The hotel and accommodation industry is thriving due to this generation’s creative lifestyle. With both young and old placing great value in self-care, there’s a strong demand for relaxing retreats.
Giving big hotel chains a run for their money are small and intimate inns that offer quirks and a different brand of hospitality. But, apart from the charming services that these more modest accommodations deliver, their keen attention to details allow them to really stand out in the competition.
Thus, if you own a bed and breakfast or an inn, and you wish for your services to leave an unforgettable impression on your guests, it’s imperative to create unique details to your hospitality. Make sure that these implements are what big and long-established hotels often miss, or no longer pay attention to. Five of them are listed below.
1. An interactive garden.
Gardens are standard features of all accommodations. However, most of the time, they are just perfectly landscaped pieces of land. What a lot of innovative inns are doing is they make their outdoor space interactive and a sanctuary for friendly creatures.
Top experts in landscape design and accommodations specialists say animals are the perfect implements for an interactive garden. Peacocks, ducks, and other exotic birds, and even puppies are welcome additions to an inn’s outdoor space – ditto with fish in the pond. These creatures automatically make the business more delightful and hospitable by serving as the inn’s extra welcome committee.
2. Dipping pools
Dipping pools are more common in Eastern hospitality. Traditional Chinese and Japanese inns offer these pools to let guests relax their feet after a long road trip.
The dipping pools are shallow and have warm flowing water to improve blood circulation. Guests are led to these pools as their rooms are prepared by the staff or just as a welcome treat. Quite often, the dipping pools are by the garden where guests can focus on the ideal setting of the inn. They get to relax their feet and all of their senses.
3. Fire pits
People are drawn to fire. Scientific studies show that it is man’s natural instinct to desire the warmth fire brings. Also, there’s something incredibly tantalizing about flames.
When people want to unwind, one of the best ways to help them do so is by lighting up some fire pits as the sun sets. The dancing fire manages to calm down nerves and even induce sleep or spark conversation with others.
4. Inviting tea rooms
There’s nothing quainter and classier than a tea room where inn guests can spend some quiet time either alone or with a beloved companion. The decorum tea rooms dictate, prompts people to slow down and enjoy the quiet and simple things in life.
But, do not just create a regal space for enjoying tea. Take into account the elements that make tea rooms the pinnacle of small accommodation hospitality. Let them be provisions for nourishing the body and soul. Make sure they open up to a scenic view of the inn’s outdoor space.
Likewise, think of clever integrations that are functional and visually pleasing as well. For example, transformable doors and windows to control the amount of natural ventilation, illumination, and view never fail to impress, especially if they are installed by a reputable interior fit-out company.
5. Exposed wood ceiling beams.
Studies reveal that exposed wood promotes feelings of coziness and induce relaxation. Therefore, if inns can incorporate exposed wood into their interior design, they become more hospitable accommodations.
Wood ceiling beams, mainly, are perfect. Most people think they make the structure more durable and safe. The sight of the beams creates a feeling of security.
The accommodations industry is ferociously competitive. Thus, if there are ways for every hotel or inn to up its hospitality game, it certainly should. Fortunately, these ways are rarely outrageously pricey. They are more focused on going a little extra on the provisions that are standards of the place and you can easily use them for your business.
Author Bio
Rachel Hennessey manages the Pools and Landscaping Division of Hennessey LLC. She also works on Tender and Pre-Qualification and brings in new business to the company’s Construction, Interiors and Civils Division.