Making turndown marketable

by Staff -- Hotels, 7/1/2007

Why just turn back the coverlet and refresh the bathroom amenities when you can use a memorable turndown package to build brand identity? Some of the new trends to focus on include: • Personalization. Le Palais Prague complements traditional nightly turndown with customized touches such as a teddy bear, story book and surprise chocolate egg for children or rose petals on the bed and aromatheraphy candles in the bathroom for honeymooners. A small “extra” any guest would appreciate: Room attendants who straighten up at turndown insert a tasseled bookmark to make sure guests won’t lose their place in books moved when the room is refreshed.

• Themed amenities. For Chinese New Year, the Oriental Singapore invites guests to close their days with traditional Chinese treats. During a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) event, the hotel created special chocolates that look like footballs as turn-down amenities for its guests.

• Privilege. Hilton Hotels’ Waldorf=Astoria Collection delivers VIP turndowns unique to the destination. At the La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West, La Quinta, California, guests received two to three worry dolls on their pillow each evening. Inspired by the traditions of the native Cahuillas people, the dolls are accompanied by a card that explains their meaning and good intention—which is to ease the guest’s mind so that they can sleep peacefully through the night.