14 minute read
THE BEDROOM
MORE THAN JUST THE BEDROOM
As part of our extensive feature, here are five bedroom amenities, specific to the popular countryside venue, The Grove, which contribute to making a lasting impression amongst their guests.
1NESPRESSO COFFEE MACHINE
Only the finest, high-quality, sustainable coffee will be served at The Grove. When visitors enjoy an overnight stay, they’ll be able to indulge in a delicious selection of Nespresso coffees from the comfort of their bedroom, each cup offering a unique and flavourful experience that certainly trumps coffee brewed from a kettle.
2LUXURY, CRUELTY-FREE BATHROOM PRODUCTS
When guests step through into the bathroom, a range of miniature ESPA bath products will be waiting to nourish and soothe their skin. As a five-star hotel, guests can expect the ultimate luxury and the highest quality, and the ESPA products are no exception, being natural, gentle on the skin and vegan-friendly. Overnight visitors come away feeling as good as new!
3THE MINIBAR
A variety of refreshments and snacks will be readily available in the hotel room’s minibar, and ours is equipped with a tasty selection of nuts, biscuits and crisps, as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages to tickle taste buds. The newest addition to The Grove’s minibars are small bottles of the own-brand lemon and honey-infused gin that was created in partnership with Puddingstone Distillery.
4BESPOKE AMENITIES
To add a personal touch to guests’ stays, the Guest Experience team and housekeeping offer some wonderful bespoke amenities, including branded items from The Grove’s golf shop, ESPA products, birthday cakes and other treats to celebrate special occasions. Amenities sometimes include The Grove’s own brand of beer and The Grove Gin. For little guests, small toy boxes are carefully organised and include a cuddly toy version of The Grove’s donkey mascot named Earl Grey.
5DOGGIE CARE PACKAGE
The Grove’s five-star service isn’t solely for human guests alone! If someone is travelling with a four-legged friend, their room will be waiting with a small doggie care package containing a toy, a mitt and a towel to use on their dog’s paws after their walk before entering the hotel, plus the all-important bio-degradable poop bags. The guest’s canine companion will also be provided with their very own bed and dog bowl for dinner time. Because dogs deserve the paw-fect service too!
@thegrovehotel
A WALK THROUGH
As part of our wide-ranging Bedroom Edit, we walk through the different elements of a bedroom, sharing ideas on how to position certain amenities in order to elevate a guest’s stay and therefore gain repeat custom.
Hotels around the world pride themselves on style and comfort, from premium suites in London to boutique bed and breakfasts in the Cotswolds, the bedroom is often the pinnacle of the hotel stay for guests.
There are many aspects that make up the idyllic bedroom, all of which contribute to helping visitors embark on a journey during their stay. From the minibar to the bed, and the bathroom to the dressing gowns, an amenity is defined as ‘a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place.’ For hotels, the options are endless and each one serves a purpose in only elevating an experience.
General Manager at The Guardsman, Eva Mount, believes that the bedroom needs to be elegant and calming to provide the sanctuary that guests desire, whilst delivering all their needs and wants: “We have several guests who return time and again thanks to the comfort, design and ambiance that we have created; this, together with ensuring all personal preferences are noted and executed, are what makes a stay at The Guardsman so memorable.”
At The Guardsman, each guest is escorted to their bedroom where a detailed explanation of all the amenities will be given. The team at the London-based hotel believe the whole experience, from the quality of the bed to the well-thought-out design features, make for a great welcome and stay in their bedrooms. Who doesn’t love a luxuriously made bed with crisp, white Egyptian cotton sheets in a room lit by Tom Dixon?!
Eva commented: “The amenities within a bedroom make the experience complete. We choose British suppliers that reflect our desire to celebrate the British Isles. All rooms contain Noble Isles products that are made with rhubarb from Yorkshire, samphire from Ireland, barley from Scotland and beetroot from Wales.”
The brands The Guardsman stock in the hotel are carefully selected to enhance the guest experience and provide the right levels of pampering. For example, the sustainable Noble Isle amenities in each bathroom,
Pg 14: The Guardsman Pg 15 left: Respa beds at Cheval Place, Knightsbridge Pg 15 right: Middle Eight
delightfully comfortable bathrobes (personalised for longstay guests) and British-supplied Canton Tea all help to create The Guardsman brand that guests desire.
Naturally, the experience is different for each guest. What’s important is understanding varying needs and ensuring the flow of the room works for the individual in question: “This can range from adding a baby bath and nappy bin to a family room, to pet beds and feeding bowls for guests who bring their dog with them. Our years of experience in hospitality enables us to get this right and makes for a great stay. Nothing at our hotel is set in stone; we pride ourselves on tailoring every guest’s stay to suit them.” Added Eva.
Three key features Eva believes are integral to making a welcome to the bedroom special are: a good night’s sleep, an invigorating rainfall shower and a guest’s drink of choice: “These are the absolute pillar stones for any hotel stay.
“At The Guardsman, our guests have told us that our beds are like sleeping on a cloud. What better compliment could we ask for? A selection of pillows, high-stand toppers and high thread count cotton are just some of the absolute essentials we provide as standard.
“In addition, we know what drinks our guests prefer and ensure they are stocked in their minibar prior to arrival. If it’s a special tea they like, we are also able to supply that for them too.”
For many, the morning hasn’t begun until a hot beverage has been enjoyed, and over the years, introducing features in order for guests to help themselves has become standard in many venues. Sarah Eastman, Beverages Category Manager at leading ingredients supplier Henley Bridge, advises that the quality of your tea offering speaks volumes about your business as a whole.
“In-room drinks provision is one of the first things to be inspected by hotel guests, and having a premium brand on display makes a great first impression, and provides instant pleasure and gratification.
“Most discerning guests expect a variety of flavours of tea to suit their needs at different times of the day. As well as English Breakfast and Earl Grey, also consider offering peppermint and camomile teas, which are known for their soothing/calming attributes, plus a green tea and one or more fruit teas or infusions.
“Dilmah’s Vivid collection of teas include flavours such as Springtime Oolong with Ginger, Natural Lemon Verbena, Ceylon tea with chocolate and Mint, and Apple Pie and Vanilla. The t-series range includes Ceylon Cinnamon Spice, Rose with French Vanilla and Moroccan Mint Green Tea. Both ranges are available individually foil-wrapped, and Dilmah also produces bamboo presentation boxes to ensure the sachets are displayed beautifully. With a lift-up lid, the boxes should ideally take pride of place on your inroom drinks station.
“As well as looking for aspirational brands, a growing number of hotel guests are also demanding products which
are backed by solid sustainability and ethical credentials. Dilmah Tea is the only international tea brand owned by tea growers, and is picked, perfected and packed at the Dilmah Tea Gardens in the home of the world’s finest tea – Ceylon.”
For Christian Graf, General Manager at Middle Eight, the initial introduction to the room when a guest arrives is pivotal for getting off on the right foot. At the popular Middle Eight hotel, guests will be accompanied by a host who will have checked them in at reception, already establishing a rapport with them.
Christian said: “In the room, having someone there who can actually walk through the space on a journey with them is the best welcome possible. This, coupled with little touches such as a selection of homemade cakes or pastries, really sets the tone for their whole stay.”
In terms of brands and choosing one, or a selection, which will align to your property’s ethos, this must be done meticulously. Choose the feel and the overall appearance you want to give off and tie it in through the entirety of the bedroom. Christian explained: “All the brands we work with, including Anatomē which supply our bathroom products, have been carefully chosen for a mixture of their credentials, their ingredients and their aesthetic appeal.”
Staying in a hotel can be restful, due to the unfamiliar surroundings for many visitors. Individual experiences vary due to hotel location, amenities and services, or the reason for the stay. Whether guests are traveling solo for business, enjoying a romantic getaway with their partner, or simply having a pit-stop during a long journey, one of the most important things consumers will do at an overnight venue is sleep. For that reason, a comfortable sleeping environment is ideal.
Leaders in providing hotel beds, Respa have been manufacturing beds for over 70 years and have a full range of mattresses, divans and headboards to suit any hotelier’s needs. The brand supply 5-star clients, such as the Ampersand in Kensington and Cheval Residences, deep fully upholstered divans and their super luxurious Sublime mattress, which together make a 65cm high bed (mattress 30cm, divan 35cm). The height of the bed coupled with a bespoke headboard make the bed the central feature of the room, giving a sense of luxury and opulence.
Flexible sleeping options seem to be a key factor with guests requiring different sleeping requirements. The midweek businessperson may want a comfortable spacious room to sit, sleep and work, whereas a family holiday or weekend trip requires beds for all the family.
Respa Beds Marketing Manager, Samantha van Wyk, said: “At Respa we understand the hotelier’s predicament and have developed a full range of sleeping options to meet every eventuality. Zip and Link beds can be either a luxurious super king bed or two comfortable singles, add the option of underbeds and a family of four can be accommodated easily. Add a sofa bed to the room and this creates the option of sleeping up to six guests.
“Sofa beds are designed to look and feel as comfortable as any sofa, use Sedac contract grade mechanisms and a 14cm hand tufted, fully sprung mattress for a comfortable night’s sleep.”
Samantha agrees that the basic function of any type of
Pg 16 top left: Josiah George Florence Sofabed from Respa Beds Pg 16 bottom left: Middle Eight Pg 16 right: Twinings Sleep Pg 17: The Guardsman
accommodation is to provide a good night’s sleep. There are many contributing factors to achieve this, however a comfortable mattress is the number one priority which will often lead to positive feedback on review sites. Everyone checks out reviews before booking, therefore this can lead to additional custom where poor reviews can drive potential guests away.
“We are always amazed by how many people contact us wanting to buy their hotel bed, which is why we work The Hotel Bed Company (www.thehotelbedcompany.com) where guests can purchase the bed and bedding they slept on and have that hotel bedroom experience at home. Working in partnership with hoteliers also means there is potential for extra revenue from guests purchasing their Respa bed.”
Whilst comfort is absolutely key when sleeping on a hotel bed, the aesthetic element is as important too. When thinking about providing the perfect guest experience, comfort and overall look should be on par with one another.
Wade Dyer, Customer Development Executive (Hotels) for Twinings UK&I, knows that guests all want something slightly different from their hotel stays, but if you ask, many will want to feel welcomed and get a great night’s sleep.
“In an increasingly fast-paced and stressful world, a way in which you can help to create an ‘Unwinding Occasion’ is with Twinings Superblends Sleep tea bags. A calming blend of Camomile, Vanilla & Spiced Apple, this product is a fantastic way to help your guests to unwind and relax whilst giving your rooms a premium point of difference vs. other hotels that customers might’ve stayed in.” Added Wade.
Who said tea has to be merchandised on a tray next to the kettle? Twinings Superblends Sleep is merchandised in individual envelopes, meaning you can get creative with where it’s presented to your guests.
“Simple extras such as placing a couple of envelopes on the pillow or in a cup by the bedside can assist in improving the guests’ journey to consumption, thus enhancing their stay experience. Give it a try!” Wade concluded.
It’s factual to say that all hotel bedrooms have two things in common in the sense they include a bed and a bathroom. The rest is up to you! As we’ve evaluated, added extras in the bedroom will only encourage guests to return and it’s not simply about ‘having them’, it’s about how you have them, the positioning, the brand and the message they give. For more details on how you can elevate an experience through the bedroom, get in touch.
PERFECT BLEND
Café Casa for hotels.
Café Casa is a family-run coffee label that prides itself on luxury at great value. We are passionate about enhancing coffee culture in hotels up and down the UK, delivering a convenient “all-in-one” service.
Coffee culture can make or break the guest experience. It’s a little detail that means a great deal. Research suggests that up to two-thirds of consumers judge the quality of a hotel based on its coffee alone.
Café Casa ensures your establishment meets every demand from front-of-house to the privacy of your hotel rooms, with luxury coffee and additional supplies that are sustainably sourced.
When accompanied with our premium equipment, including barista coffee machines, self-service coffee machines, and pod coffee machines, you’ll experience a convenient solution.
Good quality coffee drives, motivates, and connects us. It’s no surprise that coffee culture has overspilled from the traditional coffee shop to become a symbol of a great hotel stay.
Our exclusive Finca Blend coffee beans are a perfect accompaniment to our professional coffee machines, delivering an experience that is fit for your bar or restaurant.
Meanwhile, our innovative coffee bags, packing 8g of freshly ground coffee in each single-serve bag, streamlines coffee delivery in your hotel rooms, too.
Hotel room coffee is witnessing an exciting evolution, whereby consumers are demanding better quality facilities in line with what they can enjoy in other environments and locations.
Coffee is the foundation of wellbeing and positivity, so it makes sense to add a touch of luxury to a personal space where your consumers will spend much of their time with you.
We have recently invested a lot of time and money into our hotel room trays, where our coffee bags and sticks are central to a grand refreshment solution that includes cost-effective coffee machines and additional single-serve amenities.
Meanwhile, away from our coffee supplies, we also offer delicious hot chocolate and single-serve tea bags that are hand blended here in the UK. Because we know that choice is important.
Backed up by customer service that emits a personal touch, you haven’t experienced a coffee and hot drinks solution until you’ve experienced Café Casa.
www.cafecasa.co.uk
• Serving front of house to hotel rooms • Professional coffee machines for bar and restaurant • Exclusive Finca Blend coffee beans • Tailored hotel room trays to meet consumer demand • Cleaning equipment, ancillaries and more
Café Casa takes the hassle out of hospitality coffee solutions. Our luxury range is incredibly diverse to meet demand from front of house to hotel rooms, helping to solidify a positive guest experience.
