Key Difference – Facilities vs Amenities
Facilities and amenities are two words that are often used in the hospitality industry. Although these two terms are commonly used, many people don’t know the difference between facilities and amenities. Amenities are things that conduce to comfort, convenience or enjoyment. Facilities are places, or things that are designed to facilitate an action or process. This is the key difference between facilities and amenities.
What Does Amenities Mean?
Amenities is plural of amenity. The term amenity is derived from Latin amoenitas meaning pleasant. Amenities refer to things that contribute to physical or material comfort. Let’s look at some definitions of this term to understand its meaning better.
“A desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place “– Oxford dictionary
“Something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment” – Merriam-Webster dictionary
Hotels offer various amenities to their guests. Some of these may include free Wi-Fi, cable/satellite TV, air conditioning, refrigerator, personal items such as hair dryers, shower caps, shampoo, towels, etc. are some of these amenities.
What Does Facilities Mean?
Facilities is the plural form of facility. Facility is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “place, amenity, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose”. The American Heritage dictionary defines it as “building, room, array of equipment, or a number of such things, designed to serve a particular function” or “something that facilitates an action or process”.
In the hotel industry, facilities can refer to services that are available to the guests within the hotel. Some examples of facilities may include swimming pools, gyms, spa, bars, restaurants, saunas, etc. All these facilities serve some practical purpose. However, facilities may not specifically target on the comfort or pleasure of the guests; their main aim is to fulfill guests’ needs.
Facilities can also have different meanings in different context. For example, facilities can refer to a restroom in a public place such as a theatre.
What is the difference between Facilities and Amenities?
Definition:
Facilities refer to a building, room, array of equipment, or a number of such things, designed to serve a particular function.
Amenities are things that conduce to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment.
Pleasure and Comfort:
Facilities may not aim to provide pleasure and comfort.
Amenities aim to provide pleasure and comfort.
Image Courtesy:
“Inbalance outdoor pool – Novotel Century Hong Kong Hotel” By Novotel Century Hong Kong Hotel – Novotel Century Hong Kong Hotel (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“L’HOTEL PORTO BAY SÃO PAULO | amenities” by PortoBay Hotels & Resort (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr