Hotels are trying new ways to let guests personalize their stay, pulling out all the stops for luxuries like free flowers for the room, vegan skincare products, and memory foam mattress toppers.
They're starting to realize just how important customization is for 20-somethings who stay at hotels, and want to experience something others might not.
Recently, the Hyatt Century City in Los Angeles put a small, wooden flower cart next to the check-in desk-once guests are given their room keys, they are invited to pick a flower to take upstairs, free of charge.
They offer tulips, daisies, chrysanthemums, sunflowers and other seasonal flora.
Hotel spokesperson Adrienne Devore told USA Today that the flowers are switched bi-weekly, and the offering has become so popular that Hyatt Hotels in other locations are considering adding it to their repertoires.
The flower cart addition is a play on the "pillow menu" concept, she said, a program that started a few years ago that took small steps to make customers feel like their stay was special, even if they weren't spending a bunch of cash.
The Hyatt also now offers a service that allows guests to rent out things they may have left at home, including makeup remover and other toiletries. The Hyatt spent 18 months looking at the trends in female hopes and desires to develop and fine tune this service.
Fall 2012, Hilton Worldwide's Conrad chain started giving guests name-brand shampoos, conditioners and soaps. They began offering three different brands, to let customers choose.
They now offer toiletries from essential oil line Aromatherapy Associates, Shanhai Tang, and Tara Smith Vegan Hair Care.
The group of four New York hotels that are part of the Library Hotel Collective gives guests a number of extras they can order for free, among them: down or memory foam pillows, hypoallergenic blankets and eye masks, or a mini refrigerator.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
