Importance of Hotel Amenities - Term Paper Example

?[Your full May 21, Hotel Amenities Hotel amenities are the services that the hotel offers its customers in order to make their stay enjoyable. These perks may not be what the average person may think they are. Amenities go beyond what is standard in most hotels. A deeper investigation in to the many avenues of hotel life can show the actual depth of amenities. This paper gives an in-depth explanation of what hotel amenities mean, and what kinds of hotel amenities are offered in the hotels nowadays, making the stay experience very pleasurable for the guests. General information about hotel amenities is given at the start of the paper, followed by description of some of the very important and interesting hotel amenities. Two examples of renowned hotels are given in later sections, to make clear what kind of hotel amenities are in trend these days. The report is summarized in a concluding paragraph, and MLA referencing style has been used properly. Perks are very interesting and important factors of the hotel stay experience. Amenities are much more than that, adding real meaning to the hotel experience. These are the special little things that make the hotel stay a quality time that the customer cherishes for many days to come. With amenities, the hotel stay becomes worry-free and relaxing. It no more remains a boring and still kind of journey, and the person gets to enjoy many interesting services and facilities in his leisure time. This also attracts more clientele, as the customers share their experiences with others. Another advantage is for the hotel authorities, as the public spends money on the premises to avail the services. This way, the hotelkeepers make added marginal income. Nowadays, nearly every high standard hotel offers amenities to the customers, who enjoy seeing their vacations and leisure time being converted into something extraordinary. Some of the amenities are available inside the room; while, some are available in the wide premises of the hotel. Those available inside the room include high speed internet access, high definition Flat screen LCDs and plasma LEDs, iPod/mp3 equipped clock radio, desk and comfortable desk chair, cable television channels, dual telephone lines with voicemail, custom climate controls, irons and ironing boards, hair dryers, lockers, and safes. Amenities that are available in the whole premises include car parking, laundry service, concierge service, currency exchange available at the front desk, multi-lingual staff, luggage storage, business center, safety deposit box, fitness center, in-room dining, club lounge, and gift shop. Let’s discuss some of these amenities in detail. Staying fit and in shape is very necessary, not only when you are at your homes, but also while travelling. Work-out and burning those extra calories and fat is something which should not be ignored even when a person is away from home. Fitness center is one of the most favorite amenities of many customers, especially those who are conscious about their health and overall well-being. Those, who are already members of fitness clubs off the premises, can maintain their fitness routine while they are staying at the hotel. This helps them continue their exercises and whatever services they enjoy at the fitness club. Many hotels have fitness clubs that offer services like stationary bikes, treadmills, weight lifting, health experts, exercise-training professionals, cable TV monitors, and fresh fruit presentations. People can come into the fitness clubs whenever they want because these offer services throughout the day. Some hotels also offer group exercise classes to give training about yoga and cardio. Specialized personal training classes and sessions are also offered so that people can maintain their fitness regime inside hotel premises. This makes them feel at home. Specialized training equipment is also offered, related to sauna and steam baths. The fitness center is accompanied with other fitness amenities, like jogging and walking paths. If the hotel is located at some scenic place, then the guests can enjoy their walks around the walking tracks while enjoying the beauty of the surroundings at the same time. Hence, fitness centers are a great luxury for guests who want to maintain their fitness regime even when they are away from their homes. Hotels also have gift shops that prove to be a very big attraction for the guests. People visit these shops to buy the things of their interest, and many of them just do window shopping. These shops sell many kinds of items, like newspapers, magazines, toiletries, snacks, jewelry, sunglasses, clothes, and any such item that a person may have forgotten to pack. Women are interested in boutiques. Men get attracted toward shops selling their favorite sports gears. There are toy shops that are a main attraction for children who drag their parents in these shops to buy toys. Gift shops also offer sundries, novelties, light and heavy munchies, gifts and mementos that the guests can buy and keep with them forever as a beautiful memory. Gift shops help the hotel make extra earning and profit through sales. However, people also complain that the prices in these gift shops are relatively higher than normal. Such people only do window shopping, and enjoy every bit of it. They savor every moment they can spend in these shops, and make this enjoyment a memorable part of their experience. Hotels also offer the service of bachelor parties to its male guests. They can come over with their friends at the designated hall, have meal, chat with friends, and dance till mornings. This way, they enjoy their final days of bachelorhood with their friends. There is a special nightlife team that makes the whole experience look like an adventure, and the guests cherish these moments for many years to come. The parties can be arranged in party-worthy guestrooms, clubs, bar, or a hall. There are endless options with which the bachelor parties can be made worth attending, starting from bottle service to hangover magic. Moreover, spa services are also a very special amenity. Hotels enable the guests to make peace with their bodies and minds, and spa services go just in accordance with this concept. There are both traditional and modern spa treatments that allow the guests to choose which kind of treatments suit their bodies and moods. Experts are available to give these treatments. Guests can get a massage to relieve the stress of the whole day and heal the body. They can also detoxify their bodies in sauna baths, steam baths, and Japanese O’furo baths. Meditative programs are also offered in these spas to clear up the mind and make the guest feel at ease. Techniques, such as Guided Meditation, a Labyrinth stroll, or Yo-Chi, are also offered for this purpose. Hence, through these amenities, the guests are made to feel special, cared for, and pampered. Many hotels also have technology centers. These centers are equipped with the latest technological tools and services. These are also called business centers. These offer many such amenities that the guests require to meet their business needs. For example, guests can make use of order signs, banners, posters, tent-cards, brochures, flyers and presentations, which are the things they require to carry on the business regime in a normal way. Hotels also offer printing, copying and binding services so that the guests find it easy to conduct business within the premises of the hotel. The technology resources are made available right at the room’s doorstep via free wifi services. The guests can use internet to carry on their e-commerce activities all through the day without any restriction of time. Many business centers pack the guests’ materials and luggage, and ship them through FedEx Express or FedEx ground to their destination. This is called Guest Package Service. This way, the guests do not have to carry the things around, which makes the overall experience all the more pleasurable. Guest room billing and master account billing privileges make the billing system more convenient. Pre-conference file assistance is also offered which helps the guests in the planning of their business projects. Computers (offering the guests interaction in nearly all languages) are available in the 24-hour business centers, providing the guests high-speed internet access, faxing, mailing, and copy services, right at the front desk. Hence, the guests do not need to worry that their business activities will come to halt if they are staying in the hotel. One very important amenity that needs to be discussed in greater detail is the availability of internet access. The theme behind this amenity is that internet opens novel horizons, through bringing us loads of opportunities and enormous possibilities of all kinds. Not even adults, but also children find it hard to spend days without internet access. Keeping this mind, hotels provide 24/7 internet access through Wi-Fi to its guests, so that they can avail all kinds of activities on the internet, such as checking and composing e-mails, keeping in touch with friends and family through online social networks, carrying out e-commerce, engaging in online shopping, browsing, and surfing the internet in leisure time. Children can carry on with their games that they play at homes, without feeling as if they are away from the comfort of their own homes. Children, today, do not know how life was when there was no Wikipedia. Their elders have been probing through thick encyclopedias to gain information. They had to go to libraries to read books and save information. People can now use Wikipedia for all updated information on anything and everything. They can read electronic books. They do not have to go to libraries now, because they have the facility to get all kinds of information right in the comfort of their homes. Today, people cannot imagine spending even one day without browsing, or getting updated about our friends’ statuses. In short, internet has become one of the basic necessities of life, and is regarded as oxygen for happy, connected life. Keeping this in view, internet access has become one of the greatest and most favorite amenities of the guests while they are staying at the hotel. Laundry service is another very interesting amenity that is offered to the guests, making their trip very comfortable and pleasurable. Guest laundry is available 24 hours a day. Guests can use automatic washing machines and dryers to wash their clothes, thus, making the availability of life’s necessities lot easier. Staff is also present at hand if the guests do not want to wash the clothes themselves. This makes them enjoy their stay to the fullest while staying worry-free about the availability of washed, dried and ironed clothes, whenever they need them. Detergents, washing powders, and other washing accessories are available at low costs. The washing service, otherwise, is free of cost. Ironing services are also available, thus, making the laundry experience all the more complete. Rooms also have this in-room amenity of ironing; however, guests can also request the staff to have their clothes ironed from the laundry. Dry-cleaning service is also available, if the guests do not want their clothes washed in the washing machine. Hence, the guests are given all opportunities of their choice, so that they do not find any discomfort while they are staying at the hotel away from their homes. This makes them feel at ease, and the experience becomes clam and comfortable. Guests can enjoy free breakfast services, since many people start their day hungry, and thus, they are in need of a very handy breakfast. Hotels offer hearty breakfasts for free, filled with the deliciousness of many cuisines, which are light yet fulfilling at the same time. The guest enjoying a hot mug of coffee with cheesy, gooey cinnamon rolls in early morning can never forget the experience. Buffet-style favorites are also available. The guests can enjoy omelet, cereals, yogurt, and many other items from the breakfast bar. When the start of the day is so healthy and pleasurable, the whole day passes comfortably. Moreover, the end of the day is also made comfortable by providing the guests with pillow choice. People cannot sleep if the pillows are not according to their taste, and thus, the hotels provide all kinds of soft and firm pillows right in the guest room, so that the guest may be able to choose for himself what suits him best. With the right kind of pillow, sinking into the clean, silky linens is an experience worth remembering. Hotel Lajola of the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC, is a very luxurious hotel, providing its guests with a wide array of amenities. The hotel gives its guests peace of mind. The staff supplies supplies a yoga mat in every room, which is free of charge. Every room has wireless high-speed internet access that is complimentary to Kimpton InTouch guest loyalty program members. Guests can easily join this program in free. There are personalized room preferences and welcome amenities for Kimpton InTouch members. The guests can enjoy hosted evening wine reception in living room lobby. Moreover, there is complimentary shuttle service offered to overnight guests within a 5 mile radius within La Jolla. The guests are not charged any resort fees. The hotel has a restaurant at the 11th floor, which gives a great view of the coastal Mediterranean cuisine and many other spectacular ocean views in town. There is also a poolside bar and lounge where guests can enjoy fire pits. Guests find themselves really attracted toward the craft cocktails. Also, 24-hour in-room dining is available in the hotel. Guests can avail heated pool for swimming throughout the year. There are in-room spa services, and the guests enjoy this amenity right from the comfort of their rooms. What is more, there is onsite concierge and personal, customized itineraries, so that the stay becomes memorable and perfect. To add to the excellence of the La Jolla stay, the hotel offers complimentary morning newspapers in its living room lobby. The guests can also avail 24-hour complimentary onsite fitness center. There is also a 24-hour business center which is fully equipped with printers, fax machines, and computers. Skilled computer operators and business professionals are present in this business center. There are safety deposit boxes, and valet and laundry services. Valet parking is also available, and the charges are $28/night, and $14 for Hybrid vehicles, as is stated in their brochures. There is a special discount for hybrid vehicles. The hotel also offers a special Kimpton's EarthCare program, in which it offers eco-friendly products and practices to the guests in order to make them aware of the importance of recycling, environmental stability, and personal responsibility. The hotel also offers amenities to pets. For example, pets stay free and un-caged, and are provided with pet bowls and beds during their stay with their owners. Not to forget, the hotel also offers complimentary morning coffee and tea service in its living room lobby. The whole area is 100% non-smoking. What else a person can wish for to make his hotel stay so memorable. Hotel amenities like the ones stated above really add to the luxury of the hotel stay. Hard Rock hotel of the Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc., offers many such spectacular amenities that the guests remember it and recommend it to others they meet. The website has it (Hardrock Hotel, para.1): It's the perfect mix of funk and just plain fun. Throughout the hotel you'll find over $1 million of rock memorabilia from such legendary icons as Elvis Presley, Elton John, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna and more. You can catch some rays by the spectacular pool, or take a dip and let the water (and underwater music) wash over you. The hotel has a swimming pool, rock shop, manadara spa, fitness center, golf club, business center, and many other theme park benefits. The hotel offers deluxe continental breakfast, free WiFi service throughout the hotel, cable television with free HBO and Elvis movies, free local phone calls, free security-patrolled parking, and free airport shuttle service. There are heart-shaped, seasonal outdoor swimming pools both for men and women. These swimming pools are surrounded by chaise lounges, chairs and umbrella tables, with a small exhibition area close at hand. There is also a free exercise room, which is well equipped with weights and exercise machines. There is a good variety of fitness machines available in its fitness center and gymnasium. The hotel’s Elvis gift shop is located in the main lobby. There is a Happy Room Lounge, where the guests can have a relaxing time when the day ends. The Happy Room Lounge is located off the lobby of the hotel. The guests enjoy appetizers, sandwiches, salads, specialty drinks, and many other light snacks in this lounge. There are many other special room amenities. The hotel helps its guests celebrate their special occasions during their stay. The hotel also offers items that can be added to the rooms. These include champagne flutes, coffee mugs, balloons, birthday cards, wine and champagne. Hence, the hotel offers wonderful amenities to its guests, making their hotel stay a wonderful experience of their lives. Putting it all together, hotel amenities are very important and pleasurable perks that the hotels use in order to attract the guests and make their stay experience more comfortable, peaceful, and enjoyable. This makes them remember their stay experience for many years to come, and they recommend the hotel to friends and family too. Hotel amenities also enable the hotel authorities add to the overall earning and profits, thus, making it a win-win scheme both for the guests and the hotel. Hotel amenities are provided both inside the room and al through the hotel premises. Some of the very interesting hotel amenities include 24/7 internet access, fitness center, gift shops, laundry service, business centers, technology centers, and bachelor parties. Without hotel amenities, the hotel stay experience would be very boring and dull; and, hotel amenities add to the overall experience by making the guest feel at home. From choice of pillows to billing service, from check-in to check-out, the hotel stay experience becomes all the more congenial for the guests for many years to come. Works Cited Hard Rock Hotel. Amenities. Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc., 2008. Web. 21 May 2013. . Read More