We always associate top hotels with luxury. A lot of hospitality organisations take pride in classifying themselves as “Luxury”.
So, what makes a luxury Hotel?
In this post, we make an attempt to define luxury hotels.
We also make an effort to discuss certain characteristics that make these hotels luxury.
Whether you are planning to visit the most romantic hotels in the world on your honeymoon or attempting to get spoilt in an amazing casino hotel; you would certainly want to make the experience a luxury one.
Isn’t it?
- So, is luxury to impress or to ensure a proper return on your investment.
- Or is Luxury an experience?
- Does the word luxury have an impact on your brain?
- Do these luxury hotels make your experience more memorable?
They certainly do and this is evident from the rise of Luxury hotels in recent years as is evident from the below image by Zion Market Research.
There has been a clear disruption to the projection due to the Covid Pandemic. However, the signs of recovery are clearly visible now.
As per the research the global luxury hotel market was set to get closer to the coveted $200 Billion mark by 2021. This has been disturbed due to the pandemic and other global issues.
No wonder why top hotel chains of the world like Hilton are coming up with new luxury brands like Curio collection.
Other great hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Accor, Four Seasons and others are making huge strides in the Global Luxury Hotel Market as well.
So, what makes a luxury hotel?
Let’s begin with the definition of luxury hotels.
A lot of websites would not be able to provide a clear and distinct definition for Luxury Hotels as there is no set parameter for being called luxury.
A lot of 4 stars and 5-star hotels claim to be Luxury Hotels.
Luxury Hotel in simple terms is a hotel that provides luxury accommodation and luxury services.
But, what do we consider a luxury?
Le Roche; one of the best Hospitality schools in the world; in its blog define components of luxury as personalised service, relaxing spa, fine dining, butler services and wine services as components of luxury.
Let’s look at a few of the components and characteristics that make a hotel Luxury.
1. Decor to make the hotel look upscale
A lot of upscale Boutique Hotels come under this category.
A luxury hotel would definitely look upscale. From Restaurant to lobby to the bedrooms, the decor is special.
You must have heard of various seven-star hotels in the world. These are Five-star Hotels but are termed 7 star due to the luxury experience they provide. The facilities these upscale hotels provide are complimented well by the decor of these hotels.
Fresh plants and flowers must be a part of the lobby decor of a 5-star luxury hotel. Yes, it’s a must to be a 5 star as per the 5-star rating standards.
2. Luxurious Spa is a must in a Luxury Hotel
Simply stated, if your Hotel doesn’t have a great looking spa, it doesn’t fall in the upscale luxury category.
Yes, Spa is a must for that coveted Luxury tag.
3. Butler Service, a Concierge desk, easy check-ins are parameters of the Luxury Status
Personalised services are crucial in all luxury hotels.
to be termed luxury, it is important to provide personal service at every possible Customer Touchpoint.
4. All luxury hotels are a culinary delight
Multiple Gourmet Restaurant is a requisite for the Luxury Tag. Food is an important part of both business and luxury travel.
Luxury hotels have an extremely diverse crowd and thus multiple Restaurants are a must.
A perfect romantic dinner date, a sumptuous breakfast, a perfect lunch is what you would remember the most when on business or a leisure trip.
Multi-cuisine restaurants, outlets, bars are places in a luxury hotel not only to satisfy your taste buds but also to ensure that you carry great memories.
It is because these restaurants serve exquisite food couple with exemplary and personalised services.
5. A Bathroom that means Luxury
A luxury hotel must have a bathroom that impresses right at the time of entry to the room.
Tiles, bathtub, flower petals, temperature-controlled shower and a lot more.
A luxury hotel is all about the feel. Anything that contributes to the overall delight of a customer has to be taken care of by hotels to be termed luxury.
A classy and elegant bathroom is a must for a complete and luxury hotel room or suite.
6. Facilities like fitness centre, play area, gardens, Golf course and Swimming Pools
Yes, Luxury hotels want most of your time and you can expect to have enough facilities in-house.
From a well-made gym with a fitness instructor to the infinity pool and everything in between is what you can expect in the best luxury hotels and resorts.
Golf courses and outdoor gardens are a little uncommon but not a rarity when we discuss luxury.
7. Technology that impresses
Yes, a Luxury hotel also amazes guests by embedding personalised services with technology.
These may include lighting, mobile check-ins, app-based customer service and much more.
A luxury hotel strives to tap into the imagination of its guests and delivers more than expected.
Our blog post on Best Hospitality Technology explains this topic in further details.
Conclusion
Here you go. Some of the points to answer the question- what makes a luxury hotel?
We tried to provide a few parameters and characteristics. However, the term luxury is connected more towards service and how a customer feels.
It’s all about the experience and luxury is a term that helps enhance the experience through various means discussed in this post.
It’s not about satisfying a customer, it’s about delighting customers.
