We walk out and in of hotels not knowing what is going on on in the opposite rooms. But now we’ve just a few clues – and a few of them are bizarre.
A Hotels.com survey highlighted essentially the most surprising requests, services and anecdotes of its partner hotels and showed the lengths to which some hotel employees are prepared to go to accommodate guests.
“By asking hotels to reveal the secrets behind their most memorable stays, we discovered that these ‘Innsights’ actually served as inspiration for the services available to guests today,” said Melanie Fish, vice chairman of world public relations at Hotels.com, in a press release concerning the Hotel Room Innsights Report.
Some of the strangest room service orders include a bath crammed with Evian “so a child can bathe in the purest water,” a hot dog with caviar, burnt toast, 4 kilos of bananas, a customized meal for a pet that is freed from allergens reminiscent of gluten and dairy, and a “high five from a team member to make sure their room service order was read.”
Hidden extras include a guitar concierge for guests who need to play guitar of their room, and pet services reminiscent of access to top-notch dog groomers and a veterinary acupuncturist “for stressed pets.”
Examples of things left behind also provide insight into what guests were as much as and what hotel staff did to assist them.
One time, a pet lizard was found and returned to its owner. Guests also left behind casts, a automobile tire, and construction pipes. And a few of the most costly items left behind by guests included a $6 million watch and a Birkin bag.
“Despite efforts such as lost and found services, some hotel employees have gone to extremes to return guests’ belongings,” the Hotels.com report said. “One hotel hero drove 100 miles to return a passport, another walked several blocks to deliver items before a cruise ship departed, and another went on a shopping spree to replace a lost teddy bear for a young traveler, including a book of the bear’s adventures.”
Some luxury hotels have stepped up their efforts in other ways, reminiscent of investing more in merchandise as wearing branded items has change into a hot fashion trend, in response to a Bloomberg report last month.
For example, the corporate Aman sells a $2,700 Monogram “A” Tote BagMandarin Oriental offers a Cotton and leather bag for 166 dollars, and the Hotel Eden in Rome sells a handmade yellow canvas bag for $500.
“Merchandise is a status symbol for many people, depending on whether it’s an upscale hotel or a major hotel,” Leora Lanz, an associate professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, told Bloomberg. She said hotel swag is bragging rights along the lines of “if you know, you know.”
