According to the 2024 Hotels.com Hotel Room Innsights Report, hotels are making changes to cater to the good, the bad, and the weird of traveler requests
Outlandish Amenities Include Guitar Concierge, Exclusive Private Tours
Travelers are coming back to hotels in droves, with occupancy rates falling just below 2019 figures. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), total hotel occupancy rates for 2024 are expected to be around 64%, highlighting the industry rebound. But as more guests check in, they are often checking out without some of their most important items.
In addition to the lost passports and travel documents, hotels said some of the most expensive items in the lost-and-found box include a $6 million watch and a Birkin bag. Other strange items left behind include a rice cooker, a car tire, a blender, and construction pipes. Surprisingly, one of the most forgotten items are dentures, with 10% of travelers leaving them at the hotel after check-out.
It’s not just the items that are getting more expensive. In the 2024 AHLA State of the Industry report, hospitality leaders say both business and leisure groups are demanding “more memorable events that foster human connections.” Hotels around the world are answering the call, updating their specialty amenities to incorporate more exclusive experiences. Some of the over-the-top experiences include walking through a 400-year-old Japanese Garden at Hotel New Otani Tokyo The Main, an in-room guitar concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin who want to entertain with music, and a spa experience for “Very Important Pets” at Portland’s Sentinel Hotel, including grooming and even pet acupuncture.
Of course, no luxury stay would be complete without room service, and the biggest requests continue to go well beyond the norm. Hotels say the oddest requests they have received from guests include a caviar hot dog, four pounds of bananas delivered to the room, a customized allergen menu for their pet, and an Evian-filled bathtub “so a child can bathe in the purest water.”
It was not immediately known how many points hotels charged for some of these experiences.
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Source: frugal travel guy