Gone are the days when luxury simply meant expensive. Of course, price is still an indication on just how lush your experience ought to be. However, the key word there is “ought.” A hefty price tag is not an assurance of opulence. It is just one of the many facets of it. So, let us break down, one by one the objective and subjective side of hotel luxury.
Are Objective Indicators The Way To Go?
So, first let us make a clear definition of luxury. According to the Oxford dictionary it is described as “the state of great comfort and extravagant living.” The two main descriptors here are comfort and extravagant. However, for the objective side, let us focus on the latter. The extravagant facet of things.
The star system perhaps is one of the pretty obvious indicators of luxury. Without delving in too deep on what the stars really mean, it connotes luxury and at this point the visage of luxury is close enough to reality to be considered real. So, yes, in this article, a five-star hotel is an indicator of opulence. I say indicator and not assurance because anyone who has been to more than one hotel knows that there are three-star hotels that can go toe to toe with the higher tier competitors. This comes as no surprise because the indicator of starts are actually a very interesting system that focuses on size and number rather than the opulence of it. However, when it comes to the common man, a hotel that has a lot of branches worldwide will definitely exude an air of luxury.
There is also the point of awards of initiatives. A lot of hotels promote themselves in the post-pandemic world through many ways. Examples of which are the, as indicated in www.businessworld.com: “‘WeAssure’ initiative of ITC Hotels or ‘Tajness’ initiative of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) or ‘Global Cleanliness Council’ of Marriott or ‘ALLSAFE’ label of Accor Group, etc.” There is also the role that media plays, much like there are Michelin Star restaurants, hotels published in Forbes Travel Guide also connote opulence no matter what your standards are.
The last one perhaps is the most obvious, amenities and aesthetic. Once you enter a hotel, you need to be engulfed by a tidal wave of extravagance for you to consider it luxurious. Of course, this tethers into the world of presentations and such but this is the world of luxury, You need to be able to feel as though this is the best hotel you’ve stepped foot into, even if you are visiting for the fifth time. There is also the question of amenities and just how “complete” the facilities are. Is there a gym and are the equipment complete? How large and voracious is the casino? How extravagant is the spa room and does it have a steam and a sauna to boot?
How Subjective Is Subjective?
And on we go to the more interesting part of the article. I say more interesting because the rules are warped as there are none. This time we will be delving into the subjective items of luxury and just how they cater to their patrons.
The first subjective area we will go into is just how personalized or tailored the experience is. Every hotel knows the basics, but it takes a real luxury place to know its patrons and cater to them as if they’re the only guests in a hallway full of people. This is where technology plays its part. Guest-profiling technology is a must in the world of hospitality, specifically the hotel industry as you want to be able to provide a state of the art and completely personalized service. Something as simple as a note card with the guest’s handwritten name could make the difference between someone’s perception of a hotel’s service.
Next up is an immersive experience for the new wave of guests that are coming in this post-pandemic world. Less and less people are basing luxury to the vastness of the ballroom but rather how efficient are the meals being served. They value experience since during the years of the pandemic staycations in hotels are the only immersive experience one can get because of the restrictions. Now that we are at the coattails of COVID-19, we have to keep up with what the lure of the hotels were during the dark times.
What do you offer in an industry where everything seems to be already provided? This is were the leaders need to step up their game and innovate. Introduce new services or spruce up existing ones. May it be big or small, constant improvement in service and facilities are no longer an upgrade, their a basic necessity. That is if you want to survive and thrive.
All in all, there are objective and subjective facets of luxury and we have to consider both if we are to redefine what it means in this industry. Overall what matters most and the common denominator is the experience that the guest can get out of the establishment.
