Don't like the souvenirs in the hotel gift shop? Certain hotels allow guests to make their own souvenirs to take home.
According to USA Today, some hotels allow guests to make things like their own food, artwork and photographs to take home as a souvenir. USA Today calls it the adult version of kids' programs.
"Hotels in years past regularly offered their younger guests these kinds of amenities, as part of the kids' programs, to take home with them," says Chekitan Dev, an associate professor of marketing and branding at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. "Extending this program to adults makes all kinds of sense because evoking happy memories of past vacations prompts travelers to repeat their purchases."
Richard Alexander, the general manager of the Viceroy Anguilla believes that hotels should make vacations more memorable for guests. The Viceroy Anguilla offers an art class.
"Our guests come from all over the world and are often seasoned travelers who have a lot of experiences to draw from, which is why we aim to offer the most creative and exciting amenities," he says.
Different hotels offer a variety of programs. For instance, the Viceroy Anguilla has an "Island Painting with a Twist" class. The $45 class is guided by a modernist painter as student paint a scene from the island.
The InterContinental Montreal offers an absinthe cocktail mixing class at its Sarah B. Bar. The class costs $49 and guests are able to sample three drinks and get to take home a picture with the mixologist and a bartender apron signed by the staff.
The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto offers a class for $25-50 depending on the materials used in which guests learn how to make their own china with designs from famous landmarks. The china is painted, fired up and can be taken home by guests directly or shipped to their home.
The Ritz-Carlton is Charlotte offers cooking classes in the Cocoa Lab Kitchen. Guests can make their own desserts to take home or eat on the spot. Every class has a different focus.
"It's all about doing something at a hotel - not just staying there," says Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte spokeswoman Bonnie Crail.
The Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills lets guests take a pasta cooking class. They're able to make, roll and cut their own pasta which they can take home.
Glenn Haussman, executive editor of HotelInteractive.com, said that a lot of thought has to go into these types of activities. "It has to be something that is either culturally relevant to the region or a skill the guest wants to learn," he says.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
