{"id":1160,"date":"2026-08-17T16:21:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2026-08-17T16:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:21:51","slug":"solving-a-pain-or-charging-for-courtesy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/2026\/08\/17\/solving-a-pain-or-charging-for-courtesy\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving a pain, or charging for courtesy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ancillary revenue used to be simple: breakfast, parking, upgrades. Easy to explain, easy to justify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, ancillary is evolving into something more sophisticated (and sometimes more controversial): <strong>micro-products embedded into the journey<\/strong>designed to monetize <strong>certainty, convenience, speed, and risk reduction<\/strong>; often in a single tap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week I bumped into two examples that perfectly frame the debate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>OTAs turning <strong>luggage disruption<\/strong> into a checkout add-on<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hotels experimenting with charging for what many consider a <strong>courtesy<\/strong> (umbrellas)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They look similar (\u201canother fee\u201d), but they&#039;re actually two different models of modern ancillary: <strong>monetizing risk<\/strong> vs <strong>monetizing hospitality moments<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Case study #1: Selling peace of mind at checkout (OTAs + luggage disruption)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A piece circulating via <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/otas-turn-luggage-disruptions-ancillary-163000477.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yahoo Finance<\/a> described how OTAs are integrating \u201cluggage disruption\u201d products into the booking flow. An option you can add at checkout, promising a guaranteed payment if checked baggage doesn&#039;t arrive within a defined time window (commonly referenced as <strong>96 hours<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why this matters: <\/strong>This isn&#039;t just an extra product. It&#039;s <strong>a new category of ancillary <\/strong>(risk monetization, same as travel insurance) and OTAs love it for three reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>It&#039;s easy to merchandise. <\/strong>A clear \u201cwhat if\u201d scenario + a clear outcome converts well at checkout. No one wants to read insurance terms mid-booking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It&#039;s high-margin, low-operational friction for the seller. <\/strong>The service delivery is pushed to a partner, while the OTA keeps the booking flow and the attachment opportunity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It turns disruption into revenue. <\/strong>And that&#039;s where the ethical line appears: guests will accept paying for peace of mind\u2026 up to the point it feels like we&#039;re profiting from broken systems.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Case study #2: When a courtesy becomes a transaction (umbrella rentals in hotels)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second example came from a recent personal experience at a Hotel in Amsterdam. The post on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/pablotorres-hotelconsultant_ancillary-activity-7422909261531217920-56Gk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linkedin<\/a> (over 15,000 views + more than 100 interactions) shows that it&#039;s a sensitive topic: an <strong>automated umbrella rental<\/strong> where you tap your card and pay <strong>\u20ac2 for 48 hours<\/strong> (roughly the average stay), and if you keep it, it&#039;s <strong>\u20ac20<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The comments were exactly what you&#039;d expect\u2014and that&#039;s the point. The umbrella isn&#039;t just a product; it&#039;s a <strong>brand moment<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Luxury voices said \u201cno-go: just lend it\u201d (or at most, handle it via PMS notes \/ deposit logic).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lifestyle\/premium operators noted it can work when it matches expectations and is frictionless.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Others reframed it as sustainability: fewer cheap umbrellas bought-and-ditched, more sharing, less waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#039;s also a broader \u201cumbrella-as-a-service\u201d model floating in hospitality circles: pay a small fee for 48h, return via a tracked system, and the product is designed to last (sometimes with a sustainability hook like planting a tree).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why this matters: <\/strong>This is the other side of ancillary evolution: <strong>monetizing micro-conveniences<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And micro-conveniences are dangerous if they touch \u201chospitality DNA.\u201d The guest&#039;s brain doesn&#039;t judge an umbrella like minibar snacks. It judges it like <em>care<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If it feels like help \u2192 guests smile<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If it feels like monetizing courtesy \u2192 guests remember it (and not in a good way)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So\u2026 how far is ancillary going?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further than most teams realize; and not just in <em>volume<\/em>, but in <em>philosophy<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>From \u201cadd-ons\u201d \u2192 to <strong>micro-products<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From \u201cextra services\u201d \u2192 to <strong>certainty, speed, and risk protection<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From \u201cfront desk upsell\u201d \u2192 to <strong>automated, embedded, 1-click checkout<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The winners won&#039;t be the hotels\/brands that charge for the most things. They&#039;ll be the ones that <strong>choose the right moments to monetize<\/strong> without damaging trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Ancillary line test (3 questions)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before launching any new paid add-on, I&#039;d run this quick filter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Is the value exchange obvious in 5 seconds? <\/strong>If the guest needs a paragraph, you&#039;ll buy complaints with your revenue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Does it reduce friction or create friction? <\/strong>Automation can be a gift\u2026 or a cold interaction if it replaces care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Is this aligned with our segment promise? <\/strong>Luxury sells \u201ceffortless care.\u201d Lifestyle can sell \u201cpay-per-use convenience.\u201d Same product, totally different perception.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3 Actions to take this week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Audit your \u201ccourtesy moments.\u201d <\/strong>List 10 small items\/services you currently give away (umbrellas, water, adapters, gym access, late checkout \u201csometimes\u201d). Decide which ones are brand-defining (keep free), which are cost-heavy (deposit model), and which can be monetized without harming sentiment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Build a simple \u201cattach rate vs complaint rate\u201d dashboard. <\/strong>Every ancillary should be tracked beyond revenue: attachment %, margin, refunds, and complaint\/sentiment signals. If you can&#039;t measure the downside, you&#039;ll only see the upside\u2026until it&#039;s too late.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Move one ancillary upstream, but ethically. <\/strong>Pick a single add-on that genuinely solves a pain point and test offering it earlier in the journey (pre-arrival, booking engine, app). Transparent pricing, clear value, one-click purchase.<\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ancillary revenue used to be simple: breakfast, parking, upgrades. Easy to explain, easy to justify. Today, ancillary is evolving into something more sophisticated (and sometimes more<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1162,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions\/1162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torreshospitalityconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}