Thursday, December 4, 2008

Something to steal from a hotel (and a notable quote)

Hotels increasing their in-room technology options are also making it more difficult to do things that were once actually easy - like turning on the television. I knew within seconds of picking up the remote that it wasn't going to be an easy process to just watch TV. The good news: there was a placemat sized, laminated instruction of "how to turn on the TV" in an easy to spot location. After pressing seven buttons (following along with the super-sized font instructions), I had a channel.

Something to steal: Does your association have technology programs no one can actually just easily use? How about easy-to-find and easy-to-follow instructions with a few basic words, in very large font, and a picture?

Notable quote: This link has a few hilarious things cranky traveler Scott Carmichael says about what he doesn't like about hotels. My favorite: "I'd also like to ask hotels to stop stocking the minibar with too many obscure products. Sometimes a guest just wants a damn Snickers bar, and is not in the mood for a $12 organic dried peach and carrot whey protein energy bar."

Amen.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think that you post brings up an interesting point about barriers to entry. Seeing a set of instructions just to turn on the TV would have me seeking something else to do.

This hotel needs to drastically simplify the process, this is outrageous.