Gone are the days when a good night’s sleep would do for the hotel guest, says Sir Richard Hawkins, Regional Director Hotel Operations Africa at Minor Hotels. Today’s hotel must supply high-tech touches, health-conscious meals and environmental friendliness, without inflating prices.
A hospitality trend observed by the group is one that has been widely evident in the market for some time now - multi-generational travel, with up to three generations travelling together. “It's also becoming more common for business hotels to host the founder of a business with his sons and grandsons travelling together. The grandparents tend to foot the bills, and they’re not afraid to pay for good service and high standards,” says Hawkins.
Family groups tend to favour inter-connecting rooms, and across all ages in the group there’s a need for the latest technology in those rooms. Flat screen television sets with interactive features for playing games, music systems and WiFi are expected by today’s guests, who will also want to charge a number of devices at any one time and therefore require multiple plug points with smart phone and laptop sockets.
Seamless service is another requirement by today’s hotel patron, particularly in remote or unfamiliar locations. “For example, when a guest visits The Royal Livingstone by Anantara, we’re at the airport to meet them,” explains Hawkins. “We check them in without them noticing, while they enjoy a welcome drink. Their luggage reaches their room without them having to follow it up. We’ll unpack and press their clothes and hang them too, if required. We make them reservations in our on-site restaurants, or at two or three other places if they haven’t decided where they want to dine. When they order a drink or hit the mini-bar, the cost is already taken care of in the room rate.”
Worldwide, experiential or immersion travel is in demand. As Hawkins aptly states: “Often the best moments come when you interact with the locals rather than stay in an elite, isolated bubble. Our hotels love to show guests the real world around them and immerse them in the culture of the host country.”
Guests at Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort can join hotel chefs on a trip to the local market, meet the fishermen who supply their seafood and the farmers who grow their vegetables. At The Royal Livingstone by Anantara, guests can tour local villages where hotel staff live and school their children.
Lastly, eco-consciousness has swept the world. Minor Hotels has taken steps to reduce electricity consumption through the use of solar panels and LED light fittings, and recycle waste, including kitchen waste which is now supplied to local pig farmers across many Southern Africa properties.
For more, visit Minor Hotels.
