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HORSHAM, Pennsylvania; July 7, 2009 � LRA Worldwide, Inc. has introduced its proprietary Emotional Audit� offering to the lodging industry, providing properties and brands alike with a data-driven view of how the hotel experience makes a guest �feel.� With the industry as a whole seeking to create and promote branded experiences intended to forge a more personal connection with the guest, the Emotional Audit is a tool specifically designed to measure the effectiveness of those efforts, down to the individual guest interaction. LRA, which has been a leading provider of performance measurement and consulting services to the global hospitality industry for more than 25 years, designed the Emotional Audit as a complement to its more traditional Brand Assurance, Mystery Shopping and Customer Satisfaction survey programs. The Emotional Audit concept was the inspiration of Senior Vice President John Roberto, the leader of LRA�s Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping practice. The audit process was developed by a trio of LRA consultants � Rick Reilly, Keith Bliss and James Dunn � with more than 25 years experience in luxury hotel management and operations with brands such as Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Four Seasons, among others. �We felt this was an unmet need in the marketplace and a perfect way to leverage the expertise and experience of our full-time, brand-immersed consultants,� explained Reilly, an Account Director with LRA. �The Emotional Audit complements traditional Quality Assurance, but turns the process on its head. We�re closing the loop between brand planning and brand execution by quantifying behaviors and how those behaviors make the guest feel.� Thus far, LRA has conducted Emotional Audits at select properties for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels, St. Regis and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. LRA worked with each client�s brand and operations teams to identify the desired attributes � warmth, personalization, passion, etc. � that a hotel associate should be trying to convey at each guest touch point and matched them with the potential range of emotions generated by that associate�s performance. When each guest interaction is pieced together, the resulting report forms a virtual emotional �heat map� of the entire experience. �We have a wealth of valuable data available to us on the guest experience,� explained Jeff Smith, Vice President, Operations and Loyalty Services for Omni Hotels. �However, LRA�s Emotional Audit brings another dimension to our assessment which has been difficult to capture. It delivers a more enriched perspective of the guest encounter, providing us tremendous insight on how to enhance those interactions at a specific property and across the brand.� In all, LRA works with seven of the 10 largest global hotel companies; LRA�s Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping practice conducts nearly 13,000 site visits and evaluations each year, either as a stand-alone offering or as an integrated part of an overall Customer Experience Management project. In addition to its work in the lodging industry, LRA provides QA services to some of the leading companies and brands in Sports, Conference Centers, Timeshare, Gaming, Homebuilding and Travel. �The current economic environment is providing some very real challenges for the luxury and upscale hotel sectors,� observed Rob Rush, LRA�s Chief Executive Officer. �The best way for brands serving this market to weather the storm and preserve their rate structure is to offer more value and strengthen relationships with their core guest. The Emotional Audit is the right tool at the right time to help.� About LRA Worldwide, Inc:
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LRA
Worldwide is a leading research and consulting company in the emerging
discipline of Customer Experience Management (CEM). We work with our clients
to help them design and deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences
in order to drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy, and company
growth and profitability.