How do you know a hotel’s right for you? As someone who has spent more days living on the road than at home the last three years or so, I’ve pretty much gotten to a point where I know where I need to stay, and how my stay will be pretty much before I get there. Let’s face it, life on the road doesn’t have to suck if you make the road a part of your “home” life. To make hotels feel more like another home, or apartment, I thought back to how I used to rent cars from Hertz. It always was one of three cars. All Fords. A Thunderbird. A Mustang or an Explorer. That was it. Why? I knew exactly where everything was in the car. How they were supposed to handle and how to drive them. A few years later I switched to Dollar for their Chrysler 300s, Sebrings and even the Chargers and now sometimes a Challenger, if the price is right. With Avis, I nowadays, I want the Camaro, and when I’m in Europe I do everything I can to get a BWM 3.x series rental from SIXT or Hertz. Why? Familiarity. I rent at the same counters, at the same airports and at the same train stations whenever I can. It makes returns easier and loyalty over time pays.
So with hotels, I realized the more I stay in places I like, the happier, and yes, less lonely life on the road is. Why? Because the staff makes you feel like you have family around. Now, when I’m in place I like and I actually run into my housekeeper, I hand her some money, just for being there to help. I praise people who do a good job and point out flaws to management, oftentimes suggesting ways to improve things from the perspective of a well-traveled executive.
So here are some tips on how you know a hotel is more than just a place to sleep:
1. You feel like you can walk the halls in your stocking feet.-The carpet is so soft and padded you feel like you’re walking on air.
2. They know you’re coming. – You get advance notes from the Guest Relations Person that are not computer generated.
3. The elevators seem to be waiting for you. Remote in room sensors signal the elevator you’re on your way.
4. They have an honor bar/larder you can raid-The food and the coffee are free.
5. In your room are munchies, bottled water and fluffy bathrobes, sometimes with your name on it.-These extra touches separate the just okay hotels to the ones you want to come back to.
6. The WiFi rocks. This means you can make Skype calls and have video chat with loved ones far away.
7. The security is not obvious, but it’s always around.-No one wants to feel like they hall monitor is at work.
8. You don’t hear the bill being slipped under your door.-Because it’s already been emailed to you.
9. The cordless phone really works. – Who wants to sit where the phone is.
10. The staff has conversations with you. – They actually know where things are, can provide real travel directions, options, and don’t have to only send you to the concierge.
11. You sleep through the night. Even with road noise and neighbors, a great hotel offering a good nights sleep is heavenly.
Excellent post Andy. I do travel a bit myself and about 3 years ago I made a change to my travel habits. For years I used to go to the same hotels, same places, same restaurants in the hope to be recognized as a loyal customer to maximize my travel experience.
Loyalty can become your worse enemy – mostly while on the road. I hate familiarities, accepting downgrades or that last room near the ice machine because you are already THEIR customer.
So 3 years ago I decided to give up on Air France (Platinum Club 2000 Skyteam Elite with lifetime status) for American Airlines (after a short challenge I was awarded a similar status at AA.com), and more important I wanted to discover new places. Traded my Inter-Continental, Starwood, Hilton Honors cards for boutique hotels only.
Standard greetings in those charming hotels are way above the ‘exclusive elitist bs’ you get when checking in at any luxury chains. Often those boutique hotels host incredible bars or/and restaurant. But most important is the discovery factor during business trips. I never have time to visit town so I make my stay a unique experience. And it’s totally worth it.