Strategies to Cope with the New Normal in Hospitality Industry

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Businesses in the hospitality industry, particularly hotels and accommodations, confront the need to adapt new strategies for the new normal. Since the pandemic started, requirements have changed and it will take more than just the usual stuff to attract hotel guests.

Whether or not you have already taken initial steps to adapt to the new normal, this article shares some of the key aspects that you should not overlook when implementing measures to cope with changes.

Key Strategies for the Hospitality Industry

Make Security a Top Priority

Most travelers today are still hesitant to travel and stay in a hotel or any accommodation. While restrictions in many destinations have already been lifted due to the vaccine rollout, the idea of staying in a place for a few days still causes hesitation for some. You may also be demanded to provide strict protocols that will ensure their security.

As a hotel owner, you can implement security measures particularly those that establish safety and hygiene practices to give your guests the peace of mind they need.

  • Inform them about your efforts to stay updated by being in constant contact with local authorities.
  • Practice contact tracing. Keep a registry with records of your guests and employees recent travel history.
  • Offer hotel transfers. Public transportation increases the risk of infection, if resources are available, offer them transportation to and from your hotel.
  • Use and maintain clean linens and beddings. Follow a strict laundry protocol and choose high-quality linens that your guests will surely appreciate.
  • Regularly disinfect your hotel. Use chemicals that are approved for fighting COVID-19 infection.
  • Train your employees about COVID-19 protocols so that they’ll be confident and capable of maintaining security in your hotel.

Be Flexible to Unforeseen Changes

This is a time when changes happen unexpectedly. Cancellations may happen due to sudden changes in travel restrictions. These changes affect both hotel owners and customers so it is important to develop new policies that will help you adapt and offer your customers greater confidence. Some of the implementations that you may consider include:

  • Develop a new cancellation policy. Implement new measures in case of disasters, epidemics, and other emergencies.
  • Consider offering free cancellations. This is an advantage that guests will consider important at this time.
  • Adjust check-in and check-out times. This is one way to assure your guests that they won’t have to settle in common areas that may expose them to other people.

Improve the Level of Hospitality Your Hotel Offers

Travel and vacations are now a luxury. Give your hotel guests an experience that will make them realize that the risk of traveling and staying in your hotel is truly worth it. 

  • Make essential information about your hotel available online including contact numbers and exact location.
  • Be more prompt in answering inquiries and offer as much detail as possible especially about the services you offer, security information, concierge services, restrictions, and others.
  • Ensure that all the hotel essentials and amenities that your guests may need will be available in their room or upon request. A basic sanitation kit must also be provided upon checking in.
  • Provide round-the-clock medical care and assistance.
  • Keep them informed about your protocols and the additional services you offer by displaying important information.

ALSO READ: How to Choose the Best Hotel Amenities Supplier

Hotel owners and guests go through adjustments to adapt to the new normal. Things may be more demanding these days but overall, it’s about providing hotel guests with the essentials they need at this time. With the right strategies in place, you will leave no room for them to doubt the safety, security, and level of hospitality that your hotel offers under the new normal.

Energy Management Tips that Will Save Hotel Owners a Lot of Money

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One of the measures that can save hotel owners a lot of money is energy saving. While it may seem simple, the challenge is how you can implement cost-saving measures without turning off your guests or sacrificing the quality experience offered in your hotel. Here are some energy management tips that you can start with.

5 Energy Management Tips for Hotel Owners

1. Practice Diligent Monitoring

One of the basic energy management tips that can spare you from costly maintenance is regular and diligent monitoring. You have to see to it that everything is functioning optimally to avoid waste, unnecessary costs, and even hazards. Through this, you can identify systems that need to be fixed and get them restored to their optimal condition.

2. Anticipate Potential Problems

One has to be assertive enough to report the problems that may potentially cause losses. Equipment malfunction causes inefficiencies and tends to consume more energy and may cause an increase in utility costs. Furthermore, there are also wear-and-tear issues that may cause severe problems with a machine when disregarded which may result in costly replacements.

3. Choose Energy-Efficient Appliances

A simple but very effective energy management tip is to invest in the right appliances and in-room equipment for your hotel. You may also assess the need to upgrade your hotel amenities. Even if that would mean additional expenses, your savings from their running costs can easily make up for it.  

Keep in mind that most hotel guests usually keep room appliances on for as long as they’re in the room. By choosing appliances with an energy-efficient rating, you can reduce energy usage and electricity costs without getting in the way of the comfort and convenience your guests expect. 

4. Conserve Water

Reducing water consumption doesn’t have to mean limiting the resources you offer to your guests. There are now specialized appliances that can prevent losses by letting your money just pour down the drain, literally. 

Consider a bathroom upgrade and choose water-saving faucets and showerheads. Low flow faucets control water use and avoid waste. Other options include faucet aerators and sensors that aid inefficient use of water.

Another way to consume less water is to explore the latest in textile technology. For instance, EcoKnit towels help lower laundry and operational costs. They consume less detergent per cycle and reduce water use by 15% per wash so you are assured of huge savings in the long run.

5. Upgrade to More Efficient Lighting

Automated lighting may seem too expensive but you have to consider their energy efficiency too. Consider it as a sophisticated way to ensure that lights are turned off when not in use. You don’t even have to instruct your guests and make a bad impression because these lights will do what’s necessary for you.

Another option is to replace old bulbs with LED lights. This is an affordable and easy strategy that you can implement. With LED, rooms are brighter so there’ll be no need for additional lights. It is also designed to ensure energy efficiency so you can expect lower energy bills.

ALSO READ: The Principles Behind Ecotourism that Hotels Must Adopt

There’s a big responsibility that comes with running a hotel. When it comes to energy management, you have to come up with solutions that can save you money, help protect the environment, and ensure comfort for your guests. These changes may seem too big to take but the results of these actions will greatly cause a reduction in expenses and may drive new customers to your hotel.

Tips in Finding the Best Hotel Linens

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Hotel linens are one of the most important amenities you’ll need for your hotel. They refer to fabric housekeeping items that are used daily such as beddings, pillowcases, duvet covers, flat sheets, and towels. When you’re running a hotel you have to make sure that you’ll be able to offer comfort and relaxation for your guests. It’s not enough to give them a nice room to stay in, you also have to provide them with the best hotel linens that can be one of the reasons why they’d want to book your accommodation again.

Finding excellent quality hotel linens may seem simple, but you might be facing a blank wall without proper knowledge and the right hotel amenities supplier. To help you out, here are some of the tips you need to know.

How to Find the Best Hotel Linens

Bed linen

Know the thread count.

When it comes to bed linen, pillow, sheets and duvet covers are included. These are some of the bedroom essentials that you need to choose carefully. One effective way to assess its quality is through its thread count. As a rule, the higher the thread count, the better. You can expect bed linen that is soft and luxurious to touch with increased thread count. 

  • 800 to 1000 thread count – these are the most luxurious bed linen and feature the fullest and softest materials compared with lower thread count. However, bed linens with 1000 thread counts are rare. 
  • 200 to 800 thread count – these are classified as good linen. Usually, these are the sheets with light cotton, cool, soft and smooth materials. The 400 thread count is the preferred bed linen of a large number of hotel chains around the world.

While higher thread counts are more luxurious, there are bed linens with a lower thread count that are nice to look at and elegant to feel because of the processes that they’ve gone through.

Consider the fabric used.

This factor depends on personal preferences and the aesthetic aspect of hotel rooms. When choosing the type of fabric, it helps to know the following terms:

  • Sateen 

A cotton cloth made with a satin weave and its top surface has more threads than others. Its weave produces a very soft and elegant feel. It is suited for luxurious accommodations but due to its tighter weave, it may also be less durable.

  • Percale 

Crisp and durable. This is a type of plain weave fabric commonly used for sheets and mostly made from carded and combed yarns. Since it is a very strong type of fabric, it is also very suited to the demands of hotels and accommodations.

  • Combed cotton 

This refers to the type of fabric that has been combed to remove the short fibers and retain the long ones to create a soft but strong.

Bath towels

Be familiar with the different types of bath towels.

There are different types of bath towels and you’ll find a selection that differs in sizes. Bath towels are made differently as they serve different purposes.

  • Washcloths

These bath linens usually come in 12″ x 12″ or 13″ x 13″ sizes and are commonly used to wash the body and face. 

  • Hand towels

As their name suggests, hand towels are used to dry the hands after washing. Their sizes usually range from 15”-18” x 27”-32”.

  • Bath mats

This is the extra towel served to hotel guests which they can use to keep the floor dry so slips and falls are prevented. They usually come in 20″-22″ x 30″-36″ standard sizes.

  • Bath towels

These are the standard towels used to dry the hair and body after bathing. Their sizes range from 20”-30” x 40-60”. 

  • Bath sheets

These are the bigger versions of bath towels to provide more coverage and better water absorption. The standard sizes of bath sheets range from 35” x 66″-70”.

Know the weight classifications.

Did you know that the weight of a towel affects its absorbency? The higher the gsm, the heavier the weight and the more absorbent and luxurious towels will be. Here are the weight classifications of towels that you need to know.

  • Lightweight

These are the towels that weigh between 5-10 lb. per dozen. They are economical and are best for spas, motels and fitness centers.

  • Medium weight

Typically weigh between 10-15 lb. per dozen and are a standard choice for inns, hotels, and healthcare facilities. 

  • Heavy weight

The weight of these towels range from 15-20 lb. per dozen and are a common choice for the top hotels and spas.

ALSO READ: The Principles Behind Ecotourism that Hotels Must Adopt

The quality experience that your hotel can provide for your guests is one of the factors that can win you repeat clients. Ensure that they will have a unique and comfortable experience as a hotel guest through the best hotel linens that can make them feel that your accommodation is their home away from home. 

Hotel and Spa Essentials strive to help every hotel owner and managers by providing them with world-class hotel supplies. We are the exclusive distributor of Standard Textile and EcoKnit® terry towels. We can help you create a one-of-a-kind experience for your guests while helping you cut operational costs and take on sustainable measures through the technology offered by these brands. 

Contact us now for your hotel supplies needs.

How to Choose the Best Hotel Amenities Supplier

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Are you in the business of hotels or accommodations? The past year has been tough for the hospitality industry but with the economy opening up and with the vaccine rollout, the road to recovery may no longer be far from sight. 

The challenge now is to ensure that the guests you’ll accommodate will be given quality services and experience. One way to do this is to partner with the best hotel amenities supplier that can provide quality hotel essentials for your valued guests. Choosing the right provider has its operational and economical benefits. It can help you earn repeat clients and positive reviews. It can also be a way to promote cost-efficiency in your operations.

Thinking of finding a hotel amenities supplier to partner with? Here are some tips to help you.

5 Tips to Finding the Right Hotel Amenities Supplier for You

1. Consider your brand image.

The hotel amenities that you’ll acquire from your supplier should adhere to the standards you maintain in your hotel. If your goal is to make your hotel known for the luxurious experience it provides, you should choose a hotel amenities supplier that can provide hotel supplies similar to what 1st class hotels use. In the same way that when you want to exhibit a budget-friendly reputation, you should choose a supplier that offers affordable but quality hotel supplies.

2. Look into quality.

In any business, quality should be a primary priority. No matter what your budget is, you should not settle for products that are low-quality and could leave a negative impression on your hotel guests. By investing in high-quality hotel supplies, you can give your guests a reason to come back to your hotel and choose it even when other options are available.

3. Value consistency.

You should assess if a hotel amenities supplier can live up to their promises persistently. You may encounter suppliers that started great but later on fails to deliver effectively. Receiving defective products, experiencing delays, getting bad service and receiving poor customer support are among the red flags that tell you to find a better hotel amenities supplier that can provide your needs.

4. Know the current needs of your target market.

This is one of the most important considerations, especially today. The needs of your target market continue to evolve and should remain your top priority. At the time of the pandemic, it is not enough to prepare the usual supplies. You need to find a hotel amenities supplier that can also cover your need for sanitation kits, disinfectants, and other essentials for the new normal in hotels and accommodations. 

5. Find reputable hotel amenities suppliers.

One of the basic ways to find the right hotel amenities supplier is by basing your choice on their industry reputation. Most of the time, the brands that prevail are those that successfully satisfied their customers and maintained an excellent reputation throughout the years. 

ALSO READ: How to Convert Your Luxury Accommodation into a Sustainable Eco Hotel

One of the main goals of your hotel or accommodation is to give your guests the luxury experience they deserve. You have to provide them with in-room equipment, hotel amenities, and other hospitality products that will contribute to the quality of their stay. Fortunately, there are reputable hotel amenities suppliers that you can partner with. Through them, you’ll have nothing to worry about in terms of customer satisfaction.
Are you looking for high-quality and reliable hotel supplies? Hotel and Spa Essentials has been providing hotels and spas with luxury hotel amenities from trusted brands since 2002. Talk to us today so we can assist you with your needs.

The Principles Behind Ecotourism that Hotels Must Adopt

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Before the pandemic, ecotourism has started to gain its niche in the travel industry. In fact, it is a fast-growing segment that mainly focuses on conservation. Post-pandemic, a continuing shift toward ecotourism is expected. If you’re a hotel owner and wants to prepare for ‘new normal’ travel, there are principles behind ecotourism that you should know and adopt to your systems too.

What is Ecotourism?

Ecotourism is the responsible way to travel to natural areas that conserve nature and sustains the welfare of locals. It is a way to encourage travelers to do their part in protecting the environment and avoid degradation in any way while contributing to local communities instead of being just a typical tourist passing by.

  • It raises environmental awareness
  • It supports conservation efforts
  • It empowers local people
  • It respects local culture

How Your Hotel can Adopt Ecotourism Practices

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

One of the most important issues that hotel owners must address is the huge amount of waste produced each year. By strictly following the 3Rs, you can help in its reduction. There are now luxury hotel supplies that are available in eco-friendly dispensers and packages that should initiate your move towards proper waste management.

While directly instructing hotel guests to practice the 3Rs may seem off, you can motivate them by putting signs around the property about it. There are also materials that you can display to show the extent of damage that environmental waste can create.

2. Promote Energy Conservation

Conscious efforts must be made towards energy conservation. There are practices that must be changed in order to adopt measures that can preserve water and energy.

There are available alternatives to conventional and energy-consuming amenities. Eco-friendly showerheads, dual flush toilets, quick-drying towels and linens, and innovative technologies are just some of the options that you can try to adhere to ecotourism principles.

3. Create a Green Building

Greenhouse gases contribute to environmental destruction and you may not know it but your hotel is already guilty of this.

There are structures in your hotel that may need to be upgraded. Insulate walls and glasses so they won’t reflect the heat outside and you can keep your building cool naturally. Controlled lighting that automatically switches on and off as needed is also a good investment. Basic but important switches can result in taking huge steps towards turning your hotel into a green building.

ALSO READ: How to Convert Your Luxury Accommodation into a Sustainable Eco Hotel

Once travel resumes, the number of hotel guests that you can accommodate is also expected to increase. Why not take this time as an opportunity to upgrade your systems to make your hotel more eco-friendly? Ecotourism is a growing trend and as more people are more conscious about the environment now, you will be doing your business a favor while doing your part in protecting the environment at the same time. 
Hotel and Spa Essentials support environmentally-friendly initiatives. Contact us today to know how we can empower you to save the planet, one guest at a time.

How to Convert Your Luxury Accommodation into a Sustainable Eco Hotel

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Have you heard of discussions about the importance of choosing sustainable alternatives over usual choices? Sustainability gained popularity in recent years. Some people are quick to adapt and even encourage others to do the same. However, if you think it’s just a trend, it’s actually more than that. It’s more of a moral obligation to choose environmentally-friendly alternatives over conventional options. If you belong to the hospitality industry–particularly hotels and accommodations, there are steps that you need to take to support this worthy cause and make your business more competitive.

Here are some of the steps that you can take to turn accommodations into sustainable eco-hotels that can attract more guests and save you more money!

6 Ways to Help Turn Your Accommodation into a Sustainable Eco Hotel

1. Encourage guests to reuse linens

It isn’t essential to change linens daily. Even meticulous persons don’t change them from day-to-day back at their homes. Changing linens every 3 days or upon request is the ideal practice. You can leave request cards in the guest rooms so they can send a message easily if they need to replace their supplies. 

By getting more guests to reuse their towels and bed linens, you are able to reduce water, conserve energy, and eventually save more. 

2. Get rid of disposables

Traditionally, hotel supplies are offered in small packages–either wrapped in plastic or paper.  But if what you’re after is to make your hotel more sustainable, you can try other options. Aside from switching to natural and organic toiletries in recyclable packaging, you should also look into the option of using bulk dispensers. This will enable you to cut back on unnecessary waste and help protect the environment too.

Hotel and Spa Essentials offers eco-designed, large capacity dispensers that are made from sustainable materials and comply with EU cosmetic regulations to guarantee traceability and safety.

3. Choose green replacements

If there are things in your hotel that have eco-friendly counterparts, make the switch. Replace lights with LED to conserve energy. Choose in-room equipment that can minimize the carbon footprint of your hotel and allow you to save on energy costs too. When using linen, choose Standard Textile® sheets, pillowcases, and towels that were designed with durability in mind to offer extended service and maximum operational efficiency.

4. Make dining an eco-friendly experience

Discourage the use of plasticware, paper plates, and paper napkins in your hotel. After all, it is more homey and luxurious to eat using real ceramic dishes, silverware, and glasses. Make washable cloth napkins available for guests. Eliminate the use of plastic straws too. Aside from controlling your supply expenses, you are also able to reduce environmental waste.

5. Conserve water

Water is a limited resource and you should do your part in making sure that it is properly used in your hotel. One way to do that is by installing water savers on all taps and showers. Low-flow showerheads are designed to control water flow without affecting pressure. With this alternative, you can still preserve a quality hotel experience for your guests while also enforcing water conservation. 

There are also towels that are designed to reduce water consumption. EcoKnit® towels are the most advanced terry towels that reduce energy consumption and water usage. While they function to help the environment, they also preserve the soft cotton touch that hotel guests love.

6. Switch to eco-friendly maintenance

Your hotel’s efforts to move towards sustainability should be evident even in your choice of cleaning products. Swap the conventional options to safer and more natural cleaning supplies

Chlorine and other cleaners that contain chemicals are harmful to the environment and even to the skin. 

As more and more people gain awareness about the importance of sticking to an eco-conscious lifestyle, you can expect that hotel guests will have stricter preferences when it comes to accommodations. If your hotel hasn’t started with its green initiatives yet, it’s not yet too late.

Hotel and Spa Essentials offers eco-friendly hotel supplies and amenities from world-renowned brands. Let us help you move towards becoming a sustainable eco-hotel so you can stay competitive in your industry, attract more guests, and do your part in saving the environment.

Ready to make the sustainable switch? Contact us so we can present you with the most sustainable options on hotel supplies.

Hotel and Spa Essentials has Launched its New Website

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In the past months, Hotel and Spa Essentials’ team has been working on the improvement of its new and improved website. As we aim to provide our web visitors with a smooth and fulfilling browsing experience, we have made some improvements in terms of the website’s design and functionality. Now, we are ready to share with you our new and improved website!

New Website, Same Top-Quality Hotel Essentials

Our new website now bears our company logo to familiarize existing and potential customers with our brand.

We have chosen a clean and smooth interface to make browsing a trouble-free experience for all our website visitors. Our team has also picked images to effectively communicate our vision as a responsible supplier of environmentally-friendly hotel amenities and to promote the use of sustainable hotel solutions. Through our website, we hope to send out a strong message that will enlighten stakeholders about the importance of breaking the cycle of environmental issues caused by the hospitality industry.

We Can Do Our Part in Saving the Planet, One Guest at a Time

Hotel and Spa Essentials link hotel owners and hotel amenities suppliers recognized in various parts of the world. We continue working with brands that can help hotels and spa make the move towards sustainability through eco-friendly and energy-efficient hotel supplies including luxury hotel guest amenities, linens, and in-room equipment.
Check out our new website and let us know what you think. For inquiries about our hotel solutions, contact us.