High-Rise Amenities: What's Hot for Phoenix
Phoenix high-rise dwellers generally choose to buy their homes because of convenience and location. Amenities can also be a deciding factor in where to buy. However, what’s desirable in amenities is always changing. For example, 30 years ago, card rooms for bridge tournaments and poker games were a necessity. In the early days of the internet, business centers with computers that could go online were the hottest ticket in town. Now, yoga studios and children’s playrooms are required in order for high-rises to stay relevant to the changing needs of residents.
It’s important to make sure that your high-rise building’s amenities are desirable and reflect the current needs and wants of both existing residents and potential buyers. The right amenities have several effects:
- They enrich the lifestyles of residents
- They make your high-rise more marketable
- They enhance property values
1. Offer concierge-level service
Never underestimate the power of good service as your most important amenity. If you don’t have a professional, well-qualified team, you won’t be able to deliver exceptional service to your residents. Your residents’ satisfaction and happiness are essential elements of a successful association.
A professional community management company can assist your high-rise building by hiring the best staff suited to meet your residents’ needs and implementing proprietary training programs to educate the staff on how to provide exceptional service. Depending on the market, that service may be offered by on-site staff or by contracting an outside vendor.
Training and developing front desk staff so they are able to assist residents with amenities such as personal trainer appointments, restaurant reservations and other resort-like services is essential. You can also promote the surrounding community as an amenity to residents. No matter where the building is located, a well-informed staff with knowledge of the surrounding area can help residents make the most of their neighborhoods.
Concierge-style service has become an essential part of the high-rise lifestyle. This level of service includes an extensively trained front desk staff. Instead of self-managing this type of staff, many high-rise buildings are opting to hire a contract concierge service. These firms can schedule car services, book restaurant reservations, plan and coordinate events, find tickets to shows and manage needed pickups and deliveries.
2. Bring in outside vendors
Making life easier for residents through vendor relationships is another trendy way to offer excellent service without spending a lot of money. For example, one innovative way to provide multiple services is by converting unused space into a valet station and leasing that space to a vendor, such as a dry cleaner. In this type of arrangement, the business also agrees to hold packages for residents or to deliver them to units. With more and more people shopping online, this contracted service can be helpful to both residents and front desk staff.
Many residential buildings also provide retail stores on the first floor. These stores might specialize in prepared foods, fill the need for coffee shops and juice bars or offer a bank branch. Residents love the convenience of stopping and grabbing dinner and doing their banking right from their building.
3. Add simple upgrades to existing amenities
Today, pools and fitness centers are standard in most buildings, but the way in which buildings offer these amenities can vary. Newer buildings are making fitness centers larger and adding more high-tech workout equipment like treadmills that take users on virtual walks through the Grand Canyon or the Andes Mountains. Existing buildings are expanding fitness space and adding designated areas for yoga or Pilates.
Staffing fitness centers with a high-end fitness and spa contractor is another trend these days. Attendants provide fresh towels and bottled water and book fitness trainers for residents. When space allows, they may also offer resort-like features such as plush robes and luxurious locker rooms. Spas offering everything from massage therapy to full steam rooms and saunas are additional services residents can find at some buildings.
To update your fitness center without spending a lot, consider converting an unused space into a yoga and Pilates studio. Do you have a conference room or business center that’s rarely used? Empty it of furniture, paint the walls a soothing color and install appropriate lighting. Suddenly, you’ll have one of the trendiest amenities without investing a lot of money. Simply stocking a mini-fridge with bottled water in the fitness center is another easy and fast upgrade that can provide a great return on your investment.
You can upgrade the service around your pool deck by simply adding a juice bar. This can consist of a counter-style table staffed a few hours a day with a variety of fruit and a juice machine. To make it more elaborate, you could have a fully built-in bar area. You could also stock a glass-fronted fridge with cool, moist hand towels, snacks like chilled fruit and bottled water. A towel service is another way to enhance your pool deck area without incurring much expense. Monogramming the towels and branding the water bottles adds an exclusive touch!
4. Understand your residents’ wants and needs
Becoming familiar with the demographics of your residents and potential buyers can help you determine the right amenities. If your building caters to families, consider turning that under-utilized card room into a playroom for children packed with toys, gaming systems and appropriately sized comfy furniture. You could convert the roof of your parking garage into a sports area offering soccer, volleyball and basketball. If your building attracts dog lovers, the parking garage roof could, instead, become a dog park. Anther pet-friendly addition you might think about providing is a pet spa. This can be accomplished by simply offering a place to rinse off dirty puppy paws. For something more elaborate, you could offer a full grooming salon or a dog walking service.
Updating your building amenities is a crucial part of maintaining its marketability and curb appeal. Besides keeping your current community engaged and active, freshening up your amenity offerings will help attract new members as well.
To find out more about how your high-rise building can adapt to the latest trends in amenities, contact FirstService Residential, Arizona’s largest community management company.