🍍 The best hotel amenity?

July 14, 2022

For someone as well-traveled as Richard Garcia, SVP of F&B at Remington Hotels, I was curious what the best amenity he’s ever experienced was. It turns out, it wasn’t that over-the-top.

“I showed up at a new hotel in Canada where I had never met the executive chef or been on the property – but that person gave me a bag of housemaid jerky and a little note on the top that said he was really looking forward to working with me. The note explained where the jerky came from and how they made it. For me, it was that little note and explanation of the process that felt very special for me.”

A takeaway for him in this experience was the optionality it provided. 

“If you step back and look at the bigger picture there were a few other things that made that so good. It was packaged so I didn’t need to eat it right then and there if I didn’t want to. I could have given it to someone else.”

In thinking of amenities, hotels need to consider how a gesture could be perceived – and if the guest experience could actually be negative if they don’t like what is being offered. “Sometimes hotels will put together something like a cheese platter – but to be frank, I hate blue cheese!”

What’s been the best hotel amenity you’ve ever experienced? Why?