The hotel wake-up call is part of the away-from-home routine for both business and leisure travelers. But instead of a recorded or live voice on the telephone, some properties are now offering their guests something more personal, for no extra cost.
At the Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, a Relais & Châteaux property in Vancouver, British Columbia, guests can choose to be awakened with a light tap on their door. Guests at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York can request the same service, and the 31 St. Regis hotels around the world also offer the option of the human touch via its staff of butlers. At Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Thailand, guests are wakened by their butler, who rings a bell and greets them with a tray that includes a lemon-grass-scented cold towel, a tropical fruit selection and fresh flowers.
Several hotels, including the Westin Resort & Casino Aruba, the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and the Courtyard New Orleans Downtown/Iberville send an employee to knock on guests’ doors if they do not answer their initial wake-up call.
This personal touch is not difficult or expensive for hotels to offer, said Cathy Schetzina, a senior research analyst at PhoCusWright, a travel industry research firm in New York.
“It’s relatively simple to create such a perk and it can be done without much cost, yet it brings a level of warmth to a stay, which makes guests feel special,” she said. “And, it also humanizes the business travel experience, which is increasingly virtual.”