and how much they charge/we're prepared to pay for a memorable overnight or longer stay.

The price/value/delivery curve is also important incl. how the hard product/service as a soft product balance/or support each other.

Overall, it's personal, it depends a lot of expectations, inclusions/exclusions in hotel/resort and in which region we travel/stay and how we want to experience a certain destination incl. "staying in/put" or "going out/being active.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

Dgosche

I've done this a few times and generally like it, though I've found the really nice places trend to be multiple bedrooms, which is a lot of wasted space for a couple of young DINKs. It does work well in places like sea island where we can get a few couples go with us.

BENLEE

They are both equally important. Only when a hotel have both can it claim to be a true luxury hotel.

Kagehitokiri

if it costs less than hotel, i dont really understand why some say too big
personally i can enjoy sizable residential style living and dining space
factors for others include things like very large bathrooms and closets

ive booked hotel residences (one inexpensive) and had empty bedrooms
one had its own private tennis court in addition to pool, grill, garage, etc
swimming pools etc usually increase in size along with bedrooms

kiawah (hotel) beachfront with pool from ~$1K, less than many hotel rooms
(nearby) sea island would be less hard product and more overall, right?

sometimes its about what the hard product is, vs the quality of it
especially as some mentioned, like in US, vs less expensive asia
or conversely, getting into things like historical in EU (good/bad)
also preferences re hard product like style, detail, function, comfort
a common complaint here is combination showers, and no bathtub