7 more things your hotel guests don’t care about

I am so delighted everyone is loving this focus on elements we think are extraneous to the hotel experience. Read the last one HERE.

The main idea I’m putting out there is we take for granted that hotels must contain certain elements to foster guest happiness and loyalty. But that’s just not true. Sometimes we must reevaluate everything we believe to be sacrosanct in order to uncover ultimate truth.

It’s fascinating to me on a psychological perspective. Essentially, we have a tendency to compartmentalize change. We will see elements that we feel obviously must be changed without seeing the entire picture. We mentally block out certain things and do not see them any longer. Like that time your spouse or partner left something next to the front door, or on the stairway. It never gets put away and after a bit you don’t even notice it anymore.

But not people who visit your house. It’s the first thing they notice.

So let’s get your house in order and get you to see some more things people have said they do not feel is necessary for a vibrant hotel experience.

Glasses

This is a tough one for me to write about. I actually prefer drinking from a real glass rather than disposable plastic. But many readers are simply repulsed by the idea. Why? Too many reports about slipshod cleaning practices.

I remember a few years back—probably five or so—there was a scandalous report regarding how glasses were being cleaned in some hotels. And it’s spooked a lot of people. If you recall, housekeepers in the video used the same towel to wipe down sinks and toilets as drinking glasses. Classic move that set the industry back a lot on the trust-o-meter.

I can most definitely appreciate this one, though I am personally a pragmatist and think most are actually clean. Plus, I frequently see a lot of shoddy glass cleaning in places like bars. I figure if this hasn’t killed me by now, I’ll keep pressing my luck.

Horribly Scented Soap

One reader mentioned this one, and it reminded me how infuriated I get by insanely scented soaps. Especially floral ones. I’m all about soaps that smell clean and natural, not that you can tell from sniffing me. It’s not really the scent itself I find objectionable—though I do—it’s that I have to have this horrid scent all over my body. I don’t use cologne or any other scented body products, and it’s just gross to me.

Listen, I get you want to be all fancy in your luxury hotel with your scented products, but please have an alternative product if guests ask for one.

Folded Tissue Products

I have no idea who decided this was classy, but many people believe it to be a waste of time for housekeepers. Hotels do not get an extra star from guests for making the first piece of toilet paper pointy. And I really do not get the wasted time spent taking the top couple of tissues and turning them into what is supposed to be a flower? It also wastes a lot of tissues, too.

Do we really need this artistry?

Honorable Mentions

  • Phones in the bathroom. Unnecessary, disgusting and a waste of money.
  • Overdoing it with turndown service. Many said, my room is already clean!
  • New sheets every day of your stay. Sure, it’s a luxury. But if they changed it every other day or every third day, would anyone notice?
  • Toilet sashes: When it says “Sanitized for my protection” on there, I think it just makes people suspicious about why the hotel needs to boast about being clean. Guests already expect that. Put your money elsewhere, or go the other way entirely and put sashes on everything, like staff. “Showered Before Work.” “Brushes teeth 3x a Day!”

Do you agree with the list? What would you eliminate or cut back on that won’t actually hurt guest experience? Drop me a line here at [email protected]. Or find me on Twitter @TravelingGlenn.

Glenn Haussman is editor-at-large for HOTEL MANAGEMENT. His views expressed are not necessarily those of HOTEL MANAGEMENT, its parent company Questex Media Group, and/or its subsidiaries.