Zillions of folks travel and stay in hotels every day and all travelers, while booking a stay, want a hotel accommodation that leaves them longing to come back or not wanting to leave right away. What are the traits that leaves a guest longing to come back? What really makes a hotel stay memorable? What sets one hotel apart from others? Whether it is the serene and plush location, a sumptuous breakfast, atypical architecture, a hospitable concierge with tips on what to do in town, or great hospitality; some hotels make you feel so much at ease and make all the difference to your trip or vacation. Following are some of the notable hotel traits that can set a hotel apart from all the rest:
Imposing and Unique Style: A prime factor that sets a hotel apart from all of the rest is the 'style'. An imposing and unique style consciously and subconsciously creates a visual experience that reassures the guests that they've made the right hotel selection. Upbeat colors, somber elegance or imperial interiors all work to create a visual experience of the property. The stairs, hallway, elevators and atrium all contribute to the overall feeling that they will get when they open the door to their room. Some of the best five star hotels in Delhi are heritage hotels and are characterized by their own individual styles and identities. The experience of a stay in one of them is one of a kind and fills the guests with an overwhelming feeling of royalty and glory.
An Intelligent and Exuberant Staff: A hotel stands out among the best of the best because of its “hospitality personality,” which goes beyond cheerfulness. To be incredible, a hotel needs a team — both management and front-line staff – with great emotional intelligence; people who have intellect, empathy, intuition and genuineness. Not to ignore, kindness, graciousness and humor are also important. A staff who discreetly makes guests feel comfortable and important. Even the most luxurious hotels with the swankiest rooms will lose without creating personal connections with guests.
Easy Check-in and Check-out: Check-in should be personalized, fast, gracious, friendly, and systematic. A guest's first contact with the hotel is the doorman and bellman. They should communicate “warm welcome” through each of their gestures. The luggage should be delivered to room as early as possible. What makes a guest feel more important and special is personalized communication and eye contact. Checkout should also be as convenient and stress-free as possible. There should be an express checkout option. The staff should be happy to review the bill with you, discreetly.
Exceptional and Personalized Room Service: You know incomparable service when you find it; it feels intense and rare, but at the same time absolutely expected – the way things should be. At a great hotel, the room allocated to you should match your expectations and needs. A true luxury hotel will accommodate your request regarding factors viz. room type or level; special room requirements like pet-friendly, physical location (pool facing/garden facing/secluded), senior friendly, king or twin beds and options as you desire. The Imperial, New Delhi is true luxury in this sense; it knows that there is more to making guests feel contented than providing an attired bed and clean towels. While some guests require concierge assistance for tour and travel information, there are others who have need of services like babysitting, dental kit, overnight shoe shine facility and more. They make the guest feel that they are special and valued.
Outstanding Hotel Dining: Naturally, when someone visits a new city and a luxury hotel they want to experience the best it has to offer. Most boutique hotels ensure a tasteful and memorable stay for their guests through exceptional culinary experiences. For instance, a five star hotel in Connaught Place, Delhi houses The Spice Route which has been heralded as one of the top ten restaurants in the world by Conde Nast Traveler and is proclaimed to be the only-one-of-its-kind. The South East Asian cuisine restaurant offers world famous menu crafted by the President's Awardee Thai national Chef Veena Arora. This indeed sounds like absolute luxury.
It's clear; for hotels to appeal to the modern tourist's yearning for luxury and genuineness, and to stand out from other hotels offering similar features and amenities, they should focus on selling an experience, not just a pretty room. In other words, a hotel should be a destination in itself.