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 contribute to comfort, convenience or enjoyment, while facilities are places or things designed to facilitate an action or process. This is the key difference between facilities and amenities.
What Does Amenities Mean?
Amenities is the plural form of amenity, which is derived from the Latin word amoenitas, meaning pleasant. Amenities refer to things that contribute to physical or material comfort. Definitions of this term include “a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place” (Oxford dictionary) and “something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment” (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Hotels offer various amenities to their guests, such as free Wi-Fi, cable/satellite TV, air conditioning, refrigerator, and personal items like hair dryers, shower caps, shampoo, towels, etc.
What Does Facilities Mean?
Facilities is the plural form of facility, which is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a place, amenity, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose” and by the American Heritage dictionary as “a 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 available to guests within the hotel, such as swimming pools, gyms, spas, bars, restaurants, and saunas. Facilities may not specifically target the comfort or pleasure of the guests; their main aim is to fulfill guests’ needs. Facilities can also have different meanings in different contexts, such as referring to a restroom in a public place like a theater.
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 contribute to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment.
- Pleasure and Comfort: Facilities may not aim to provide pleasure and comfort, while amenities aim to provide pleasure and comfort.
