Hotels welcome millions of travelers every year who are primarily interested in what amenities the property has to offer. Is it a room with a view? An award-winning onsite restaurant? Or, does it all come down to the details and extras that hotels add to make guests feel welcome? The answer is: all of the above. In 2018, leisure travel spending totaled $761.7 billion and spending on business travel totaled $327.3 billion. Second only to food services, lodging was the highest source of spending. Quite a few people are willing to spend a bit of money to find what hotel best suits their needs.
These numbers mean hotels must stay competitive in their offerings to delight guests and give them the accommodations they want. Guest preferences are ever-changing and with the continual popularity of image-based social media and review sites, it’s important to understand what guests really want. Rooms with a view and delicious food options only scratch the surface of the kind of customization people look for when choosing a hotel. Now choices are being made based on the values of a company, the sustainability practices that are followed, and if other guests have left favorable reviews.
The benefit of adding purified water stations to part of your property’s perks list is that it aligns with what many guests look for in today’s world. It’s bound to please guests and give them another reason to leave a positive review either online or in-person to their friends, families, and co-workers. Many hotels have bottled water available in guestrooms or water cooler stations in the gym, but this type of offering is being replaced by water stations that are sustainable, convenient, and dispenses clean, crisp water for every guest that passes through.
The value that a hotel water dispenser can bring to the guest experience gives visitors another reason to book a stay or recommend your hotel to others. It also helps the hotel staff save on costs and offers guests a chance to co-mingle. It creates a positive impact for all by:
- Promoting sustainability
- Encouraging guests to congregate and engage with each other
- Saving on maintenance costs
- Driving positive reviews
- Improving the standards in water purification
Great-tasting water that’s readily available for travelers doesn’t have to be difficult to come by, especially when there’s a technology that makes things easier. Guests don’t have to settle for bottled water or wait in line for a refill. FloWater has a solution that makes things quick, convenient, and a perfect amenity for any hotel. This is a general overview of benefits that apply to any property, but each hotel will find unique ways a water refill station creates a better experience for their customers.
Promotes Sustainability
Sustainable tourism has seen an upward tick over the past few years largely because consumers demand more eco-friendly options. For example, it’s not uncommon for hotel chains to offer a “greener” turn-down service where guests can choose to have their sheets and towels washed and changed every three days rather than on a daily basis. Those few extra days saves tons of gallons of water and energy, a simple yet highly sustainable solution. Other environmentally-conscious trends hotels have begun to implement include:
- Going paperless. Rather than printing guest portfolios or receipts, everything is switching to being sent online or distributed via hotel apps.
- Conserving energy. Mini fridges and coffee machines are slowly being replaced with similar, shared guest amenities in a communal space. Also, many hotels are switching to more energy-efficient LED lighting for their guest rooms and common areas.
- Locally-sourced food. Growing produce onsite or receiving groceries from nearby farmers and vendors is how chefs prefer to run their restaurants. It’s an expanding trend in the hospitality industry and is considered a selling point for guests who have special dietary needs and care about where their food is sourced from and how it’s produced.
- Eliminating plastic waste. In addition to adding recycling bins to guest rooms, many hotels are trying to reduce the amount of plastic waste altogether by stopping the use of plastic water bottles and switching to hydration stations instead.
A purified water refill station does wonders to reduce the amount of single-use plastic used in hotels. Travelers often carry reusable water bottles but face difficulty finding a place to fill it up. While there are water coolers in gyms and filtration systems starting to pop in airports, in general, they are still scarce. Offering this type of sustainable solution speaks to a guest’s needs where they are and when they need it. It eliminates the need for plastic bottles and helps contribute to protecting the planet.
On a global basis, plastic waste is a growing problem. It takes up to 2,000 times the energy to produce bottled water than tap water and a single-use plastic bottle takes hundreds of years to naturally decompose. Using a water refill station keeps plastic out of the ocean and landfills where it usually ends up. To leave a greener footprint, it’s a welcome amenity for guests.
Encourages Guests to Congregate
Many hotels offer hospitality hours in the early evening that provide free food and beverages for guests. It gives people a chance to relax and mingle with others and enjoy some of the perks of the hotel. The same can be achieved with a water station set up in a communal space. Rather than refilling a water jug or replenishing individual water bottles, it gives guests a reason to sit down with a snack in an area other than a restaurant or bar.
For guests interested in a more engaging experience, this is a casual way to meet new people, sit with friends, or simply enjoy time alone outside of their guest room. This is especially true for boutique hotels or smaller accommodations where there aren’t as many rooms. It’s common to pass other guests in the hallway or trade travel tips in the breakfast area over coffee. This sense of camaraderie is part of what makes traveling interesting. It’s a chance to meet new faces and explore new places.
It’s also helpful to have a water refill station on-site as part of an event space for companies holding conferences or meetings. Access to crisp-tasting, pure water for all attendees keeps guests hydrated and better focused if they’re sitting in one space for back-to-back. Additionally, posting one by the pool or gym makes sense to allow guests to fill up during their workout and refrain from having to return to their rooms just to get a drink of water. Convenience is key when pleasing guests and a hydration station comes in handy on several occasions.
Saves Costs on Maintenance
Maintenance is virtually non-existent with a FloWater Water Refill Station. On a regular basis, though, the station refills automatically and holds seven gallons of purified water at all times. It features a recessed dispense nozzle, one-touch button to fill, and a hidden catchment tray which equals fewer germs, heavy metals, and grime than water coolers or drinking fountains. The internal system and stainless steel tanks are sanitized by the activated oxygen filter and the powerful drain pump means you’ll never have to empty the drain tray. Plus, a certified technician installs the station and a customer support team is available when you need them.
Since there’s no need for plastic bottles with this advanced purified water dispenser, there’s less trash to empty or recycle. It keeps the space clean rather than cluttered with empty bottles. It also reduces the need to swap out bulky, multi-gallon water jugs, which aren’t good for the environment either and is dictated by the delivery schedule more than actual use. Among the many tasks hotel employees have on their daily schedule, it’s nice to mark water station maintenance off of the list. It helps with productivity and ultimately, operational costs since staff members can achieve more in a day thanks to the self-sufficiency of the station.
Helps Drive Positive Reviews
Hotels rely on the helpful feedback and positive reviews left by guests. Travelers researching places to stay typically turn to reading online reviews first. Every detail matters when trying to stand out from your competitors. That’s why unique amenities like FloWater are great to help differentiate your business and generate positive reviews. In a recent guest survey done by the Hyatt Scottsdale, over ½ of guests surveyed said they were more likely to write a positive trip advisor or social media post about their stay at the Hyatt because of FloWater. This is huge when you consider a few positive reviews could be the deciding factor for many of your customers browsing different hotel options.
So why does FloWater generate such positive feedback? Well from an aesthetics standpoint, the modern design of the station is more appealing than the average water cooler or drinking fountain. Guests make decisions with their eyes first and the look of the refill station is appealing and user-friendly. It is sleek, energy-efficient, and transforms regular tap water into a purified drinking experience. Water is chilled to a crisp 42° for a refreshing drink every single time.
Guests won’t have to wait either, since it only takes 9 seconds to fill a 24-oz. bottle and the tanks automatically refill after water is dispensed. This level of automated “service” surpasses even some restaurants and is sure to make a memorable impression on anyone who uses it. To learn more about how guests are responding to the addition of the water refill station, ask them at checkout, email them a quick survey, or read through the reviews. If they like it, they’ll be talking about it online. Hotel management teams that hone in on their online reputation and consider all aspects of what makes guests happy deliver an ongoing value that maintains a positive buzz.
Improves Standards in Water Purification
Travelers are often wary of trying tap water in a new place. While most tap water is safe to drink, not every city is known for having water that tastes good or uses quality control practices. As a result, they turn to bottled water or other beverages to sustain their thirst. Fortunately, with the advanced purification process of FloWater, guests can rest assured the water they’re drinking has gone through a stringent filtering process to remove all the sediment, contaminants, heavy metals, and impurities tap water commonly contains.
At the same time, part of the process includes adding valuable minerals back to the water to improve the taste and enhance it with electrolytes. Specifically, in the sixth phase of filtration, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium are added to the water. These electrolytes are commonly found in sports drinks and serve as a benefit to health-conscious guests, especially after a tough workout. People can receive these benefits without the added calories, sugars, or other ingredients sports drinks, sodas, and other beverages have.
The water refill station has the look that is pleasing to guests and delivers on the promise of the best-tasting purified water available. It holds six international patents and has energy-efficient features that include LED lights and sleep mode to keep operating costs low. Compared to the cost of operating a drinking fountain, FloWater costs less. The filters also last longer than any other refill station in use today, which means maintenance is kept to a minimum. It definitely raises the bar for water purification systems and continues to be at the top of its game in terms of giving guests what they want.
The One Thing Travelers Will Always Want
Travel trends come and go but people will always be grateful for a glass of refreshing water after a long trip or a day out exploring the city. Water has, and always will be, a necessity for everyone and to have it available at this high quality as an added bonus for guests is a gesture they’ll appreciate. Sometimes the best additions are the ones that become part of people’s daily lives and over time becomes the norm. Plastic water bottles have had their moment of popularity, but people now seek more sustainable solutions when they travel and feel grateful when hotels can accommodate accordingly.
The addition of a purified water station helps hotels impress their guests while also, reducing the amount of day-to-day maintenance that must be performed to keep everything running smoothly. It’s become one of many ways hotels are automating systems and updating their processes to better serve their guests. Take advantage of the water refill system technology that delivers premium purification and transforms regular tap water into something special for anyone who passes through your doors.
Sources:
https://www.ustravel.org/answersheet
https://businessblog.trivago.com/sustainable-hospitality-trends-eco-friendly-hotel-tips/
