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Hey 👋
You've just opened Hotel Nuggets, a not-boring newsletter for hoteliers.
In today's edition:
- A sticker that might save you thousands
- The $2 gesture guests remember
- Give me a writstband instead
- Three food problems you can easily fix
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#1 A sticker that might save you thousands
You know those hotel balcony doors where one handle somehow controls three different dimensions?
Turn it the wrong way and suddenly it feels like the entire door is about to fall into the room.
At a hotel I stayed at in Munich, they had a very simple solution: a transparent sticker right next to the handle showing guests exactly how to use the door.
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It explains which handle positions are safe, how to tilt the door, how to open it properly, and most importantly, what not to do.
This probably costs a few euros to produce, but think about the potential savings in a 100-room hotel.
Fewer maintenance calls. Fewer guests standing at reception saying, “Ummm… I think I broke the window.”
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#2 The $2 gesture guests remember
On my recent trip to Mexico, I stayed at a tiny beach hotel with just six rooms.
No all-inclusive bracelet or “daily entertainment program” printed in Comic Sans at breakfast.
Just a beautiful small hotel in El Cuyo with a swimming pool, good people, and a relaxed atmosphere.
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Then came the moment I still remember.
3rd day, around 2 PM, brutally hot weather.
Everyone was slowly melting near the pool. A girl from reception suddenly appeared with homemade palitos (ice cream sticks) for the guests.
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The interesting part is this: It only happened once during my 1-week stay.
If it happened every day at exactly 2 PM, it would probably start feeling operational, predictable and expected.
But because it was spontaneous, rare, and human, it became memorable.
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#2.5 More MICE bookings
This Hotel Nuggets newsletter is brought to you by Surf Office.
Surf Office helps hotels bring group bookings in low/mid season and achieve TRevPAR, which is hard to beat.
Learn how to be part of Surf Office Partners Network.
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#3 Give me a writstband instead of a key card
Guests spend around 70% of their hotel room time sleeping, 10% doomscrolling, and the remaining 20% searching for the room key they just had five seconds ago.
That’s why more resorts are replacing traditional key cards with simple NFC wristbands. Tiny chip inside, tap the door, done.
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For stays longer than 2 nights, I’d pick the wristband every single time.
Give me an option to choose between a traditional card and an NFC wristband at every hotel (not just resorts).
The beauty is removing one tiny frustration guests deal with multiple times per day.
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#4 Three food problems hotels can easily fix
We recently analyzed hundreds of guest feedback forms from Surf Office retreats and we focused on food.
What stood out most wasn’t fancy gastronomy or Michelin-level expectations.
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1. The menu repeats too much 🔁
- This is especially noticeable on multi-day retreats.
- A lunch buffet might be perfectly fine on day one.
- By day three, when guests see the same salad, pasta and chicken combination again, enthusiasm starts to disappear.
- For hotels hosting groups regularly, this should be easy to solve systematically.
Solution: Create a proper 3-day, 4-day and 5-day menu rotation so guests are not eating the same dishes over and over.
2. Dietary options feel like an afterthought 🥕
- Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary meals often get treated as the backup option.
- And guests notice.
- A bowl of vegetables is not automatically a satisfying vegan meal.
- Neither is removing the chicken from the regular dish.
- The same applies to guests looking for higher-protein options.
Solution: Make sure every meal has proper alternatives that are filling, balanced and comparable in quality to the standard menu.
3. Nobody knows what they can eat 👀
- The food might actually be suitable for different dietary needs.
- But if guests have to ask a waiter every time whether something contains dairy, gluten, nuts or meat, the experience quickly becomes frustrating.
- Clear buffet labels can solve a surprising amount of this.
Solution: Simple icons for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and common allergens make the whole experience smoother for guests and easier for the restaurant team.
None of these improvements require rebuilding the kitchen.
Food doesn’t need to be spectacular to make guests happy. It needs to be varied, inclusive and clear.
For hotels hosting multi-day groups, getting those three basics right could remove a large chunk of F&B complaints before the guests even arrive.
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That's it for today!
Cheers,
Peter from Hotel Nuggets
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