Remaining Relevant – Edging Out Your Competition in the Hotel Industry

Unless they’re historic bed and breakfast inns, most hotels are modern and up-to-date, boasting high speed internet, sound wave alarm clocks and versatile hangers, among other hotel supplies. If you’re like most people who work in hotels and handle the amenities, in some capacity, on a daily basis, after a while you might not notice the details anymore. As with most day-to-day tasks, buying hotel supplies and amenities can become routine especially when you’re tasked with balancing budgetary constraints, style needs and guest preferences. If hotel supplies such as towels, ice buckets and bed spreads become dated, hotels can become dated, too, and get lost amongst the competition.

Hotels that are successful long-term attribute their success, in part, to their ability to remain relevant which means they know themselves and their brand identity. They also know the hotels near them and what makes them stand out. When you think about your hotel, what do people pay for? Is your service exceptional?

Maybe the views are amazing and the hotel supplies and amenities are unique. If luxury and convenience define your business, plush robes and bed linens and complimentary breakfast would be relevant hotel supplies and amenities. To maintain their place among the masses, hotels must keep current with trends to remain competitive and relevant.

Timeliness very likely isn’t a high priority for you or anybody else who works in hotels. However, if hotels want to maintain occupancy rates, attract new business and offer a great overall experience ensuring that everything from the amenities and hotel supplies to the color palettes and furniture are current and inviting is paramount. Have you ever gotten a room in a modern hotel and, upon walking into the room itself, felt like you traveled in time back to the early 1990s or worse, and it’s not a historic hotel? While it might not affect the visit, most people think less of hotels that are dated, especially when the amenities, hotel supplies and conveniences one would expect are either not offered or unavailable during their stay.

Whether you’re working for an eclectic bed and breakfast or a posh spa resort, conveying value to your guests is important. Quality amenities and hotel supplies, amazing views, superb locations and complimentary meals or snacks all convey the “we’re trying to maximize your dollar” message. It’s important, especially when consumers of every stripe are counting their pennies and paying more attention to what they’re getting for their money than ever before. While hotel supplies and amenities are important components of hotels, they aren’t everything. The cleanliness of your hotel, a responsive staff, spacious guest rooms and modern furnishings all play important roles in the overall guest experience.

Being and remaining competitive in the hospitality industry is no small feat. Maintaining your edge by providing quality hotel supplies and amenities helps you as the competition among hotels is stiff almost everywhere. When people feel like their opinion matters, when they see updated fixtures, renovations that modernize hotels and high quality hotel supplies, they know they’ve been heard which typically translates into more business for you. That said, focused on details though you might be, it’s important that those same details remain fresh and relevant to both guest and hotel alike.

Tips to Finding the Best Spa Resort Hotel to Meet Your Particular Vacation Needs

Spending a few days or a week at a luxury spa resort hotel is the dream of thousands of people who are looking for that perfect place to relax and rejuvenate after weeks of hard work at the office. Choosing a hotel isn’t always an easy task, but there are some simple steps you can follow to find that perfect match that meets your vacation needs to perfection, ensuring you get the luxurious and relaxing stay that you expect and deserve.

The very first step you are going to want to take when it comes to selecting a spa resort hotel is to set yourself a budget. Having a budget in mind can help you narrow down your search and eliminates the risk of you wasting time on establishments that are simply too expensive or those that are cheap and don’t meet your needs exactly. With a set budget in mind you can start searching online to find your dream vacation paradise, a chance to unwind, rejuvenate and relax, giving you that skip in your step you need when returning to the office.

Consider the type of spa vacation you are looking for. Do you want to spend time in a beautiful desert oasis? What about near the beach? Maybe you’re already heading to a busy city and are looking for the perfect spa resort hotel on the outskirts of town which you can take advantage of for a few days. Knowing the type of vacation you want can help you narrow down your search considerably and ensure that you focus your attention on locations that can provide you with the spa vacation you want and deserve.

The next step of the process, before you even start searching the internet is to decide where you want to visit. You may have an area in mind, maybe another country. Knowing where you want to visit will enable you to search for that particular area, ensuring that you eliminate locations which are not going to tick the boxes for you and will provide you with the spa vacation you need to give your body the rest it so desperately deserves.

You will also want to pay some consideration to who you will be travelling with. Are you travelling as a group of friends, business associates or family. Are you traveling with your loved one? This will enable you to choose a spa resort hotel that matches your vacation ideals, but also those of your companions, ensuring that you all have an enjoyable and memorable vacation experience that you will remember for years to come.

With all of this in mind, you are going to want to start doing an online search, matching all your specific criteria with the spa resort hotels available. Focus your attention on the spa treatments offered, to ensure that you are going to have the relaxing experience you need and that when you return home after your stay you will feel relaxed, rejuvenated and refreshed, ready to tackle the world.

You will want to compare the spa resort hotels, learn as much as you can about them and the packages they provide. Ensure you read through the guest reviews to get a good feel of what they offer and the service they provide. Once you feel confidence you have found your perfect match book and pay your deposit.

Remember to book early. There is a demand for spa resort hotels and some hotels also offer special discounts for early bookings, giving you more for your money and making your travel budget go that little bit further.

The Sexiest Hotel in World — Part 1

A real, new ‘Garden of Eden’?

The Adam & Eve Hotel — in the Belek region of Antalya, Turkey

This new hotel’s expansive press release claims…

“It’s Sexiest Hotel in the World!”

And it goes on to say that, “The Adam & Eve Hotel is the latest agent provocateur of pleasure in the Mediterranean — with soft white floors and floor-to-ceiling mirrors that reflect views of the surrounding pine forest and the turquoise waters of the Sea — which serve as a backdrop for whatever life guests want to lead…”

But, what’s the reality…?

What follows is not the company-line you’ll read if you visit the Adam and Eve Hotel website, but we think it’s a lot more interesting… It’s the first hand impression of human-interest columnist Onur Bastürk (Hürriyet Newspaper) — when he paid a visit to the Hotel (after its delayed opening) with his special Eve in early December.

Onur says…

There has been non-stop advertising for a year… the opening date was postponed… I’m talking about the Antalya ‘Adam and Eve Hotel’.

So what are the rumors, myths, and facts about this fabulous hotel?

Well, one of the rumors I had heard was that VIP customers upon arrival, besides their own room key, would be given another room key. That key would open a special door, right around midnight, to a surprise party, where all the carnal pleasures awaited.

Another rumor was that couples would find an extraordinary ‘sex box’ upon entering their rooms. When they’d open it they’d find every imaginable sex-toy they might need ‘for playing house’.

At this very moment, I’m seated in my large (64 square meter) standard-sized room at the Adam and Eve Hotel — together with my special ‘Eve’ right next to me. But on entry, neither a second key nor a ‘sex box’ did we receive.

In other words, those first two rumors are just hot air, probably (…unless you’re a very special guest).

But what are the facts? Let’s explore a few of the hotel’s features — to see if your eyes pop out (or not) about this sexy hotel legend…

In Part 2 — The ‘Top 6 Features’ of ‘The Sexiest Hotel in the World’…

[Click following to access a fully illustrated HTML version of The Sexiest Hotel in World — Part 1.]

How To Create A Perfect App For Hotel Business

If you run a hospitality business, no one knows about convenience better than you. A mobile app is the next level of convenience, a popular solution for staying unconstrained in communication. It is valued by people who travel and stay at hotels. They value comfort and relaxation. They need to know that any service is instantly accessible. And they get it all while staying at your hotel.

Mobility and quality belong to the key elements of service. You have the latter. A dedicated app brings the former. It can become a part of your hotel’s image. It doesn’t quite matter how large your hotel is and how many suites there are. Every client deserves the mobile convenience in booking and getting the latest information, given by such an app. You own a mobile solution that widens the reach of your brand and brings client loyalty. If the application is equipped with all these features as well as your hotel is with services, it’s a good way to go.

Clients receive a free-downloaded mobile application that will facilitate their choice, manage booking, inform them of anything they might need, and help them communicate with the hotel staff. Let’s take a closer look at the features of a perfect app for your hotel.

– Direct online booking – the function that must be put above everything else. The more simplified for users it is, the better. Provide them with a list of available suites with photos, prices and descriptions. Real-time updates are vital to keep track of suite availability. Essentially include means of online payment/prepayment and direct communication, such as click-to-call.

– Your application should utilize geolocation to provide users with directions to your hotel.

– A good option is a choice of languages in the app. English is spread worldwide, but your foreign visitors would be delighted to choose a language they might know better. These could be German, Spanish, French, Russian – the languages spoken in numerous countries around the world.

That was all about booking and choosing. But the application is still of use after the client’s arrival, and will be throughout the stay. Here are the things that are by no means less important for clients:

– Details on hotel facilities, services and amenities: swimming pools, childcare, fitness centers – any range of activities you offer. There might be information about the nearby activities, attractions, restaurants, shopping centers etc. This information will be appreciated.

– Information about the forthcoming hotel activities and special events can be delivered in a number of ways, such as Push-notifications. Let the clients decide, what kinds of activities they want to be informed of.

– You may include direct communication with the hotel staff. Thus your clients are able to leave requests

– Finally, you may choose to include social network sharing. Your loyal clients would be glad to recommend your brand and services across Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Such is a well-packed perfect app for hotel business. Choose which of these options you would like to implement in your own application. Or perhaps you can come up with a new idea for a feature. After all, it’s up to you to make right decisions. A branded application is a worthy investment that increases clients’ satisfaction, and as a result, brings returns.

Let’s look through some features of the apps designed for the world’s most famous examples of hospitality industry companies.

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has an app with a fine user interface, colored in white and gold. The overall looks are quite pleasant, and the most necessary options – ‘Find A Hotel’, ‘Book A Room’ and ‘Offers’ – are at hand. The Android app covers a variety of its versions, ranging from 2.3.4 to 4.1.1.

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is one of the top players in the industry. Its iOS application features rich photo galleries. That is where images are important as ever – your clients have everything they need to make a choice.

The Android app for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels includes the reservations menu, means of direct communication and a QR code reader.

Along with online booking, an iOS app for Hilton allows to leave requests and orders on personalizing the suite to match the preferences of the client. Everything is ready upon the arrival.

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