What can we learn from hotels? Industry expert Kate Barnett gives us pointers.

This week I traveled to St. Louis for a family wedding and stayed in a Marriott International branded hotel for the first time in a while. Clearly I typically favor vacation rentals. That being said, I fully recognize that the hotel industry is part of our broader hospitality family and there are a plethora of strategies we can continue to learn from each other.

1) Welcome signs.

Many hotel brands will welcome guests with their names displayed on the tv. This is virtually free but can do so much to help establish a warm and welcoming check in. I still vividly remember a vacation rental my husband and I stayed in years ago in Townsend, TN that wrote “Welcome Kirschner Family” on a white board. Why is that still so memorable after staying in DOZENS of accommodations since then? … because from our experience it’s a simple, effective, but rarely leveraged hospitality strategy.

2) Lamps and nightstands by both sides of the bed.

You’re trying to encourage positive family memories here. Do you really want to force Mr. and Mrs. Jones to compromise on who gets to comfortably charge their phone at night within an accessible distance?

3) Two key cards with the open option to request more at no cost.

I.e. Just get an electric keypad already. There are so many great options out there now who support keyless entry and so much more such as PointCentral and dormakaba to name a few.

4) White sheets.

There’s a reason Westin hotels famously popularized this in the 90’s and nearly every mainstream hotel brand has followed suit. White sheets help assure guests that the home is clean and helps establish an impression of luxury. The added bonus is they’re easier to clean/bleach too!