Your clients love them and they do sway bookings, say hoteliers. As we get into the festive mood, here’s a lighter side of luxury travel – bathroom amenities – which are pretty serious stuff for hotel chains
From top left: Sofitel So Bangkok, where amenities include a Mac mini and YTSARA bathroom products; Alila’s goodness in bottles; Asprey for Ritz-Carlton guests and Hermès for Sofitel’s
In the world of luxury hotels, the fight for guest loyalty goes down to the minutest thing like bathroom amenities. For hoteliers though, it’s not something small, rather, a soap opera worthy of revisiting over and over again.
“Amenities are an absolutely serious matter for us,” said Michelle Caporicci, regional vice president sales & marketing Asia-Pacific, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. “We make sure we test our own amenities out on ourselves and always keep an eye on the competitors’ court to know what’s happening there.”
The correct line of amenities is part and parcel of the pampering of top dollar paying clients. It also seals the hotel’s image and brand. This is why chains are careful when it comes to who they go to bed with for amenities.
Ritz-Carlton, for example, has tied up with Asprey, one of the world’s oldest and most revered luxury goods houses, saying the alliance brings “a shared dedication to craftsmanship and delivery of the utmost luxury experiences, and legendary commitment to excellence and rich heritage”.
The Asprey bath and body range features its signature scent, Purple Water, a fresh citrus fragrance blended with spicy undertones. The purple jacquard print tubes have been specially designed for Ritz-Carlton bathrooms across the globe.
The Sofitel brand, on the other hand, ties up with Hermès and Lanvin, luxury French brands that similarly reflect Sofitel’s DNA as “a classic brand of contemporary hotels and resorts inspired by the French art of hospitality”, said Markland Blaiklock, Sofitel Asia-Pacific’s senior vice president.
For the designy, boutique Sofitel So, it gets more fun. Each hotel team is given the flexibility to define the amenities’ brand, design and overall service delivery, with emphasis on “expressing the essence of the destination”.
Thus, at Sofitel So Bangkok, for instance, YTSARA luxury bathroom products with a personalised ‘So His’ and ‘So Her’ grooming kit with travel-sized spa products are offered. But a Sofitel So can also choose to work with a range of different partners; it can choose to offer a combination of Sofitel signature brand products under Hermès and Lanvin with products from the hotel’s signature designer, or a local partner to deliver the “most genuine” spa and in-room experience blending French touches with local styles.
Over at Alila Hotels & Resorts, a focus on local products for its amenities is in keeping with its president and CEO Mark Edleson’s vision of sustainability.
The ‘Pandora Box’ (His and Hers) at all Alila Villas properties, with neat, thoughtful necessities for resort living – hand soap, massage oil, sunscreen, suntan oil, after-sun care, lip balm, facial mist (all replenished generously) – is a coveted amenity, guaranteed to bring oohs and ahhs even if it is not affiliated with any classic world-renowned brands like Hermès .
The ‘Box’ was originally designed in an A4 format by Huihuy from Duet, its graphics design firm, as part of collaterals for residential villa owners when Alila first launched Alila Villas. It was then used in press events, as a gift pack for villa stay vouchers, as gifts or auctions, before evolving into its current, about A5 size, as a gift box for guest amenities in all villas.
Said Doris Goh, Alila Hotels & Resorts’ vice president sales & marketing: “The design of the room fittings and amenities conform to a design brief: must have local flavour and must be environment-friendly. From the start, we’ve produced our own product line for Spa Alila and for our guests’ use. The first products were the hand soaps, massage oils, sunscreen, suntan oils and after-sun care, and the range expanded into body scrubs, facial scrubs and cleansers, bath salts, body milk, body spritz, lip balm, pillow mists as well as scented candles and natural insect repellent. Now there is almost everything available for you to recreate your unique Spa Alila experience at home.”
Chains are also selling their amenities. Shop Alila (www.shopalila.com) came online recently, so guests can order products, which are delivered to their doorstep. Sofitel also has an online shop, SoBoutique (na.soboutique.com) where guests can purchase everything from the SoBed to home amenities designed by Kenzo Takada.
Sofitel’s Blaiklock believes amenities “definitely have a degree of influence” on choice of accommodation, particularly with female guests.
“Travellers choose a specific holiday or hotel because they are yearning for something exquisite and unique. It’s not just about the overall experience but down to every little detail, such as having luxe amenities that can make a certain hotel special and different from the rest,” he said.
Men apparently are not immune to pretty amenities. In fact, men have become “increasingly interested” in amenities, according to Ritz-Carlton’s Caporicci. “Sometimes, they go beyond to seek concierge recommendations for a really good barbershop or to request for a barber’s visit for a shave in the comfort of their suite,” she said.
But beyond soaps and suds, chains are clearly rethinking the whole concept of ‘amenities’.
Caporicci envisions “an army of facial therapists, masseurs, perfumers, hair stylists and make-up artists for the full works”, while Goh thinks of “head to toe pampering with natural products that really work, including fragrances to suit each personality type; a flotation bed for relaxation; a state-of-the-art body massage bed”.
And, for men like Blaiklock, the ultimate amenities are “always about simplicity and seamless service”. He said: “User-friendly, intuitive in-room technology such as an Apple Mac mini with integrated functions can enhance comfort and the overall hotel experience for lifestyle and business travellers. I also appreciate the indulgence of having luxurious bath amenities as long as the scent is not overpowering!”
