How to add a hospitality element to your multifamily property

While travel seems like a relic of a bygone age for many of us, who doesn’t have fond memories of exploring the world? A big part of the fun in vacationing is the new experiences you so often find, but something else just as fun is relaxing in stress-free, comfortable surroundings.

In many cases, the hotel experience is at the heart of that stress-free vibe. Who doesn’t want to spend a weekend (or a week!) in a fresh new room, with new decor, plenty of amenities, and even a cleaning service?

The attractiveness of hotels is particularly evident at the luxury tier of offerings. In addition to captivating design and great views, luxury hotels often include sports and fitness areas, spas, upscale restaurants, and inviting bars. All of these things combine into an experience guests love and that keeps visitors coming back time and again.

While it might not be possible to add a great view to your property if it wasn’t already in a picturesque setting, it is certainly possible to take advantage of other nods from the hospitality world. In this article, we’ll cover three of the best ways to do so.

1. Make the experience frictionless

One of the biggest and best ways to improve your multifamily property is to make the resident experience as frictionless as possible. Think about your favorite hotel. Unless it goes all-in on the rustic theme, you probably use a card or phone app to get to your room, not a physical metal key.

It’s actually possible to make the apartment experience more frictionless than the hotel experience, since your residents don’t need to check in! Consider investing in a touchless access control system that grants your residents entrance to your property and the spaces within it. Bonus points if you also include a sophisticated visitor management system that lets your residents grant access to their friends and family without needing to run down to the lobby to get in.

2. Elevate your hospitality

Luxury hotels stand out for many reasons, but one of the most delicious is the quality of food and drink that they offer in the restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. If your property management plan includes social events with a food component, or if you have a space for a coffee cart in your lobby, spend a little extra money or partner with a slightly higher quality of operator to ensure that your residents have great food and beverage choices. You’re already going to all that effort building and equipping these spaces, so don’t go with cut-rate food and drink options at the last minute and leave your residents to cross the street for a good cup of coffee.

This goes for developers, too. Tenanting your retail spaces with nice local brands as opposed to faceless chains, can be a great way to stand out and ramp up the experience factor...just make sure they aren’t too risky a tenant.

3. Pay attention to the details

Finally, the best hotels and resorts pay extremely close attention to the details. They are well-designed, expertly decorated, and often fitted out with gorgeous artwork. You can take the same approaches at your multifamily property, even if it wasn’t designed by a celebrity architect. Of course you can always hire an interior designer to refresh your building, but for a smaller, more realistic solution, consider rotating a rolling selection of artwork through your portfolio, allowing residents at all your properties to see something new each month. Great design and aesthetics are the perfect accompaniments to wonderful amenities and frictionless living!

You could even take things a step further and theme your building or a floor within it. Chicago’s Aurelien apartment building, located in the desirable Gold Coast neighborhood, goes all in with theming around the glimmering precious metal. Its decor, branding, and even name are all allusions to gold, crafting a better experience for its residents every day they enter the property.

We know planning the addition of a hospitality element can be difficult. If you don’t know where to begin, we can help. Get in touch with us!