How to choose the right guestroom phone
The importance of the humble telephone to your guestroom is often overlooked. Orbiss director KAREN MCGOWAN explains why they have launched a new online phone store, and lends some tips on choosing the right phone for your room.
We’ve all seen it: an otherwise beautiful room, spoiled by horrible plasticky phone that doesn’t match the look, feel or colour scheme of the room.
The truth is, many of our customers simply aren’t aware of the sheer variety of guestroom handsets available to them. There didn’t seem to be a single place where you could browse and compare all sorts of guestroom phones – so we built one.
The main choices we face when it comes to handsets?
Design is important; a handset really needs to compliment a room. Whether you want classic designer looks, something ultra-modern or a solid, all-round workhorse, the look and feel of the handset should contribute to the impression you’re trying to create.
When you know what style you would like, then it’s time to think of additional features your guests might need, a USB port for charging guests’ devices or maybe additional features for hard of hearing.
Do you see a big difference between independent establishments and the big chains?
Once, the big chains tended to rely on tried-and-tested, heavy-duty phones such as the familiar Teledex Opal, with boutique hotels and luxury B & B’s more likely to opt for an iconic designer handset like the Jacob Jensen T3 across the board we are becoming more aware of the power of a phone to refresh a room and are refusing to compromise on design.
What new trends do you see in the market?
Increasingly, phone selection seems to be all about making a statement. For example, we’re asked for designs with extreme, ultra-modern styling, at the same time as phones combining a retro, GPO-style dial with modern technology.
Do you have any tips for anyone looking for a new phone?
If you’re looking to refresh a room, a better handset is a simple way to achieve it, and it could cost less than you think — there are some very good phones available for as little as £15 Or, for a little more, and you can get something like the VTech A2210 — a stylish, all-rounder with heaps of features, a choice of colourways, and a five-year warranty, It’s a rising star that you’ll will be seeing a lot of in the future.
