Exploring hospitality’s tip envelope technique

December 11, 2014

Some of you may have heard the news about one hotel’s recent implementation of the strategy known as “The Envelope Please”, which is an envelope left in rooms to encourage gratuity for housekeepers. If you haven’t, there was a bit of hoopla about it.

It’s a simple concept apparently tied to Maria Shriver’s group, A Woman’s Nation, with the goal of promoting economic empowerment. The envelope is left in each guest room with a short message noting the opportunity to leave gratuity for the housekeeping staff who worked on a particular room. As the hotel chain explained:

“Hotel room attendants often go unnoticed, as they silently care for the millions of travelers who are on the road at any given time. Because hotel guests do not always see or interact with room attendants, their hard work is many times overlooked when it comes to tipping. The Envelope Please makes leaving them a gratuity simple and secure.”

Seems harmless enough, right? And this isn’t the first hotel chain to use a tip envelope. Some travelers say no, equating the practice to something resembling blackmail. For others, it prompts questions about the wages being paid to housekeeping staff members.

Of course, that’s not the stance all travelers take. Some feel that the implementation of “The Envelope Please” is a breath of fresh air allowing guests the chance to properly thank the housekeeping staff and ensure that their tip is going to the correct person every time. And some are not opposed to the idea, in theory, but would embrace the movement if some changes were made in how tips are dished out. For example, rather than a cash exchange, the option to add gratuity for the housekeepers onto their hotel bill would be more convenient.

So the question remains – to leave a tip envelope or not? What’s your stance? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Building on a legacy of quality with added savings

November 24, 2014


Does the name WestPoint Hospitality ring a bell with you? It should. This home fashion pioneer, with its special hospitality division, is still building on a rich heritage that stretches back 200 years.

Today, you may be more familiar with its celebrated product brands, which include Vellux®, Martex®, Utica® and more. Martex is known by many hoteliers for the high quality products it offers for both bed and bath. The Martex RX bedding program delivers bedspreads and accessories for a more upscale look. A guest favorite is the Martex Classic Touch 200 Thread Count Bed Linens. The crease-resistant finish and proprietary Soft Seal process create a softer sheet for the life of the product. The long-wearing Martex Cam Border Towels are also known for durability. The poly/cotton blend, with 100% ring-spun cotton loops, makes them extra soft and absorbent.

In fact, there is no better time to act on the value of WestPoint Hospitality. These and other great items are now on sale at American Hotel.

WestPoint Hospitality and the companies that represent its heritage are recognized leaders in the innovation and fashion of home textiles, experimenting with new fabrics to meet ever-changing needs. They continue to lead in the areas of social responsibility and sustainability as well.

Being good stewards of the environment, WestPoint Hospitality is committed to managing chemical use responsibly, recycling waste, ensuring wise water use, and continually upgrading its wastewater treatment facilities. In fact, over the past six years, one of their production plant’s water consumption dropped by 82%.

In all that it does, WestPoint Hospitality strives to build on a legacy of providing quality, affordable, and fashionable products for every customer. To learn more about the company and its products, visit http://www.westpointhome.com.

Playing the Holiday Host

November 20, 2014

Playing the Holiday Host

The holidays are in full swing and travelers are gearing up for some festive fun on the road! It’s at this time every year that roads get busier and, hopefully, your property fills up quickly. Are you doing the most you can to market your hotel as a house of holiday fun? Here are some tips to play the perfect host to your guests this season.

Holidays are about family. So, it stands to reason that many of your guests will be traveling with their children or relatives. Build interest in your venue this season by offering vacation packages tailored to families. Discounted rates on blocks of rooms, restaurant vouchers, and access to family-friendly activities are all great options to include in your family vacation packages.

Embrace diversity. It’s perfectly okay to emphasis a particular holiday in your venue, but it’s a nice gesture to acknowledge other holidays that take place throughout the season. Whether that’s something as small as making a note of it on your venue’s online calendar or something as grand as a feast or party surrounding said holiday, any gesture to acknowledge other holiday events will make guests of all different backgrounds feel welcome. And just for your reference:

  • Hanukkah: Dec. 17th – 24th
  • Christmas Day: Dec. 25th
  • Kwanzaa: Dec. 26th – Jan. 1st

Get festive. ‘Tis the season to be jolly! Give your guests something to get excited about with fun activities to spread the holiday cheer. Parades, tree-lighting ceremonies and gingerbread house competitions are all popular options, but don’t be afraid to put your own creative spin on activities. Just be sure to include a few things that are specifically kid-friendly. Happy parents are happy guests.

Decorate your venue on and offline. Of course you know to decorate the venue itself with twinkling lights and holiday flair, but have you put any thought into your online presence? You can add allure to your venue as a holiday destination by promoting your festive spirit online. Change your Facebook cover photo to a picture of your property all lit up or something else that shows holiday spirit. If you can coordinate it, add something festive to your website, as well, with updated photos or holiday graphics, and be sure to feature your holiday packages and offerings front and center on the site.

Go the extra mile. Let’s be honest here. Each and every one of us has scrambled to do some last minute holiday shopping at one point. Help your guests out in a shopping emergency (or just a much needed mall break) by offering shuttle services to local shops or malls.

Don’t forget the food! Last, but certainly not least, holiday food. It’s a huge part of the season and thus, there should be a large emphasis on it at your venue. Consider laying out some refreshments in your lobby for guests to munch on throughout the day or at key points in the day.

If your property boasts an on-premises restaurant, you’ll definitely want to create a holiday menu. Anything from sit-down service to a grand buffet is sure to draw in a crowd. If you don’t have food service available in-venue, consider partnering with some local restaurants that you can direct guests to for their holiday feast.

How are you celebrating the holidays at your property? We’d like to know! Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thrilling Themed Hotels

November 5, 2014

Thrilling Themed Hotels

When you hear “themed hotel,” there’s a good chance that Disney springs to mind. But, it’s not just theme parks embarking on this trend. These days, themed hotels can be found the world round, from teensy little towns to metropolitan cities to sprawling vacation resorts. The daring trend, although not for everyone, satisfies guests on a level that the ordinary room and board could not – our inner child or the secret thrill-seeker in all of us.

To many hoteliers, a themed hotel seems risky business. It’s a misconception that there aren’t enough people interested to stay, for example, in a college dorm themed hotel. But there must be, because venues like the McMenamins Kennedy School (in actuality, a hotel) serve close to half-a-million pints in their pink-tiled in-house brewery designed to look like a ladies restroom. And really, you can’t argue with numbers.

So, for those who are venturing into the great allure of theme hotels or are dabbling with themed suites, we’ve compiled a list of the most unique, talked about, and anticipated hotel destinations.

1) The Propeller Island City Lodge – Berlin, Germany

If you’re looking to feed your sense of adventure, Propeller Island is the place to be. From coffins in the attic and flying beds to rooms designed to feel like underground bunkers, Propeller Island has it all. It’s more art than hotel and rooms vary depending on the whims of German artist, Lars Stroschen.

2) The Chocolate Boutique Hotel – Bournemouth, England

This is the favored hotel of sweet-tooths everywhere. The hotel truly lives up to its name – it’s all chocolate, all the time, but in the warmest way possible. Plush, stylish furnishings in shades of, you guessed it – chocolate – create a cozy environment for any guest. The generous helpings of chocolate in its many forms don’t hurt either.

3) Jules Undersea Lodge – Key Largo, FL

For a mere $500 per person and a few scuba lessons, you, too, can take an underwater hotel adventure! Even though you’re below the surface, Jules Undersea Lodge doesn’t skimp on service. Here, staff divers will hand deliver a well-wrapped pizza straight to your room.

4) The Georgian House – London, England

A.k.a. the “Harry Potter” hotel, the Georgian is currently one of the most talked about theme hotels, but for all the wrong reasons. This is one theme that even the most leery of hoteliers might agree has a massive and eager fan base, but that’s just the problem in this case. High expectations led to a serious let-down when patrons realized the hotel was not sanctioned by Warner Bros. Entertainment, J.K. Rowling or the Harry Potter book publishers and was not indeed the “Harry Potter” hotel, but rather just a hotel that duped an adoring fan base.

5) Paramount Hotel & Residences – Dubai, UAE

The much anticipated movie-themed hotel is set to open in 2015, and the world cannot wait. Within hours of opening the first sales of its residences they were sold out. So what can residents and visitors alike expect? Think private screening rooms, home theatre surround sound systems, and classic Hollywood glamour – in short, a movie-lovers dream.

We’d love to hear all about your themed property or suites! Tell us in the comments!

American Hotel & 1888 Mills®: Partners in environmental stewardship & sustainability

November 4, 2014

At American Hotel, we’re focused on helping our customers deliver their best guest experiences while preserving the world around us. We embrace our responsibility to make a positive impact on the people we serve, the products we bring to market and the planet we are privileged to share. We continually adopt practices to help protect the environment and cultivate relationships with suppliers who share our vision and sustainability goals, like 1888 Mills.

As a leading global manufacturer of home and commercial textiles catering to the retail, hospitality and healthcare markets worldwide, 1888 Mills also has deep roots in the heritage of U.S. textile manufacturing. The company continues to be the proud operator of the largest remaining towel mill in the United States.

Consistent with its brand purpose of “Weaving a Better World”, 1888 Mills is devoted to its stakeholders and the economic regions in which it operates. By executing initiatives promoting environmental stewardship and contributing to poverty reduction, the company is driving innovation in the global marketplace.

In fact, 1888 Mills has adopted a “triple bottom line” approach to measure its success – People, Planet, Prosperity – that dovetails with American Hotel’s sustainability objectives. With product lines that promote energy savings and eco-friendly packaging, the company has reduced its usage of PVC, polyethylene and other harmful chemicals by more than 50%.

1888 Mills offers its quality bed and bath linens and towels on americanhotel.com and is a valued supplier partner in American Hotel’s Living Green program.

Contact us to learn more about our partnership with suppliers like 1888 Mills.

Hotels are getting creepy in time for Halloween

October 22, 2014

Hotels are getting creepy in time for Halloween

Double, double toil and trouble, witches brew and hotels bubble…over with creepy offerings. Halloween is just around the bend and, in honor of America’s favorite spooky holiday, this week’s blog is dedicated to all things creepy found in hotels around the world. Brace yourself, things are about to get chilling.

Interestingly, most of the disturbing hotel fun to be had takes place in the spa. But before we dive into the strange and eerie health sphere, let’s make our first stop at The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

The 1886 Crescent is famed to be America’s most haunted hotel, with a rich history of true deaths over its many years in service. Reports of roaming specters and strange noises are nothing short of plentiful here. Rather than scaring guests away, The 1886 Crescent has found a profitable way to make use of its haunted history with a slew of spooky activities from ghost tours to ghost hunting. And, for the truly daring, there’s the chance to sleep in the abandoned morgue.

Next up, we enter the spa of horrors. We guarantee these real-life treatments found in hotels from here to Tokyo will have you squirming in your seat.

Snail Facial – Yes, you read that correctly and it is just what it sounds like it would be – live, slimy snails dragging themselves across your face. You might be asking yourself why anyone would willing to place snails on their face, but with prices for the treatment reaching upwards of $240, there’s got to be something to it. If you truly want to reverse signs of aging, enthusiasts agree – there’s nothing like some good snail slime.

Leech Therapy – If snails had you going already, leeches are definitely going to put you over the top. Four words can sum this one up – live leeches, sucking blood. It makes us shiver. Celebs like Demi Moore swear by the treatment, said to be used as a natural detoxification. So, sure you might end up feeling younger and revitalized, but is it worth the cost?

Vampire Facial – How does having your blood sucked, separated, and pumped back into your face sound? Relaxing, revitalizing, terrifying, perhaps? We’re inclined to go with the latter. Made famous by Kim Kardashian, the vampire facial is thought to fight signs of aging with platelet-rich plasma found in the blood.  Some say there’s nothing like it. We say it’s the highlight of creepy spa treatments.

 

How is your venue celebrating Halloween this year? Share your plans and ideas in the comments!

Reducing your property’s operating costs makes perfect (water)sense

October 6, 2014

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its partners recently created an exciting program called the WaterSense® H2Otel Challenge to help hotels realize the benefits of saving water in their daily operations. By doing so, your property can…

  • Save on energy and operating costs
  • Reduce your community’s greenhouse gas emissions which contribute
    to climate change
  • Meet guests’ growing demand for green lodging practices while enhancing the guest experience with top-performing products

Beyond laundry

Many hotels already have water-saving programs for washing sheets and towels, but that’s only the beginning. Incorporating water-efficient products, processes and practices back of house, as well as in public areas, both inside and out can also save water and energy, and that means saving money, too.

The program offers a variety of ways for hotels to take the challenge and start saving.

For example, if making plumbing upgrades to restrooms, consider WaterSense®-labeled toilets, faucets and showerheads, like Sunbeam Hospitality’s new EPA WaterSense-certified showerheads. They are independently certified to use 20% less water than the federal standard and perform well to ensure guests’ satisfaction. Replacing existing showerheads with these models can save 4 gallons of water with every guest shower!

Double this savings by updating your faucets with a Sunbeam aerator and save up to
$17,300 a year!*

According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, instituting green towel and linen programs can reduce loads of laundry washed by 17%, saving water and energy.

A 400-room hotel in San Antonio, Texas, saves 7 million gallons of water and $35,000 in water and sewer bills each year and receives fewer maintenance calls from guests after updating guest room bath fixtures.

Dive in!

So, why wait? Join the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge today. By doing so, the EPA and its partners can provide you with all the tools you need to ACT…

  • Assess your water use and savings opportunities
  • Change products or processes to incorporate best management practices
  • Track your results using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager or another
    tracking tool

WaterSense is an EPA partnership program designed to help save water for future generations. To join the H2Otel Challenge, sign in here.

 *Sources: epa.gov; sunbeamhospitality.com; American Hotel and Lodging Association

Choose a sustainable alternative to vinyl curtains

September 29, 2014

Many shower curtains are still made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) – also known as vinyl – which includes harmful additives. One study found that PVC shower curtains contained high concentrations of phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive effects.1 Through our private Registry® brand, we ease your concerns with a high-quality alternative to vinyl.

 

Our Registry Deluxe PEVA Shower Curtains are made without chlorine, meaning they use fewer chemicals in construction and do not emit that strong chemical smell out of the package. Part of our Living Green collection of eco-friendly products, Registry Deluxe PEVA Shower Curtains are designed to support your sustainable approach to business.

 

  • Chrome-finished rustproof copper grommets prevent snags and tears while also providing an easy method to insert hooks.
  • Reinforced 3-ply top header improves durability and extends the life of the curtain.
  • Antimicrobial finish prevents bacteria from accumulating, and heat-sealed bottom hems prevent mildew buildup.

Registry Deluxe PEVA Shower Curtains should not be machine washed or dried, which saves you time and money. We recommend simply wiping down the curtain with soapy water after use. You should also note that California Proposition 65 requires vinyl shower curtains to have warning labels advising of potential cancer risk. PEVA curtains meet Proposition 65 requirements and do not require any such warning labels.

 

To learn more about the quality and value of this vinyl alternative, visit americanhotel.com or call us at 1-800-323-5686.

 

1. Abdollah T: That ‘new shower curtain smell’? It’s toxic, study says. Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2008, http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/13/local/me-showercurtain13, (Accessed 9/12/14).

Tips to better serve the business traveler

September 17, 2014

Tips to better serve the business traveler

Business travelers today have far different wants and needs than those in days past. Not only do they represent the fastest growing segment in travel spending but, despite the tumultuous economic playground in which they came to adulthood, this group likes to spend. That can only mean good things for your business. Here are some tips to help you better serve the modern business traveler:

  • Know your customer. We mean really know your customer. Understanding how business travelers are working while on the road is vital to keep up with the changes. Are they using video chat to hold meetings? Are they conducting business in their room, in a business center, the lobby? Be in the know or risk losing a significant portion of guests.
  • Go mobile. Your guests are mobile, so doesn’t it make sense that your venue should be mobile, too? Most hotels already offer online booking, but the easier and more accessible your venue is, the more likely you are to fill rooms. Take a cue from Choice Hotels, for example. The company last year launched a process that allows customers to book a room in three simple taps of a smartphone.
  • WiFi, WiFi, WiFi. You’ve heard it time and time again, the people want WiFi of the free variety. A recent survey proved what we’ve been hearing for ages – free WiFi is the number one factor influencing a business traveler’s choice in hotel.  Considering the staggering amount of time the modern working person needs internet connectivity, it just makes sense.
  • A business center. This is a must-have. Even if travelers prefer to work from their room, most will still rely on a business center for one reason or another – whether that be to use a printer, make copies, or, in the case of a personal computer crisis, hop onto one of the hotel’s desktop machines. Every top rated business hotel has one, so you should, too. Remember, it’s all about convenience, and a business center provides easy access for guests in need.

What successes have you had with evolving to suit the modern business traveler? Tell us in the comments!

Ways to welcome the whole family

September 4, 2014

Ways to welcome the whole family

With the hospitality industry experiencing resurgence, hotels can expect to see more guests – one type in particular. Children. That’s right, with infants, toddlers, teens and more adding their presence to your property, it’s time to prep rooms and programs for the onslaught, as Kimpton, Loews, and many others have now done.

For Infants and Toddlers:

  • Parents generally don’t want to snuggle baby (dangerously) into their bed, and they’re not likely to check-in with a crib in hand after traveling, so that means you need to have an alternative available upon request. Cribs are great, but if you’re working with a small space, play yards may be the way to go, as they can fold into a sleek, more compact form.
  • From the moment a baby becomes mobile, parent anxiety skyrockets. Ease parent’s minds and keep your little guests safer by preparing a ‘Safety Kit’, including outlet covers, nightlights, spout covers for the bathtub, and more.
  • Stock up on on-the-go items like strollers and car seats. If your venue can’t carry those items in-house, team up with a local business that does so you have a quick response when a parent asks.

For Older Kids:

  • For the walking, talking, more self-sufficient kids, invest in some rollaway beds. Depending on a child’s age and tendency to roll, some parents may be nervous about tucking their kids into a bed high off the ground. Rollaways are the solution.
  • Do you know any professional sitter services nearby? Pair up, hoteliers, because parents are on vacation, too, and they are sure to want a night or two out on the town.
  • Kids can be picky eaters, so make sure you have food options available to suit their selective palettes. Just be sure to keep it healthy to suit picky parents, as well.
  • How many times have you heard a kid say “I’m bored”? It’s your job to make sure there is plenty to keep those kiddies entertained. If your venue boasts a pool, you’re winning brownie points from the kids already, but don’t stop there. Consider organizing kid-friendly programs or renting out game consoles, board games and toys. Memories are made on family vacations, so make them fun.

How does your venue cater to the under 18 guest? Tell us in the comments!