When a guest walks into a hotel room, she might be wowed by the decor. She might be impressed by the flat-screen TV, or the thread count of the sheets. But what she really wants is for the room to feel like home.
That means the guestroom has all the small comforts and conveniences guests need and expect. Appliances and electronics should be efficient, simple and easy to use. The hypothetical question to ask of guests, says Lauren Webb, senior manager for product development with Marriott, is this: "What products do you have at home, and how can we bring those products into the guestroom?" Here are a few amenities guests want to see.
Female travelers are a fast-growing demographic, and women now account for nearly half of all business travelers. "We really need to listen to her," Webb says. "And she's telling us, 'Host me too.'"
Hair dryers are important, for one thing. Marriott's research revealed that many women business travelers were carrying their own dryers because they couldn't count on the ones found in hotel rooms. For that reason, Webb says, "the hair dryer is a hot topic in this building." Most guests aren’t interested in special features such as ionic conditioning, she says. They want power: "These 1500- or 1600-watt hair dryers just aren't doing it anymore for our guests." Longer barrels are also popular, she says: "It's better for your hair, it's better for your arms."
More power outlets
Guests bring their own phones, tablets and laptops everywhere now, and they need someplace to charge them. Don't force guests to move furniture or dig behind a headboard to find an outlet, Ebbs says. Make it easy for them. "Like the lamps — we'll put electricity and an outlet in them," she says. Choice’s Comfort Suites brand began placing charging stations in rooms in June 2012 to eliminate guests' past frustrations, such as having to unplug a lamp or crawl under a desk to plug something in.
Free Wi-Fi
According to a Hotels.com survey, travelers would rather have free Wi-Fi than free parking or a complimentary breakfast when it comes to choosing a hotel, whether they're traveling on business or pleasure. Fully 66 percent said free Wi-Fi is the amenity they most wish all hotels would offer.
Things are moving in that direction. HotelChatter's Hotel Wifi Report found that about 64 percent of hotels offered free Wi-Fi in 2013. Interestingly, luxury hotels are more likely to charge for the service than budget hotels.
Replacements for things forgotten
A recent study by Hyatt found that female travelers are more reluctant than men to ask for help when they forget something at home. The hotel chain launched a new program, Hyatt Has It, that invites guests to borrow or purchase items such as a flat iron, free weights, phone or computer charger.
Cambria Suites, an upscale Choice Hotels brand, is finding that millennial travelers need that charger above all else. "Their expectation is that they forgot it, they would be able to get it," Ebbs says. "Because they can't live without their phone."
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