Everyone has a short list of favourite hotel facilities that your accommodation must have for a holiday. Families with children staying in warm climates will probably want a pool, whereas a fitness freak might need a gym. Everyone has different requirements.
Choosing a hotel has become an art form, with people carefully balancing their needs and wants against the price. After all, rolling up to the Bates Motel and expecting a five star experience is a recipe for disaster!
My Favourite Hotel Facilities
It is always nice to have access to a pool, even on a city break. In Ireland, it is not common to have a pool at home, perhaps unsurprisingly, due to the climate. Therefore it’s a bit of a treat to be able to go swimming.
Another thing that is a nice bonus is a gym of some sort. Having a treadmill to reel off a few kilometres is nice and handy, especially after coming off a long flight. A cleansing sweat is always pleasant.
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- You didn’t think I’d pass up an opportunity for a food pic? This is room service at the Oryx Rotana in Doha.
Any kind of free sauna or steam room is great. I once stayed in a spa hotel and literally spent hours using all their various facilities which is fun. I do find being charged extra for something like that a bit on the nose.
The other thing I really like is room service. When you don’t want to go out, it is so nice to have food brought up to you, especially at breakfast time. Starting the day lazily is a luxurious treat when you’re on holidays.
Overall Thoughts
Everyone has their favourite hotel facilities. When I stayed at the InterContinental Hong Kong, I was happy to find they had a Nobu restaurant on site and had free morning Tai Chi available for guests. As it was something different, I certainly found that enjoyable.
At the end of the day though, good service from helpful staff can make or break a stay. Whether it’s friendly people at the bar like when I stayed at citizenM at Amsterdam Airport or great restaurant service, it all adds to the experience.
What are your favourite hotel facilities when on holidays or business travel? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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My must-haves are minifridge, microwave and nearby ice machine (Americans and their ice, right?). Everything else is a pleasant bonus.
You make a good point on the fridge, I’d also say glasses as well. It’s not fun to drink warm wine! Never had much cause for a microwave though, but then I don’t have one at home, so I am used to not using one. Nice points there, thanks!
I personally always look for a hotel which offers a bath tub as well as a shower. Its lovely to come back after a long day and relax in the tub with a drink with the shower being used the rest of the time.
I also look for hotels which have some history to them, but thats another story 🙂
Caveat : I only travel for leisure.
Oh hey, that’s a really good point! As I don’t have a bath in my apartment, I do like enjoy having one when I’m on holidays. You’re also right on the historical aspect… I’d like to stay at Raffles in Singapore one day, for example. I think you have some good thoughts there!