Imagine reaching your hotel after a long flight only to find a shabby room with poor amenities. You’ll feel cheated and unhappy.  Right?

That’s not how you want your guests to feel. 

You want them to enjoy their stay, come back again, and spread positive word-of-mouth. You might think providing good services would suffice. 

But the secret lies in providing exceptional hotel amenities. 

So, how can hotel amenities enrich and improve customer experience? This blog answers this and gives you the blueprint for guest satisfaction, loyalty and boosting revenues.

Let’s begin by answering the most pressing question. 

How important are extra amenities?

When you book a hotel, what do you look for?  The location, price, and the reviews. 

But how about the amenities? Hotel amenities are general services or facilities that hotels offer. They include Wi-Fi, spa services, parking, a gym, pools, and everything else in between.

Providing these hotel amenities enriches the guest experience and makes your customers return for more.

For starters, hotel guests love free Wi-Fi. A survey by Hotels.com shows that Wi-Fi is the most essential amenity for travellers. Complimentary breakfast, parking, and loyalty points also matter too.

Will these amenities improve the hotel guests’ experiences? 

Will it make them feel more at home and connected?

Absolutely!

Hotel amenities can save your guests time and money. Here’s how:

• Wi-Fi helps hotel guests check their emails, stream shows, or plan itineraries.
• Complimentary breakfast gives them a nutritious start to the day, a taste of local food, and ensures convenience. 
• Parking can save guests the trouble of finding a spot or paying extra fees.
• Loyalty points reward them for their loyalty and make them come back.

Your guests love having lots of hotel amenities for these reasons.

How do hotel amenities enrich the customer experience?

It all depends on what, where, and who the customer is.

Amenities make their stay more comfortable, enjoyable, and memorable. 

A study by LePack explains how hotel amenities can enrich the customer experience in these ways:

• It helps you meet guests’ needs and expectations.
• It enables you to create memorable moments and impressions.
• It separates you from your competitors.
• It promotes personalised and attractive offers that appeal to customers.

These amenities vary from free drinks and snacks to bike rentals, yoga classes, and local tours and experiences.

Look at these three great examples:

• Some hotels in Amsterdam give guests free canal cruises with a picnic basket.

• Some hotels in Bali, Indonesia, give guests a free Balinese massage and cooking class. 
• A hotel in New York gives guests free helicopter rides over the city.

Imagine receiving complimentary amenities like these. Wouldn’t that elevate your experience?

These were just a few examples. You can create your own hotel amenities to wow customers and create unforgettable experiences.

You can even categorise them based on their types. 

What are the main types of hotel amenities?

There are four main types of hotel amenities:

• Basic
• Extra
• Special 
• Facility amenities

Let’s dive deeper into the types of hotel amenities to see how they enrich the customer experience.

1. Basic amenities

Almost all hotels offer basic amenities. Guests expect to find these basic, essential items or services in any hotel. 

You know, basic stuff that you would complain about if they were missing. 

Air conditioning, hot water, toiletries, towels, bedding, Wi-Fi, TV, and phone, to name a few. So ensure your hotel also offers these basic hotel amenities as they enrich the customer experience. 

They’re important for meeting the guests’ basic needs and expectations.

Remember, you include these basic amenities in the room rate. Your guests don’t pay extra for them.

2. Extra amenities

These are the additional items or services that hotels offer for extra comfort. 

The stuff that you would brag about to your friends. Examples include free breakfast, coffee maker, mini-bar, hair dryer, iron, bathrobe, and slippers.

Mid-range hotels usually offer extra amenities. However, they may vary depending on the room type or category.

Ensuring your hotel offers some extra amenities is a fantastic idea. 

Why? Extra amenities exceed the guests’ expectations and create a positive impression. These extra hotel amenities enrich the customer experience by providing convenience, luxury, and satisfaction.

3. Special amenities

Special amenities are things that you would post about on social media. 

They’re unique items or services that hotels offer to surprise and delight their guests. Examples include free welcome drinks, snacks, chocolates, flowers, personalised notes, a pillow menu, and spa products.

Luxury or 5-star hotels usually offer this list of room amenities.

You can customise your list of amenities according to the guests’ preferences or occasions. These special amenities will create memorable moments that boost your hotel’s 5-star status.

4. Facility amenities

These are the facilities or features that hotels offer to their guests to boost guests’ convenience. 

They provide more options and value to your guests. Examples include restaurants, bars, pools, gyms, spas, business centres, and meeting rooms.

Large or upscale hotels usually offer facility amenities. Also, you can charge guests an extra fee or reservation for these facility amenities.

So, which of these amenities does your hotel offer? 

All four types of hotel amenities matter to customers. They influence your guests’ decision-making process and overall customer satisfaction. 

After all, you don’t want your guests feeling like they’re staying at a motel despite paying for a hotel.

So carefully select and offer the right types of hotel amenities. Ensure that it suits your target market and brand identity. 

You now know the different types of hotel amenities and how they enrich the customer experience.

But the question is: how do you implement all you’ve learned?

This is where it gets practical — the customer journey.

Stages of hotel customer engagements (with practical tips and examples)

Hotel customer engagement is building and maintaining relationships with guests before, during, and after their stay.

There are 5 key stages of hotel customer engagement:

• Entry points
• Booking
• Arrival
• Stay 
• Departure

These five stages encompass your customer’s hotel journey. 

You can use and implement hotel amenities at each stage to enrich the customer experience.

Stage 1: The entry points for customer engagements

The entry points are channels and platforms customers use to find and book at your hotel. Examples include your website, online travel agencies (OTAs), and social media.

This is the stage where first impression matters.

Showcase your hotel amenities to tell your potential customer how these will enrich their overall experience.

Here’s what you can do:

• Update your current public information: This includes your location, amenities, rates, availability, photos, and reviews. Be transparent about it. This will help customers make informed decisions.
• Provide clear and distinct policies on your website: This includes your cancellation policies, payment methods, check-in and check-out times, and pet policies. This reduces confusion, frustration, and complaints.
• Establish a smooth and secure booking process: You can do this on your website or via OTAs. Want a stress-free set-up with minimal effort on your part? You can use TelebuSocial to create chatbot experiences to enable customers to book from WhatsApp, your website and social media.

Done? Your entry point is all set.

Stage 2: Connecting with customers after booking

You want to connect with customers after they book your hotel but before they arrive.

This is where personalising the guest experience comes in. This is where you build rapport and anticipation.

Here are some tips on how to leverage your hotel’s amenities to enrich the customer experience after booking:

• Contact the customer via email, social, SMS, or phone call: Use an omnichannel communication channel like TelebuSocial to reach your customers whenever they’re at. You can confirm their bookings and thank them for choosing your hotel.
• Customise the guest’s stay in advance: Ask them about their preferences, needs, or special requests. For example, their preferred room type, bed size, and pillow type. This gives customers a taste of your service, care, and hotel amenities.
• Provide them with local recommendations: This includes attractions, restaurants, events, and more in your area. It’ll help customers plan their trip better and enhance their experience.

Check out these awesome customer experience stories. Now, to the moment you’ve been waiting for: the guest’s arrival.

Stage 3: Connecting with customers on arrival

This stage of customer engagement is vital. It’s another opportunity to make a different kind of first impression.

You want to create a warm welcome and a positive impression at this stage. This will set the tone for the rest of their stay.

So, to optimise this stage, here’s what to do:

• Ensure a smooth and friendly check-in process: Ensure your staff greets each guest by name and reduce wait times. Don’t forget to provide the guests with important information and details. This makes customers more relaxed and happy.
• Update guests on local recommendations: Inform your customers about the hotel amenities they can use for an enriched experience. This builds anticipation and excitement for the stay.
• Ask if they have any special requests or needs: Do your best to accommodate them. This signifies your willingness to go the extra mile and make them comfortable.
• Engage with them on social media platforms: Invite them to follow your hotel’s page or account. Share content and updates about your hotel and destination to keep your customers connected and informed. You also boost your online visibility and reputation.

Stage 4: Engaging with customers during the stay

Now they’re in your crib. What next?

This is one crucial stage of hotel customer engagement. It’s like the saying “the customer is king”.

You want to treat your guests like royalty. 

This is where you offer them as many extra hotel amenities as possible to enrich your customers’ experiences.

Exceed their expectations. 

To optimise this stage, you should:

• Celebrate your guests’ special occasions: This includes special moments like birthdays, anniversaries, and honeymoons. Send them a card, a cake, a bottle of wine, or a gift, no matter how small. It’ll go a long way in increasing guest satisfaction.
• Ensure cleanliness and hygiene in your hotel: This includes entrance points, rooms, bathrooms, and common areas. Provide daily housekeeping, fresh towels and linens, and sanitisers. This makes your customers feel comfortable and safe. 
• Request and listen to feedback: Apologise for any inconvenience and offer a solution or compensation. Most importantly, follow up to ensure their satisfaction. This can help customers feel more respected and valued and increase their trust.

And now, to the final stage: guest departures.

Stage 5: Engaging with customers at departure

This is the last stage of customer engagement. You MUST engage with customers on departure from your hotel.

This stage creates a lasting impression and encourages repeat visits and referrals by your guests:

• Remind guests an hour before their check-out time: The best way to do this is to send a personalised SMS message or call them. Your customers will appreciate your courtesy as they prepare for departure.
• Ensure an easy and fast check-out process: Keep friendly and efficient staff at the front desk. They should thank each guest for their stay, verify their payment details, and provide them with their receipt. Your customers will leave your hotel on a positive note.
• Request feedback: Send them a survey or a review request via various channels like email or SMS. According to this report, SMS is the quickest, cheapest, and easiest for customers to respond to feedback requests.  
• Offer them a re-arrival discount: This should be valid for six months. Offer this, especially to business travellers who may visit your destination frequently. This helps you retain your customers and increase your revenue.

We assure you that you can create amazing customer experiences for your hotel guests if you follow all these tips.

But to take things up a notch, you need one more thing along with the hotel amenities to enrich customer experiences. 

An exceptional contact centre.  

The role of contact centres in advancing the hotel guest experience

In the hotel industry, competition reigns supreme. Hotels are on a mission to wow their guests at every turn.

And guess who the unsung hero is in this quest for a stellar guest experience? Contact support with contact centre software (like TelebuHub) and customer communication software (like TelebuSocial).

TelebuHub and TelebuSocial link hotels with guests, potential customers, and partners. They can help you handle all sorts of interactions like:

• Booking reservations
• Answering questions
• Handling complaints (yikes!)
• Collecting feedback 
• Managing loyalty programs 

They’re your ultimate go-to for all things hotel-related. Contact centres can help you do the following:

• Increase reach and visibility via multilingual and multi-channel support. They help you increase your online presence and manage your social media accounts and online reviews.
• Boost efficiency and productivity via advanced technology and automation of bookings.
• Reduce costs and errors of communication. They help you streamline your processes and workflows, especially when making and tracking bookings.
• Personalise your services and offers to suit each guest’s preferences and needs. You can easily contact your customers to know their preferences. 
• Retain your guests and referrals via consistent and quality service. They help you obtain feedback and offer your guests incentives or discounts.

You need a multichannel contact centre to reach your customers wherever they’re at. 

Next steps?

You’ve seen how crucial hotel amenities are in creating an unforgettable guest experience. 

But to excel at each customer engagement stage, you need TelebuHub and TelebuSocial. This will help you:

• Reach your customers via their preferred communication channels. 
• Automate and optimise your workflows.
• Enjoy a comprehensive suite of features and benefits.

So, take your guest experience to the next level today.

Contact our sales team now and schedule a free demo. 

Or sign up for free now to enhance your guests’ experiences and build trust in your hotel.

FAQ’s

What factors affect customer satisfaction in the hotel industry?

Various factors influence customer satisfaction:

• Quality of your service
• Customer preferences and expectations
• Price
• Location
• Cleanliness
• Ambience
• Staff 
• Loyalty programs

So, understand your target market and tailor your offerings accordingly.

What is the impact of technology amenities on hotel guests’ overall satisfaction?

Technology amenities can enhance the guest experience by providing convenience, comfort, security, entertainment, and personalisation. Guests appreciate high-speed Wi-Fi, smart TVs, digital keys, voice assistants, and mobile apps. Technology amenities can also help hotels improve their operational efficiency and reduce costs.

How can the quality service contribute to guest satisfaction?

Quality service is essential for guest satisfaction. It reflects the professionalism, courtesy, and responsiveness of the hotel staff. Quality service can create a positive impression, build trust and loyalty, and increase customer retention and referrals. It can also help resolve any issues or complaints during the stay.

What are hotel customer service tips?

These are some tips for providing excellent customer service in hotels:

• Greet guests warmly and sincerely
• Use their names and titles whenever possible
• Anticipate their needs and preferences
• Offer personalised recommendations and suggestions
• Follow up on their requests and feedback
• Thank them for picking your hotel and invite them to return