Hotel wake-up service? A new way to wake up!

The wake-up service at the hotel was something I used to enjoy. It was part of the luxury of being taken care of. Eventually, though, I let my smartphone do the waking. But still, I ask myself, why? And what do hotels have to offer today to make waking up a special experience?

From Knocker-Up to Electronic Wake-Up – A brief history

In the past, people didn’t have their own alarm clocks. On farms, the rooster crowed, and in towns, there was the knocker-up. This was someone who, for a small fee, knocked on people’s windows in the morning to wake them up for work. You can find stories about such people in the urban history of working-class cities like Manchester or in books (e.g. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, 1861).

Ramadan drummer

Here in Jerusalem, there is a group of young men with drums who parade through the streets during Ramadan to wake the residents for breakfast and early prayers before sunrise. After all, the whole day must be spent fasting from sunrise. We are always happy to see them at the window – especially as they are often dressed in traditional clothes. You can also find such drummers in Turkey, Egypt, and many other Islamic countries such as Indonesia. (However, you won’t see or hear them at tourist resorts like Puri Dajuma Cottages & Spa on the beach in Bali. You would have to live in a Muslim neighborhood in Jakarta or somewhere similar.)

Hotel wake-up service

As I mentioned before, I loved the hotel’s wake-up service. You dialed the front desk number (on the nightstand phone next to the bed) and ordered a wake-up service. “Hello, I’d like to be woken up at 8 a.m. tomorrow,” “Gladly. Will a phone call suffice, or would you like someone to knock?” – Something along those lines. The phone rings the next day at 8 a.m. on the dot. “Good morning, this is your wake-up call” and “Is there anything else I can do for you?” and “The breakfast buffet is waiting for you.” Oh, I tell you, waking up in a hotel is really wonderful!

In fact, getting a good night’s sleep is a top priority for many travelers. As Booking.com found in a survey of 27,000 travelers, “rest & relaxation” is important to 67% of all travelers, and 58% would even be interested in a sleep retreat.

“The wake-up service is ordered about once a year”

Wake up to the sun and view the frozen lake from your sustainable hotel room.

Wake-up calls are still free at the Weiherhof Hotel on Wolfsgruben Lake in Ritten, South Tyrol, but hardly anyone uses them anymore. Owner Klaus Pichler laughed when we asked. About once a year a guest asks for a wake-up call, he says. Since it is no longer part of the morning routine at the reception, it is “almost a challenge” not to forget this request.

Other partners tell us similar stories. If you would like a wake-up service, everyone is happy to oblige. (Maybe you want to try it on your next trip :-)) Only no one asks anymore. Or maybe the priorities are elsewhere:

“We are happy to offer a wake-up service. But most of our guests are on vacation and prefer to sleep in!” – Eco-Aparthotel The Dreamers Club (Island of Kor?ula, Croatia)

Waking up in a hotel – the new luxury

So, what does waking up in sustainable hotels look like nowadays? Here are a few examples:

Sun tracking blinds

At the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgau you are surrounded by nature. Hiking and biking trails in the alpine landscape await you right outside the door. Many guests come here to relax and enjoy wellness and yoga retreats.

Here the sun will wake you up. There are automatic blinds, always closed at night, letting the early morning light into your room (if your curtains are open). During the day, the blinds follow the sun so that the rooms don’t heat up in summer.

Wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread

Wake up with a fresh organic breakfast

At the SAND lifestyle hotel on the Baltic Sea, many people enjoy a “vacation rhythm” and sit on the roof terrace well into the night. And be woken by their nose in the morning:

“We have a front cooking station and bake our own rolls from pre-made dough. The smell awakens the senses without any technology. It’s the most natural way to wake up”. – Lifestyle Hotel SAND (Timmendorfer Strand, Germany)

Yoga sessions in the morning

Enjoying nature early in the morning

Early risers can take part in morning yoga classes at Paradiso Pure.Living. The eco-friendly hotel is located on the Alp de Siusi and offers nature vacations in winter and summer.

“We love the sunrise in the Dolomites. And to not miss out on this magical time of day, we offer our guests sunrise yoga as part of our free daily yoga program, which is available to all hotel guests. – Paradiso Pure.Living

Breakfast for late risers

If waking up to the sun in the morning is not your idea of a vacation, but rather a really long nap in a cozy bed, consider Hotel My Arbor near Brixen (also in South Tyrol). Spend the night in an extraordinary treetop hotel.

“At My Arbor, everything revolves around “MY” (ME), the guest. We respect and value the personal space of our guests and want their stay to be completely according to their wishes. If someone wants to sleep in, we offer breakfast until 12:00″. – My Arbor.

The breakfast basket knocks on the door

You can also enjoy your personal freedom at Hygna Chalets in Tyrol’s Alpbachtal. They offer luxurious wooden chalets with private kitchens. Service includes a breakfast basket of fresh organic produce delivered to your door each morning. (The knock-up to your vacation feeling)

Do wake-up services have anything to do with sustainability?

The disappearance of personal service is linked to the automation and digitalization of this world. We are investing a lot of money in robots and technology and a lot less in personal service. One example: My uncle bought a robot lawnmower. 3,000 Euros to keep the grass short. For how long could he have hired a boy from the neighborhood with this money?

No electronics

Many people use their vacation to consciously do without technology. The nature rooms at STURM, for example, no longer have televisions, and at the aforementioned HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio, you can leave your cell phone in a “radio silence box”. It will be safely locked away for you and you will get it back at the end of your vacation (along with a piece of mountain cheese). At the Hotel Pavillon in Paris, you can even enjoy radio silence in the heart of the French capital. Some rooms are specially shielded against “electro-smog”.

By taking a digital break, you are able to focus more on the real and natural world – and perhaps waking up will be a new experience for you, as there are no cell phone alarms or push-up messages. Instead, maybe a nice call from reception or just the sun.