If you run or you are thinking about running your own hotel then it is absolutely essential that you avoid the trap which so many hoteliers have fallen into, which is focusing on the high-level stuff and just getting the basics all wrong.
There are some simple things that customers expect to find when they stay at a hotel, and this is where hoteliers should always be focussing before they start thinking about the bells and whistles which they may be able to add to the customer experience.
Dharmendra Rama is one of the best hotel owners in the country and his hotels are consistently well-ranked, his secret to doing this is getting the basics right and the way that he does this is by regularly carrying out research about what customers want, and staying in hotels himself to see what the others are doing, and most importantly, where they are going wrong.
Dharmendra is always surprised by the basics which most hotels get wrong, and these are what you simply must get right if you expect any chance of success.
1Bathroom
Given that there are normally just two rooms in a hotel room, it is criminal to not understand what is required in each one. This is why we have to focus on the bathroom, becasue the truth is that so many hotels get this wrong.
In particular, we are talking about the bath and the shower, which most hotels like to offer as a combined piece, and there is nothing wrong with that. What is an issue is curved baths without a flat area to stand in, and a curtain or screen which is not big enough to prevent the spillage of water con the floor.
2Pillow Options
When you put pillows in the room you should always keep in mind that people can be very particular about their pillows and as such it makes a great deal of sense for you to give them a choice.
By all means, place the firm pillows on the bed when they arrive, but make it clear that guests can also use the soft pillows which have been placed in the closet for their consideration. This is a big deal for many people which is why it is so important that hotels get it right.
3Chargers
Most people use their phones heavily, and that includes using them as an alarm clock to get up at the right time each morning. Now given that 99% of phones have a battery that rarely lasts beyond a day, it is highly likely that your guests are going to want to have charging points right next to the bed.
Make sure that you have either charging points or USB sockets so that your guests can charge whilst they sleep.
4Light Switches
I understand completely the desire which so many hotels have in terms of offering their guests a number of lighting options, depending on their mood. This is all well and good of course but not if that requires 8 different light switches which are controlling all manner of different bulbs.
Keep things as simple as possible here and if you must add a number of switches for these different light styles, then be sure that you have them labeled so that your guest won’t have to spend the first hour in your hotel figuring out what on Earth each switch is doing.
5Door Lock
Almost every hotel put electronic locks on the doors when the technology was rolled out but unfortunately we now know that these can be quite easily hacked.
In order to give guests the peace of mind that they are going to be safe inside the room, add a manual latch on the inside so that your guests can lock themselves in once they have retired for the evening.
6Noise Prevention
There is no hotel guest on the planet who will not be frustrated, in some shape or form by the noise of other guests who are staying in the hotel. nobody wants to hear a couple fighting, children playing or people watching the television and that is why it is so incredibly important for hotel owners that they make efforts to ensure that each room is soundproofed, or at least as much as they possibly can.
This is the most common complaint amongst hotel guests around the world, in spite of this, it is still something which so many hotels get wrong.
If you are able to deliver on these very basic areas of the hotel, you are going to find that you have a lot more satisfied customers. They may seem like small things, but they really do make a big difference.
