We all like some sort of refreshment when we arrive at our destination - it’s welcoming; it’s called hospitality. When we go to friend’s houses, it’s automatic. Do you want a cuppa - Tea or coffee - Caffeinated or decaf - milk, sugar etc? Then we like to sit back and savour the flavour whilst we appreciate our friends and surroundings; it makes us feel welcomed and at home!

To give you some indication: - I stay at hotels that I book at the last minute. Prices range from £50 to £100. Sometimes I’ll book in at a Premier Inn or a Travelodge, as they are such good value! Now you know the price range, let’s examine what I have been presented with on arrival in the room at too many hotels. A tray, often a cheap plastic one, usually with a couple of small cups, teaspoons, a choice of sachets of tea and coffee, some plastic pots of milk, some sweetener and a plastic kettle with a short lead - plus one or two small packets of biscuits.

So lets start with the obvious - The size of the cups! By all means have a cup and saucer. But make it larger than an eyebath! Make it look generous; the sachets of coffee and the tea bags will make a large cup, so give a big enough cup so the drink doesn’t look like middle eastern tar and taste like sulphur and lasts longer than a couple of sips! I want to sit back and relax for a while and not have to repeat the manufacturing process to obtain the second mouthful.

On the subject of what you provide: - Go for Gold Blend coffee or its equivalent. Don’t provide the basic stuff. It doesn’t cost much to make your guests feel special in this department and provide the decaf version of the same quality. Tea is an easier choice. Most guests like a decent cup of tea in the morning and a nice cup for the afternoon, so go for a breakfast and an Earl Grey. Don’t forget a decaf tea for those of us who prefer it late at night…

Milk: Those long plastic sachets are the poor cousins of the small plastic pots, which in turn is a poor relation to a nice jug of milk. That may be more difficult to do, but it cannot be beyond the ingenuity of someone to put a lid on a small jug of milk! Or put real milk in the drinks fridge! Failing that, put more than enough of the pots or sachets in the room so that the guest can choose to have it if they need it. It doesn’t cost much to look good, and this is basic first impression stuff. It’s an area ripe for development; can someone not make a disposable or reusable jug of milk?

The kettle: Make sure it’s empty. It’s a strange psychology - even though all water has been around for millions of years and must have fallen on dinosaurs, we like ‘fresh’ water in the kettle! Also make sure the kettle can be filled from the basin easily. It’s so annoying when I have to wedge the spout under the tap and most of the water runs out as I try to extricate the spout from the tap. No one likes to fill the kettle from the bath or shower; it must have something to do with the fresh water issue! So before you buy the kettles, make sure they will fill in your basins!

Somewhere to boil it: It isn’t fun or very safe standing a kettle full of water on a chair because the lead isn’t long enough to rest it on the floor or a work surface. Get a longer electric cable!

Drinking chocolate: This is a secret that clever hotels employ. Sounds strange, but those in the know realise that a cup of hot chocolate helps with a good night’s sleep; even if it isn’t used it creates a good impression.

And on that topic, few things can out-impress sachets of proper coffee and a small cafeteria; this feels like real luxury stuff, yet costs very little. The Sunbourn Yacht in Docklands did this and it was my place of choice to stay in London, even though it involved a trip on the DLR!

Biscuits are usually a good idea: A couple of packets of digestive and shortbread for those of us who are going to eat later than we normally would at home - these are a lifesaver, but don’t put out anything with nuts in though!

A solution is what the Wychwood Park Hotel near Crew does. They have an area opposite the check-in desk where you can make yourself a drink at anytime of the day or night. Proper coffee machines, a choice of teas, soft drinks and milk in a jug, in a glass fronted fridge. A basket of biscuits seems to appear at about 10 am; strangely just as the breakfast room closes… that’s smart marketing! We cannot afford to miss the breakfast revenue. The beverage facilities in the rooms are par for the course. But little criticism can be levelled at a place that provides such a good facility in their lobby.

The best solution is to ask your guests if they want a cup of tea or coffee when they arrive. The Dryfsdale in Lockerbie (a Best Western) did this for me. We sat in their lounge and had a lovely cuppa before going to our room. I have since stayed there on several occasions and although it may be a bit of an encumbrance to bring out a pot of tea, I felt very welcomed. I even accepted the offer of booking a table for dinner and didn’t go into the village in the evening for a drink. I spent a lot more money there than I normally would in the hotel. And isn’t that what we need in these times?

Bottles of water: Some hotels provide a choice - sparkling and still. I like this, but it is probably expensive and not as appreciated as good tea and coffee, but make sure you put a couple of tall glasses next to them. I don’t like having to use the toothbrush glass from the bathroom… and hoteliers, whatever you do, don’t put disposable plastic beakers in a plastic bag anywhere! They scream out loud that you are used to having football hooligans to stay.

Ice buckets are a no, no as they might be used for the wrong purpose.

These are simple solutions, and I am amazed at the less than average stuff that you hoteliers expect me, the guest you spent a fortune to get over your welcome mat, to have to put up with. But it doesn’t take much to make it look good… What is the cost of a bigger cup, a better blend, a few more pots of milk, nicer biscuits and a glass by the tap? And don’t forget to check that the kettle can be filled easily from the basin tap. Wet trousers will keep me out of your bar and restaurant!

Steve Mitchell, Publisher, PIR Magazines