The Death of the Pillow Chocolate?
Pillow chocolates used to be a staple of the hotel industry. But they’ve started to disappear… guests are beginning to report that even at the well-known chains there’s no guarantee you’ll find that little wrapped treat waiting for you on the bed.
Why did we like it?
It seems like a rather odd idea to put sticky candy on a freshly made bed, but this little touch performed at turn down used to be an indicator of the top notch service where you were staying. If they cared enough to carefully place a little gift on your pillow, they were sure to be the kind of polite attentive staff you wanted. Today, perhaps guests care more about how easy it is to set up WiFi…
So, what happened to the pillow chocolate?
Suddenly, it’s hit and miss whether you’ll find anything at all on your pillow. Occassionally you’ll find a treat left on a table next to the bed. BnB Edition thinks it doesn’t have quite the same effect this way. For starters, it’s much easier to place there and loses some of that magic. And how many guests have rejected eating chocolate and left it sitting there? There’s no way of telling when the staff put it out!
Maybe it’s our rushed, high turn-over modern lifestyle that is the culprit. We’ve run out of time to perform small, almost unnoticable extras. On the other hand, there is an increasing demand for luxury and excellent services at every level and price range in the hotel industry. So has it rendered a gesture so small obsolete? When you’re running around looking at rainfall showers, plasma TVs and i-pod docks and laughing in excitement, it’s difficult to work up much enthusiasm about a pillow chocolate even if its gourmet. Did hotels get annoyed with customers disregarding their little gifts and install internet access in every room as a more customer friendly and cost effective pillow-side amenity?
A modern alternative…
Chocolate used to be a luxury (think times of war etc), but now it’s the kind of thing people buy everyday. Chocolate has lost some of its wow factor. A pillow chocolate is old, boring, done. The only kind of chocolate we get excited about is the very expensive gourmet, fair trade alternative stuff…
We’re excited to hear, however, that a handful of large hotel chains have fought back with their own alternative to chocolate. New pillow gifts like tiny bags of nuts and herbal teabags have started to appear, geared towards the modern eco and health-conscious traveler. Healthy and green it may be – but does it have the same charm?
What’s your view! Share your opinions with us below. Does your B&B still use pillow chocolates? Or do you have a modern twist?
Images: Thanks to Brian Hathcock on Flickr.com
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Category: B&B Customer Service
When I went on a cruise I had a chocolate on my pillow every night. This was a very nice touch although I did not always feel like eating it. The holiday cost was several thousand of pounds so a daily chocolate did not break the bank for the cruise provider.
I feel that a problem arises when guests now expect this type of thing where ever they stay, regardless of what they are paying. They are expecting the service to be first class but are not prepared to pay for it. We provide everything that we feel the guests need, plenty of towels and toiletries and a very varied assortment of beverages on the hospitality tray. At £58 per night for a double en-suite room including breakfast we have to draw a line somewhere on what we provide.
Hi Karen, did you watch the program the other night on Trip Advisor reviews? It covered exactly what you are talking about. It seems a lot of people have much higher expectations, yet don’t want to pay higher prices.
Yes, we have exactly the same problem. We charge low rates for comfortable and clean facilities but some guests seem to expect five star luxury.