August 2014 - American Hotel Blog

Promoting health, wellness in hospitality

August 25, 2014

With the growing trend of health and wellness, travelers are now demanding more from their stay – from healthier food and spa treatments to meditation. Explore the latest wellness movements hitting the hospitality industry, and consider ways to make your business healthier.

Stressing the Physical Form. Though exercise isn’t exactly high on everyone’s list of ways to spend a vacation, a recent survey showed that 70% of travelers want a gym with both cardio machines and weights. Closely behind the fully equipped gym is a desire for more exercise options, according to the survey. Many hotels now offer fitness programs complete with a variety of class offerings – including dance-like exercises such as Zumba, indoor and outdoor yoga and meditation classes, and fitness boot camps. Don’t have the space for all that fitness? Not to worry. Many smaller venues partner with a nearby fitness center to meet the needs of their guests.

Back to Nature. If there is one word to sum up the health and wellness movement in 2014 it’s ‘natural’ – natural beauty, natural food, natural products. Delivering on the “less is more” appeal involves a closer look at your amenities. Reevaluate any scents and aromatherapy that don’t take an organic or natural approach. Do the same for food. There are a lot of terms being tossed out nowadays when it comes to eating – farm-to-table, organic, raw. Learn them, use them, and market them.

Ensure A Good Night’s Sleep. Hotels are improving guest health by changing the sleep game. No longer will guests fret over whether or not they’ll have a lumpy pillow or a bed with wonky springs. Now, finding the perfect pillow for guests is easy. For many hotels, promising sound sleep involves ambient sound machines, blackout shades, aromatherapy, and even chocolates and lighting that emit a dose of sleep-inducing melatonin.

We want to know – how is your venue attracting health conscious guests? Tell us in the comments!

Renovation fever hits the hotel industry

August 11, 2014

There’s a new epidemic hitting hotels hard. It’s called renovation fever. It wasn’t long ago that the hospitality industry was suffering through the Great Recession, when the focus shifted from “how can we be better?” to “how can we stay afloat?” Well, we’re happy to report that hotel renovations and refreshes are on the up-and-up – to a tune of $5.6 billion in improvements – and that’s only in the last year alone. Here’s what you need to know about the latest craze.

Repeat after us – guestrooms, lobby, and food service. Those are the most popular areas of improvement being seen across the board.
Plan for the fall and early winter months if you’re going to opt in to a refresh or renovation. On average, the slowest months for non-resort hotels are November – January, so that’s the ideal time to start your revamp.
If you can’t afford to renovate, then refresh. With stylish case goods. You can update or upgrade your guest rooms without having to invest in complete furniture replacement. Adding hard tops to case goods might be an option as well.
For another affordable renovation idea, think total room design schemes. Just as it sounds, this approach provides you with a full-room design package. All you do is choose, order and install.
When it comes to food, consolidation is key. One kitchen that can serve all areas of food service without sacrificing quality has become the goal for many venues.
Get your furniture counts right the first time. With renovations being popular right now, supplies are in high demand. Make sure you’ve got the numbers right so you can be sure the supplier has enough of the item in-stock to fit your order. Also, order domestic. Your furniture will generally be delivered more quickly and have lower shipping costs.
Focus on the ‘third-space’. Rather than a distinct check-in area, bar, workspace and eatery, blend them beautifully into an all-purpose, all-inviting common space.

Voila! All the inside info you need to get on your way to a chicer, fresher version of your venue.

Do you have a great idea on how to freshen up a hotel or business? Click here to share your idea and you could win thousands of dollars worth of products from our FRESH Ideas flyer to outfit your venue!