What are the most important hotel amenities? Reading my blog you noticed that my articles are telling positive feedbacks from my experiences. That is why I want to give you some information about places, restaurants, and hotels you should visit. My bad experiences do not deserve to be published. I need anyway to take into consideration that not all opinions are the same, that is why I use high-quality experiences.
Writing about the good part of my travels is the way to tell you: “there you can go and you will be satisfied!“
Hotel amenities: my evaluation
When I prepare an article I think to be brief, to not annoy my followers and readers, but what I write is the synthesis of precise analysis. For instance, in a hotel, I observe different elements. I am not an inspector by profession, but I travel quite a lot and I was doing it many years ago, that is why I developed my criteria.
The stay in a five stars hotel does not mean that everything is perfect, but of course, it is the proper place where to pretend a tailor-made service and high standards for the accommodation. Especially when I travel for work reasons I need to have comfort as a good equipped and quiet room and also a professional staff ready to answer properly to my needs in terms of assistance in the facilities or reservation of external services.
I have no way to respect the workers of the hotel because kindness is always welcome everywhere and guests can be better served using it. So what are the main features to evaluate a hotel? The following points are just used by me to make the selection and be sure that by telling you about some structure you can have a great stay. Of course, it is not my job, so I take into consideration the features that are more important from my comfort. Anyway, some hints can be useful to you, my readers, as well.
The reservation
The evaluation of a hotel starts at the moment of the reservation. Of course, you can book through the internet using websites not directly related to the hotel, but also in this case you can check how the management acts. For example, once I used Booking, I completed my reservation and one day later I got an email from the hotel booking. They wrote to be closed and they did a mistake accepting the reservation by the system. Everything was canceled and then I searched for other accommodation. You can imagine my feelings and what I thought about them.
If you contact the structure directly, as I generally do, the staff has to answer with courtesy to all your questions, even the strange ones. They have to explain the rates and give you the best offers, proposing the different options, if they have some special proposals for the period.
The pick-up and the transfer
Before the reception, you may have contact with the driver if you asked or received the complimentary transfer from the airport with your reservation. The car has to be on time at the airport, the driver needs to be there to wait for you with a paper with your name is written and then to ask you how are you and take you fast and with comforts to the hotel. About the private transport services, there are many things to say, but I will dedicate an article about it. This is one of the most important hotel amenities in my opinion.
The reception and delivery of the room
When you enter the hotel you go directly to the reception. On this occasion, you should find a well-prepared staff. They should already know about you and your reservation or at least find everything when you say to them your name. They have to make a copy of your passport, ask for your credit card, and a signature on the registration paper. They have to be kind and fast meanwhile they give you all the information about your stay and the facilities.
In some hotels, the guests of the best suite can benefit from the in-room check-in and this needs to have anyway the same features of the service given at the reception. Generally, it is easier because they send a well-prepared staff and they pay attention only to the room guests. It is part of a special welcome reserved for those who are going to spend a huge rate for a special suite.
The room
After the check-in, you enter finally the room. First of all, it is a good idea to check the cleaning level, starting with the bathroom and the bed. After that, the control has to be done on the equipment, to be sure that everything is working and also to see the features of the room. According to the type of hotel and to what the guest booked the features of the accommodation have to satisfy different standards. Minibar has to be well furnished.
If the guest is accommodated in a signature suite of a five stars hotel it is possible to receive a butler service included in the rate. In this case, the butler has to be present at the guest’s arrival, take care of the luggage, put the clothes in the wardrobe, and be available to answer the requests and the needs of the guest. The presence of this member of the hotel staff and his attention to the client has to be evaluated because the butler is going to be the closest referent during the stay. The most important hotel amenities are made to please the guest.
The stay
During the days spent in the hotel, each client has the chance to try some services, and their ”perfections” is part of the evaluation. To evaluate if services are good it is necessary to consider the offer in all the aspects, starting from breakfast. That has to be complete, so with a big selection of salty and sweet food to be chosen by guests. The staff has to be ready to answer to the specific needs, maybe to prepare a coffee or explain where to find specific food, as well the ingredients used to prevent allergies and intolerances.
In Bucharest, I had one of the best experiences in terms of breakfast, a big dining room with real departments for the various types of food, including meat and fish. It was necessary to walk a bit around to find everything, but the staff was always ready to help guests to find what they were searching for. Any taste can be easily satisfied there. That means to give high grades for the evaluation.
Using the bar or the restaurant it is important to check the offer, the variety of drinks and food, the professional staff, and of course the prices well-calibrated with the quality. About rates, it is anyway necessary to say that at every hotel in the world the prices of food and drinks are always higher than in outside restaurants and bars.
If there is the chance to use the room service also in this case the evaluation is focused on the variety of food and drinks available, then the attention is on the staff: how much they are kind and fast, starting from the call to arrive when they arrive in the room. In general to put at the center of attention the client is a must for a good hotel, so kindness, ability to answer the different needs is very important, like cleaning and order in the rooms and common spaces.
If there are other facilities like the gym, the spa, an internet corner, or a meeting room, it is a good opportunity to check how they are managed. The offers and the equipment are the main elements to evaluate the level of the hotel. The features should help the guest to feel in a safe environment and to feel at home. This is the philosophy of the most important hotel amenities.
Also, the concierge is a staff member to have a big role in the guest’s stay. He can suggest some places to visit, reserve tickets, deliver specific services, reserve restaurants, and so on. His task is to give real support to customers, to find a way to satisfy them. If there are complimentary newspapers or evening cleaning of the room and bed preparation, it is important to be sure to have the newspaper every day and to receive the visit of the waitress before dinner.
Some hotels then offer tailored experiences to tourists as a private show made by a musician, a visit to a fashion workshop of a famous brand, a special cuisine experience or supercars tour around the city, and so on. In this case, the evaluation depends mainly on personal taste and a perfect organization of the activity, without any time loss or delays.
The departure
The moment of the check-out concerns the last minutes spent in the hotel. The guest goes to the reception to pay the bill. It can be the occasion to give feedback on the structure and maybe to complain about something. Part of the evaluation is also the management of the complaints. The staff and the manager have to be professional and to try to find a solution, without being rude, also if they are right, to fix the situation and not lose the client.
If there is a transfer they have to make the car and the driver ready for the exact moment, so when you leave the hotel. They can take care of your luggage if you leave the room but not the place and thank you for your stay, to make you comfortable and interested in visiting the accommodation again in the future.
More in the hotel amenities list
It is more part of the choice than the evaluation, but the good connections of the hotel with the main attractions of the center of the city is quite important. To have an underground station very closed, to be located in the main square and to have some taxi in front of the hotel door is surely useful.
In last years respect for environmental protection became a priority in the world and also many hotels are doing their part. In some structures, it is easy to find a card close to the bed and in the bathroom with a message: if the guest wants to change bed linen and towels it is necessary to put them on the floor or to put the card on them and so on.
This is good, but the question is: if you spend hundreds or thousands of euros or dollars for a room and they change daily linen and towels, why if you decide to reuse them and the hotel saves money you do not have any benefit. It is great to save nature from pollution, but the price must be reduced. Starwood Preferred Guest found a solution. It is the fidelity program of Sheraton, Westin, and many other hotel brands connected also with Marriott Reward. If you choose to not change the towels you get points to be used for services in the hotel and to add to your collection for free nights.
The ones written are the main elements that I always check when I go to a hotel and if it passes the “exam” I mention it in my articles, to recommend the best among the structure where I have the chance to stay.
Conclusions
Now you know how to select a hotel according to the main hotel amenities. You can start to reserve a room by selecting the best accommodation. Also, you have the right criteria to evaluate the price related to the real offer of the hotel. Check out the best structures and deals on Booking, HotelsCombined, or on the hotels’ chains like NH, Marriott, and Four Seasons.
If you want to get some inspiration, check out my reviews.
What is your favorite hotel’s type? Share your opinions and experiences in the comment form below.