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The Hotel Room Innsights Report from Hotels.com is back with eye-opening trends that every hotelier should know. With insights from over 400 properties worldwide, this year’s report highlights evolving guest behaviors—unusual forgotten items, offbeat room service requests, and unexpected perks—that are shaping the hospitality industry. From rethinking lost and found protocols to adapting to increasingly creative room service demands, hotels are finding new ways to meet, and even exceed, guest expectations.
Lost and Found: What Are Guests Leaving Behind, and How Are Hotels Handling It?
For most hotels, managing the forgotten belongings of guests is nothing new. But Hotels.com’s latest report reveals a significant shift in the types of items being left behind. Beyond the typical dirty laundry and phone chargers, more high-value and bizarre items are making their way into lost and found bins. Some of the most notable include:
The priciest: Hotel staff found a Rolex, Birkin bag, and a $6 million watch.
Pet peeves: A chick and pet lizard were found (and returned) after their owner checked out.
Essentials only: Guests forgot two full-leg casts and 10% of hotels reported that guests left behind their dentures.
The unexplainable: Items include a rice cooker, car tire, blender and construction pipes.
Hoteliers are going the extra mile to reconnect guests with their lost items. Some have even driven long distances or replaced sentimental items, like a child’s lost teddy bear, to deliver exceptional guest service. As travelers’ expectations for personalized service rise, these extraordinary efforts help reinforce brand loyalty and guest satisfaction.
Room Service Reimagined: The Rise of Personalized and Offbeat Requests
The days of standard room service orders are fading as guests demand more personalized dining experiences. Hotels.com’s findings spotlighted some offbeat requests that challenge traditional room service operations:
Pure Bathing: A guest requesting a bathtub filled with Evian water for their children.
Dietary Needs—For Pets: Gluten- and dairy-free menus are no longer reserved for human guests; pets are now receiving customized meals, expanding the scope of food and beverage teams to accommodate animal dietary preferences.
Unusual Menu Additions: From burnt toast to caviar hot dogs, and fresh goat milk, guests are creating their own off-menu items, requiring kitchens to be more flexible and adaptable.
Beyond the Plate: Requests like a high five from a team member as proof that an order was received highlight the growing importance of human connection, even in room service operations.
Forward-thinking hoteliers are rising to the challenge with tech solutions like the “Whatever/Whenever” button at W Osaka, which allows guests to request anything, anytime. Innovative services like beauty treatments offered as part of room service, as seen at Hospes Maricel & Spa, demonstrate the growing integration of wellness into the room service experience. These shifts in guest expectations are driving hotels to rethink how they deliver in-room dining, with a focus on customization, flexibility, and service excellence.
Hidden Hotel Perks: Enhancing Guest Experience with Unexpected Services
Hotels are no longer just places to stay—they’re immersive experiences that go above and beyond standard offerings. The Hotel Room Innsights Report reveals that more hotels are introducing creative and niche perks that surprise and delight guests, transforming their stays into unforgettable experiences:
Cultural Immersion: At Hotel New Otani Tokyo The Main, guests can stroll through a 400-year-old Japanese garden, offering a unique cultural experience as part of their stay.
Music at Your Fingertips: The Four Seasons Hotel Austin provides an in-room guitar concierge, catering to guests’ desire for creative relaxation. This service shows the growing trend of combining luxury with hobby-based amenities.
Pet Perks Redefined: The Sentinel Hotel in Portland offers VIP services for pets, including access to top groomers and even a pet acupuncturist. As pet-friendly travel becomes more popular, this trend underscores the importance of catering to all members of the family—both human and furry.
Exclusive Access: From private museum tours at The Montague on the Gardens in London to personalized wine tastings at Villa Gallici Hôtel & Spa, hoteliers are leveraging exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences to attract luxury travelers.
These perks aren’t just enhancing guest satisfaction—they’re differentiating properties in a competitive market. As personalization becomes a key factor in the guest experience, hotels are tapping into unique services that go beyond traditional hospitality, giving them an edge in attracting and retaining high-value guests.
Adapting to New Trends: What Hoteliers Can Take Away
The insights from Hotels.com’s latest report point to several clear trends that hoteliers need to consider as guest expectations evolve:
Enhanced Lost and Found Operations: As the value and variety of forgotten items rise, implementing clear protocols for handling, storing, and returning high-value items is crucial.
Customized Room Service: Flexibility in kitchen operations and the ability to accommodate unique and last-minute requests are increasingly essential for guest satisfaction.
Niche and Unexpected Perks: Offering unique, unexpected perks is a way to differentiate a property and appeal to a more diverse range of guests.
What do you make of the trends highlighted in the hotels.com survey? Do you think these are the keys to exceeding guest expectation, driving loyalty and enhancing the overall guest experience? Is your hotel offering anything unusual? Drop us a comment!