10 ideas for dull hotel owners

I don't like hotels. And since this morning I know why. On the radio this morning there was an interview with Vincent van Dijk, who blogged all hotels of Amsterdam. And he told that a big problem of hotels is that they are not surprising. Which is not surprising. Hotels should offer a bed and that's it.

But hotels are dull.

I remembered the times a few years ago that I was traveling trough Europe for my work, sleeping in big dull hotels. Always the same continental breakfast buffet, always the same unsurprising rooms, always the unbearable lack of inspiration everywhere.

So why not giving those dull hotel owners 10 ideas to inspire them to inspire their guests?

1. This one is from one of the hotel descriptions of Vincent: provide the rooms with an iPod full of all possible music styles and some speakers, a newspaper, internet, water and wine and friendliness. It's that simple.

2. Place a bookcase in the lobby together with a couch and some relaxing seats. Go to the flea market and buy five meter of (inspiring) books and comics and let the guest take the book with him when he leaves and has not finished his book yet.

3. Place a food and beverage vending machine somewhere inside or outside which delivers fresh food of the five continents.

4. Place a bulletin board in the lobby for events in the neighborhood, for looking for company for going out, play chess or philosophical talk, tips and warnings, etcetera.

5. Organise every evening a different board game tournament for the hotel guests and the neighborhood and organise workshops Delft Blue Painting.

6. Provide GPS units for city GPS tracks and city geocaching.

7. Show an art movie every evening in the breakfast room on a big screen. Except on Saturday: organise every Saturday a chamber concert. Also for the neihborhood.

8. Offer a farmer breakfast on one long table with fresh products right from the (biological) farmer. And offer excursions to the farm.

9. Organise every Wednesday a PechaKucha Night.

10. Get art from the art library or from the local artists and create a gallery of the hotel.

I might go to such a hotel in future! But you are not me and might wish other things to get inspired. Be my guest and add your ideas to this blog!

And apart from that a hotel might be a nice thing to make a crowd sourcing project out of it. Who is interested?