ARTICLE: Forget free soap and shampoo; a few hotels have begun offering items to lend, such as checking out jewelry, running shoes, a George Foreman grill and phone chargers. With guests traveling lighter to avoid mounting baggage fees, and the feeling of being nickle-and-dimed (resort fees? seriously?) while traveling, hotels like boutique Kimpton and even bigger players like Candelwood and Hyatt have stepped up to fill the need of additional convenience with out the price. With internet, breakfast, and even poolside yoga becoming commonplace in hotels, the ability to check out or borrow items adds a new level of personalization and practicality for amenities that guests are sure to appreciate. These positive guest experiences, in turn, lead to more buzz and hopefully more bookings. The growing appearance of lending systems, especially from such big players, may also harken to the trend of the Sharing Economy, where we desire to buy less and borrow more. Now that it this system is being picked up in a business to consumer relationship rather than a consumer-to-consumer (Lyft, Airbnb, etc), one has to wonder how other businesses will respond to this consumer desire to temporarily own rather than buy, and if adding this model to their transactions and services adds revenue.
SITE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/12/28/hotels-lend-forgotten-items/4193181/
