True luxury is typically achieved by exceeding client expectations. Luxurious linens do not go unnoticed — when a guest uses them, they feel like their stay has been elevated as a result. This is not always easy to do, but it can pay dividends. Deliver an impressive enough experience, and you can justify luxury prices and/or better attract guests for repeat visits.
Getting the Basics Right
Luxurious linens need to get the basics right. We recommend the following steps:
Identify Guests’ Wants & Needs
A luxurious experience should make a hotel guest feel as though all their needs have been met and that the hotel is doing all they can to make their stay comfortable. Fundamentally, this is about identifying what a client is likely to need and want. A business should know if a guest may want more blankets than usual or if they have specific preferences. They should certainly know how many guests will be staying in a particular room because some linens work best at a proportion of at least one per individual, such as towels.
A company may be able to predict some of these wants and needs, but they can also have a standard set of questions or options on their website or asked over the phone when a guest books a stay. That helps maximize the chances that nothing small will be overlooked and gives the client an opportunity to customize their experience to their personal definition of “luxurious.”
Keep Linens Clean & Presentable
A basic rule of running a hospitality business is that everything should be kept clean and presentable. Linens that look worn or dirty can significantly affect a guest’s perception of their stay, even if all other details of the stay were great.
The perception that a hotel is not putting in the proper effort to take care of a room can be off-putting. If things seem unhygienic or rundown, a person is unlikely to stay at your facility again, let alone consider their experience luxurious. This can significantly harm a hotel’s reputation if it translates into poor reviews and ratings.
We know it can be frustrating if your business purchases luxury linens only for them to become stained soon after. If you are interested in knowing how to rescue your linens, read this article on stain removal.
Ensure Linens Keep Guests Comfortable
Good linens, especially bed linens, need to be comfortable. Warm, breathable sheets and blankets can help guests rest more easily, especially when combined with an equally comfortable mattress.
At the same time, warm does not mean hot. Unless a client wants a particularly warm bed, it is important that their linens trap in enough heat to keep them warm but not so much that it feels excessive and makes them sweaty.
Prep the Guest
One way you can help a guest feel like their experience is luxurious is to tell them about what they will encounter in their room. It may seem odd, but priming a client by briefly reviewing the high-quality linens in their room can genuinely alter their initial perceptions of the experience. There is nothing dishonest about this either. You are truthfully telling them about their linens, and they can often benefit as a result.
Check In & Ask Questions
It is important not to pester guests or make them feel like you are intruding. However, it is perfectly reasonable to ask a guest if there is anything you can do to better serve them. Many people accept experiences from businesses as “good enough” that they think could have been better. They might express a particular desire or complaint if prompted. At least once or twice during a client’s stay, ask them if they are happy with their linens, and try to improve their experience if they have any requests.
Elevate Things to a Luxury Experience
Elevating an experience to the level of luxury requires special linens. Standard cotton options are perfectly reasonable for the average room, but they may not be considered plush enough by discerning guests. A business should consider materials such as silk, Egyptian cotton, cashmere and Pima cotton when aiming for truly luxurious linens.
These materials can sometimes come at a premium cost, but when sourced correctly, they can be of incredibly high quality. Just make sure you also pay attention to the aesthetics of your linens. Black is often used for luxury materials, but almost any color choice is fine. What is important is that the aesthetic of a room is unified; it should not look like a random hodgepodge of expensive linens.
Luxury Means Accommodations
Whenever possible, a hospitality business needs to be accommodating to a guest’s requests. It is good practice to maintain a file on how to equip a particular room based on the client to ensure everyone is receiving their ideal linens. This also helps avoid making more serious blunders, such as using linens a client specifically requested not be used because they do not like the texture or because it causes them skin irritation.
Even if you cannot fulfill a request, it should still be noted. Isolated requests that cannot be met do not necessarily require a business to change its model, but if something is frequently asked for that cannot be provided, a business should probably consider including that option.
Alsco’s Linen Services
Giving your hotel guests a truly luxurious experience is a delicate balance between stocking luxurious linens made from high-quality materials and needless spending. At the upper end of hospitality, initially expensive choices can be highly profitable, but only if they make sense and deliver on an elite client’s expectations. Rather than prioritizing expense, prioritize comfort and appearance.
If you are looking to deliver a luxurious experience for your hotel guests without ballooning costs, consider our services here at Alsco. We offer linen rental and laundering services to reduce costs and save time you can use to deliver great experiences to your guests. We are experts in ensuring your hotel linens are clean, fresh and luxurious. Contact us today to learn more.