Key ingredient #2 :Facilities

Facilities include many important features of any luxury hotel, starting with a prime location. As one famous saying goes, there are three important factors in the hotel business: location, location, and… location[1] The building quality, as well as the upkeeping of its public areas will also be determinant. Here are some international standards of facilities expected in a luxury hospitality establishment:

Enhanced room features

• King sized bed is the norm, with a firm mattress and natural fiber sheets
• At least two generous and fluffy pillows, made of natural fibers. Many luxury hotels offer pillow menus, enabling the guest to choose from different grades of firmness and sizes
• Large windows, featuring natural lighting, high quality curtains blocking out the light for a peaceful sleep
• The room should be spacious enough, for instance a room at the Plaza Athénée in Paris is 270 square feet[2]
• Design and furnishings should be of high quality and well maintained
• Air control should be silent and efficient. In some high-altitude hotels, oxygen is even piped into the rooms at guest’s request, for an additional fee. This is the case at the Hotel Monasterio in Cusco, Peru, located in the Andes, at 11,000 feet altitude.

• Overall there should not be any cheap touches, and original art should be displayed on the walls
• Special attention to small aesthetics details is key too, for example no electric cables should be visible
• Technology: use of technology is a must have for any modern luxury hotel, with one main goal in mind: increasing the guest’s comfort and security. There are numerous examples of technology use in the luxury industry: radio frequency identification (RFID) room keys, central control of air conditioning, heating units and lighting, vocal assistants and many others
• Storage space: there should be a dedicated space for storage of the guest’s personal belonging, including an electronic personal safe, and quality hangers, not the anti-theft ones, or made of thin plastic
• A comfortable reading chair should be available, as well as a desk and quality stationary

• An expresso coffee maker, with a choice of premium coffee, including decaffeinated, and a selection of whole leaf premium teas
• A full length mirror
• Quality bathrobes and slippers

Bathroom

• Enough space should be available
• Marble or tiles without chips and regularly polished
• A bathtub, which should large enough to comfortably accommodate two guests
• A high-quality shower, with strong water pressure and easy to operate temperature controls
• Luxury branded amenities, including bar soap
• An effective ventilation
• Double sinks
• High quality terrycloth, and large towels
• Bidets for Europe, toto toilet in Asia

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[1] Location, Location, Location is a Channel 4 property programme, presented by Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer and produced by IWC Media, part of the RDF Media Group. The reality show follows Allsopp and Spencer as they try to find the perfect home for a different set of buyers each week. Wikipedia

[2] https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/paris/hotel-plaza-athenee/rooms-suites/classic-guestroom/

Next week’s article : Key ingredient # 3 : Processes