Don’t even go there: How Health Pak can help you beat the tyranny of bad reviews

Published on Oct 25, 2018

 The modern-day Kiwi has been pre-programmed to comment on every aspect of their holiday, from the moment they’re greeted at the door or pick up the key, to the last time they step out of the bathroom, do a final sweep and lock the room behind them.

Websites such as TripAdvisor and AirBnb rely on customer ratings to push their top accommodation providers while TV shows such as Four In a Bed and The Hotel Inspector turn guest amenities and minibars into some sort of small screen entertainment.

All of which has turned bad reviews into some sort of artform.

And just as TV shows about food raised expectations for restaurants, so all these TV shows and articles on “the world’s worst…” have raised expectations for hotels, motels, guest houses, B&Bs and AirBnbs.

While you don’t expect guests to arrive with a white glove and start running their finger over your skirting boards to check for dust, there are now far more basics at play – and those basics are exactly where Health Pak can help you excel.

The trick is to not only meet their expectations, but give them a story they can take home as well:

Guest amenities

Earlier this year we wrote about what your guest amenities say about your accommodation, and it can’t be stressed enough how important those small bottles in the bathroom are to the overall impression your guest will have.

Because they’re 99.9% guaranteed to use at least one of the products, the quality of fragrance and texture of the soap, handwash, shampoo or conditioner is bound to make an impact so it’s important you match the frangipani and coconut with expectations of holidays and the bergamot and neroli with chic, modern décor.

As well as locally sourced ingredients being able to help match the guest’s experience with their accommodation, even the packaging – recycled or otherwise – can add to the overall impression, while tie-ins with Forest & Bird, aromatherapy even avocado-pit body scrubs give guests something to chat about when someone inevitably asks, “so, what was your room like?”

Food & Beverage

One of the major parts of supplying food and beverages in guest accommodation is to give them all the little things they’d expect at home without them even thinking about it. Your guests probably wouldn’t think twice about coming in after a day out and turning on the kettle for a cup of tea and a cookie, or pouring a quick coffee and making up a bowl of cereal before heading out – but you can guarantee that they’d quickly know if it wasn’t there.

And by providing the full range of sugars, sweeteners and natural stevia, you just know that you’ve already staved off those reviews that start: “They didn’t stock my choice of low-calorie sweetener so…”

Branding

From wrapped soaps to customised cosmetics, nothing beats having your own branding on those little extras that go to create an overall impression of your accommodation. Because we make our own caps, bottles and contents all in one place, Health Pak is perfectly positioned to create something that’s uniquely yours – and nothing cements a professional approach to guest amenities quite like having a consistent theme and branding running through your whole business.

The little things…

Items that guests find in their rooms fall into two categories: the ones they expect and will moan about when they’re not there, and the ones they’ve never seen before and are pleasantly surprised about.

Our two classic “surprises” are the goodie bag, which carries with it a sound ecological message but also panders to every guest’s wish to walk out with a bag-full of soaps and bodywashes, and the aromatherapy relaxing towelette, which is a good alternative to the usual turn-down or welcome gift and comes attached to a great “locally sourced” storyline.

With six decades of experience behind us, we pride ourselves at Health Pak at understanding how to help accommodation providers of everything from 5-star resorts to single-bedroom AirBnbs – but we also know that the playing field has changed considerably in recent years because of the power of online feedback and guest reviews.

If you want any help in choosing which products suit your situation give us a shout online or email us at info@healthpak.co.nz or call us on +64 9 579 6268.