Hospitality

Modern guestrooms are losing a lot of things: Closets. Desks. Even dressers. But what about the coffeemaker? Is that an essential amenity, or an unneeded luxury?

This turns out to be a subject for passionate debate among frequent travelers. Some can’t live without in-room coffee. Others prefer to get their fix in the lobby. One thing’s clear: most guests believe complimentary caffeine is a constitutional right. Here’s how to keep them happy.

In the hospitality industry, disruptors are nothing new. There was a time (pre-WWII) when only the wealthy stayed at hotels, as Chip Conley, head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb, pointed out at a recent conference. Ordinary Americans stayed in boarding houses.

Now, ordinary travelers are using Airbnb and other home-sharing services. Airbnb demand is still less than 2 percent of hotel demand in the United States,  but it’s growing fast. How can hotels compete?  

Is there any better guest than the business traveler? They stay mid-week. They have expense accounts. And it doesn't take too much to make them happy (more on that in a moment).

The global tourism industry experienced a seismic shift in 2014, when a record 109 million Chinese travelers went overseas. China has overtaken the United States to become the world's largest outbound tourism market, spending $165 billion in 2014. The wealthiest 10 percent of Chinese travelers wield formidable buying power; they spend more than US $2,000 per day (including on accommodations) according to Hotels.com's 2015 Chinese International Travel Monitor report.

How are hotels adapting to the surge in Chinese travelers? Here's a summary of the latest trends. 

Hotel chains are constantly upgrading rooms to look modern and fresh. Goodbye, flowered comforters, brass lamps and pastel watercolors; hello, crisp triple-sheet bedding, extra power outlets and granite vanities.

But that's what's now; what comes next? The desires of millennial travelers are drastically altering the standards for hotel rooms and guest service.

Here are the trends and ideas that are shaping the guestroom of the future.

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.

In the summer of 2013, the New York Hilton Midtown—the largest hotel in New York City—announced it would no longer offer room service. The decision shocked some guests who have come to associate the silver tray with luxury hotels, but it only confirmed what hospitality professionals have known for some time: room service is rarely profitable.

Room service contributes just 1.22 percent of a hotel's average revenues as of 2012, according to PKF Hospitality Research. That represents about $3.25 per occupied room. Not only that, but room service requires a significant staffing commitment.

Guests still need to eat—and they don't always want to commit to a full-service meal. But large hotels in urban environments, where takeout choices abound, can step back from their obligation to provide 24-hour dining, HotelNewsNow.com's Jeff Higley told Entrepreneur magazine. Hotels are coming up with novel ways to give business travelers and others easy dining options.