Travel Weekly has surveyed travelers (a combination of business and leisure) to
see which hotel amenities are the most important to them when choosing a property.
We agree with most of these, but think that in-room coffee/tea service should be ranked
right up there near the top.
Nothing irritates us more than checking into a hotel room and finding NO coffee maker-Tiffany not so much, but Mandy, yes....what is up with that??? Anyway, see if your own personal “needs” are met with these hotel amenities:
1. Complimentary Breakfast – We guess everyone enjoys being able to grab a
quick breakfast in the lobby and enjoy it with 50 of your new best friends
(many of whom are still in their PJs). We tend to agree, especially when the coffee
is hot and fresh and they have the required waffle maker! In most of Europe,
breakfast is included in the room rate and can range from basic rolls & coffee
to a huge spread.
2. Good Shower Pressure – Yep...high on our list too. We have firm shower
pressure at home and always look forward to having it when we travel. It
can be a real treat if it’s not your norm!
3. Internet/Free Wifi – It always blows us a way that so many US hotels charge
upwards of $12.95 per day for WiFi access! All over Europe, even the smallest
mom & pop hotels (some of which we can recommend!) include free WiFi. We think this is worth
a revolution...who agrees?
4. Plenty of free parking – OK, we get it that some City-Center hotels don’t
have the space for parking and need to charge...And we are certainly willing to
tip a valet well for good service...but it sure is nice to have the option to self-
park your car for a reasonable fee, if not complimentary.
5. 24-hour Front Desk services – Not very high on our list....we are usually safely
stashed in our rooms before too late. But, we can see how it could be annoying
for a tired business traveler to pull into a hotel after a long drive and have no
one there to check-him/her in.
6. Non-Smoking facility – OK...shoot us, but we love having a totally non-smoking
hotel at my disposal-we are both allergic, so there’s that. Hawaii has a law forbidding smoking inside any hotels (with a few resorts that grandfathered in some smoking areas to cater to Asian tourists), and if it is good enough for them, it’s good enough for us! However, there has been a transition to non-smoking in recent years for most properties.
7. Swimming Pool – Only important to us if we are talking about a vacation
resort....and then it is essential. When kids are little, this may be a high priority for you, and we get it. An indoor pool may be a must so the kids can swim anytime. We can totally see how this is very important in hotels that cater to most families.
8. Bar with Happy Hour – UH, YEAH! We love to get libation in the evening....
9. Air Conditioning with in-room thermostats – Absolutely! We both like to sleep in a
cold room. Adjusting the thermostat should be a God-given right in any hotel room. Don’t get us started on the hotel in Panama City, Panama, that had a broken AC…man, that was a long hot night!!! So, even as travel advisors, we have experiences just like you, and we know what we prefer and work to make sure you get what you prefer when traveling.
10.Coffee and Tea in the Lobby – Sure, that’s nice, but it is even more
important to have the in-room coffee pots as mentioned above. We’ve noticed that
more and more resorts are forgoing their coffee service and putting a
Starbucks in the lobby so you can have the privilege of paying for your morning
caffeine – and having to get dressed before you can enjoy your first cup. No, thank you!
Keep in mind this was written before the new guidelines were created due to COVID-19. No idea what the future holds for in-room or group availabilities. This is something that may need to be updated as travel opens back up.
Did we leave out any of YOUR favorite hotel amenities? What makes you crazy if you
find it missing from your room? We’d love to know, so please comment below and let us know. We may include your favorite in an updated blog.
