The good ol’ hotel amenity tray. Yep, there’s your square coffee packets, standard black tea bags, your shampoo, conditioner… sigh.

How about offering your guests a few unexpected surprises on the amenity tray? Something delightful and out of the ordinary? Customers remember the times that companies delighted them, especially when they weren’t expecting it.

Here are some ideas for spicing up the amenity tray

Body Butter. One of those things you probably don’t buy for yourself at home all that often, but is fun to try when travelling. Let your guests give it a go.

Think local. Are there any native-ingredient amenities that reflect local products or which reflect New Zealand’s clean ‘n’ green image?

Pumice stones. Again, something your guests may not use regularly at home but would like to try while travelling.

Green alternatives. This is for hotels that don’t necessarily advertise themselves as 'eco-friendly' or 'green' destinations (for them, this is not an “out of the ordinary”). Try mixing some eco-friendly amenities, such as soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, coffee or tea bags in with your standard offerings.

Coffee sticks. A nice change from the standard square packets.

Sweetener pencil sticks. Again, a nice change from the standard square. Sticks are often perceived to be higher value or more prestigious, even if the product inside is exactly the same.

Tea bags. Goodness, a veritable world of possibility here. Green tea. No, not eco-friendly tea, actual green tea. Fruit teas offer a wealth of possibilities and, even for conventional black tea, try offering more than one brand or flavour. You never know what selection may delight your guests.