Is Hospitality Moving Towards Zero-Touch With Service Automation?
Alan E. Young | December 12, 2022
The Travel Surge Highlights the Need for Great Prearrival Communication
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | August 31, 2022
Guest Experience
Upgrade Your Customer Service to a First-Class Experience
Shep Hyken | February 2, 2023
Many years ago, a friend shared some advice with me: It doesn’t cost much more to enjoy a first-class experience. He was referring to spending just a little more in certain situations to get much more out of the experience. It could be a nicer hotel, a better seat in a theater, a better cut of meat at the grocery store, and more. He found that it often doesn’t cost much more to upgrade. So, I started thinking about this advice and how we can apply it to the customer experience. Essentially, I was thinking that we can proactively give our customers a better experience by bumping our efforts up a notch. In most cases, it do...
Create a Selfie Experience
Shep Hyken | January 26, 2023
By Shep Hyken Here’s an interesting concept. I’ll describe it in the form of a question: Do you create an experience that is so good your customers want to remember it with a photograph? I started thinking about this as I walked through Times Square in New York City and couldn’t help but notice how many people were taking pictures of themselves with the bright lights, huge signs, and thousands of other people in the background. People wanted to remember the moment, and thanks to the cameras that virtually everyone has today, also known as mobile phones, they can save and cherish moments and share them with others forever. ...
Kennedy Training Network Welcomes Industry Superstars Amber Hurdle, Calvin Stovall, and Lynn Zwibak Into Its New “Network Partners” Confer...
Kennedy Training Network | January 24, 2023
Most lodging industry professionals will recognize Kennedy Training Network and its President, Doug Kennedy, from reading his monthly training articles, or from participating in one of the more than 2,450 training workshops and 150 conferences he’s presented at since 1989. Now, in addition to offering its own training programs and support services delivered by the KTN team, Kennedy has personally curated a collection of uniquely talented conference speakers, all of whom have come up through the ranks in the hotel and lodging industry. “I’m often asked by conference planners to recommend additional speakers for the same events I’...
Don’t Just Personalize the Customer’s Experience – Individualize It
Shep Hyken | January 19, 2023
By Shep Hyken Recently I wrote my annual Forbes article featuring customer service and CX predictions and trends for 2023. No. 4 on the list was Personalization Gets More Personal. The best marketers have realized that personalization is a way to get closer to the customer – or at least make it appear to be so. In our customer experience research (sponsored by Amazon), 74% of customers we surveyed said a personalized experience is important. Let’s start by looking at what the “experts” refer to as personalization. The simple way to explain it is that customers are segmented into several groups, known as personas, which co...
From Digital Keys to Contactless Payments, Here’s How Hilton’s Consumer-Centric Tech Innovations Are Delivering a Frictionless Travel Experience
Hilton | January 17, 2023
Travelers are back on the road and in the air in record numbers, putting the travel industry on the return path to pre-pandemic business. Travel’s comeback has not been without complications, however, as overwhelming demand has strained the under-resourced sector. According to a new Hilton report, “The 2023 Traveler: Emerging Trends that are Innovating the Travel Experience,” people increasingly want a “frictionless” flow throughout their travel journey in 2023 through self-service options that offer greater choice – convenience and control – while maintaining the human touch of personalized service. “As people start pla...
Are Hotels Ready for Generation Novel?
David Millili | January 10, 2023
How the rise of Generation-Novel or Gen-N could transform the future of guest service By David Millili, CEO, LodgIQ What defines world-class guest service? Is it personalized offers or a value-driven loyalty program? Is it a timely reply sent back to an unsatisfied guest review? Is it flexible stay options or policies? Is it an engaging social media presence? Guest service can be all of these things… and with the demands accelerated by the pandemic, it has also become so much more. The problem with defining guest service in any singular way is that we often treat guest service as a department or a response rather than an ever-evolv...
Top Ten Customer Service and Customer Experience Predictions for 2023
Shep Hyken | January 5, 2023
By Shep Hyken Happy New Year! We have an exciting year ahead of us. So much has changed in just the past three years. And in the world of customer service and CX, there is much to be excited about. Last month I released my annual Top Ten Customer Experience Predictions in my weekly Forbes column. I don’t often repeat content, but I’m going to share those predictions and trends here, in a revised and shorter format. Here we go: 1. Customers Will Be Smarter and More Demanding Than Ever – I may sound like a broken record as I start each year with this prediction. Regardless of the type of business you’re in (B2B, B2C, B2B2C), eve...
Technology Plays a Key Role in Reducing Travel-Related Stress
Fran Worrall | January 3, 2023
Q&A with Mike Gathright of Hilton By Fran Worrall Streamlining the guest journey is top of mind for any hotelier. Hotel Online recently sat down with Mike Gathright, senior vice president of customer experience at Hilton, to learn what types of technology enable smoother and more stress-free guest stays and to find out what the brand is doing to make guest service more efficient. Gathright oversees reservations, guest services and support, as well as Hilton’s digital channels, including website and mobile app, property and contact center. HO: Briefly discuss your recent survey, The 2023 Traveler: Emerging Trends that are Inno...
23 Ways to Create an Amazing Experience in 2023
Shep Hyken | January 3, 2023
By Shep Hyken Happy New Year! I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, which are often broken. Instead, I like setting and resetting my goals for the year, and in my world, those goals focus on delivering an amazing customer service experience. So, I’ve created a list of simple ways to deliver the experience that everyone wants. Here are 23 ways to help you and your teams provide an amazing customer experience in 2023. Manage the first impression. It sets the tone for what’s to follow. Manage last impressions. They create lasting impressions. Demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. Customers want to work wit...
Welcome to the Touch-Free Hotel
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management | December 21, 2022
Contactless technology is transforming hospitality in China and beyond. Research by Dr Fei Hao and Professor Kaye Chon of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University shows that travellers have varying levels of readiness for contactless hotels. Hospitality firms are advised to be mindful of this variation when designing strategies to boost customer equity. For guests who are still sceptical about contactless technology, services that evoke delight may be the best way to retain their custom. Those with concerns around COVID-19 may be particularly reassured by positive experiences in a contactless h...
Customers Don’t Know the Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Experience
Shep Hyken | December 21, 2022
By Shep Hyken As I talk to people about their experiences with the companies and brands they do business with, they often use the terms customer service and customer experience interchangeably. Are they confused? Do they not know the difference? Maybe, maybe not. And in the end, it doesn’t matter. They don’t care, and neither should you. All you should worry about is giving them the experience they want, expect and deserve – regardless of what your customers call it. Here are some of the different definitions the public gives to customer service: Customer service is a group of people who help me when I have a pro...
INTELITY Announces Updated Strategic Partnership With Unifocus, Formerly Knowcross
INTELITY | December 21, 2022
The updated partnership will provide new features for a stronger staff operations flow Los Angeles, CA (December 21, 2022) - INTELITY®, provider of hospitality’s leading guest experience and staff management platform, announced today an updated partnership with Unifocus, the global leader in hospitality operations software. Following recent revisions to Unifocus’s technology, the INTELITY integration is all new. Built on INTELITY’s R5 platform to take advantage of its industry leading capabilities, the latest integration includes richer synchronization of guest request details between INTELITY and Unifocus. “Partnering with INT...
How Hotels Can Earn Guests’ Trust and Encourage Data Sharing
Ellis Connolly | December 20, 2022
By Ellis Connolly Offering value in exchange for data will resonate more deeply with guests, inspiring engagement, revenue, trust, and loyalty As privacy concerns related to data capture reach a fever pitch, consumer data – perhaps better described as the critical currency which powers personalization – is becoming a protected commodity. For a long time, brands across industries could collect and store online data without explicit disclosure of that capture and, more importantly, without first obtaining consent. This was a discreet and arguably invasive practice. Over time, privacy and personal data protection concerns began comp...
Why It Pays for Hotels to Work With a Managed WiFi Service Provider
Gary Patrick | December 20, 2022
By Gary Patrick Internet connectivity has only become more vital to hotel business operations as guests continue to increase the number of devices that they travel with and as more property systems and amenities go online. Yet while an overwhelming 80 percent of Americans say that they can’t live without WiFi while on vacation, internet access and performance is something that many properties continue struggling with to get right. Online review sites are filled with a multitude of guest complaints over poor WiFi service, while surveys repeatedly list WiFi as among one of the leading pain points diminishing the quality of guest experience...
FOMU…The Fear of Messing Up
Shep Hyken | December 14, 2022
By Shep Hyken You have most likely heard people use the expression FOMO, an acronym for Fear of Missing Out. People have a hard time deciding what to do or where to go and worry about missing out on a fun experience, a business opportunity, and more. Recently, I interviewed Dominic Constandi for Amazing Business Radio. We talked about different customer service and experience topics, and he casually mentioned FOMU. I knew what FOMO meant but wasn’t sure about FOMU, which, as it turns out, stands for Fear of Messing Up. Specifically, he talked about how the stakes are higher than ever in business. Faced with the pandemic, suppl...
IHG Hotels & Resorts Set to Debut Philips MediaSuite TVs in Guest Rooms as Part of New Global Partnership With PPDS
PPDS | December 13, 2022
Turning hotel rooms into homes-from-home: Global partnership between PPDS and IHG® Hotels & Resorts will bring Philips MediaSuite TVs, designed especially for the hospitality industry with Chromecast™ built-in, into IHG hotels for the first time, delivering unrivaled entertainment choice, personalization and control for fully tailored guest experiences. December 2022: PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips digital signage, interactive displays, direct view LED and professional TV products and solutions, is delighted to announce a brand new partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts, bringing its advanced Chromecast™ built-i...
Is Hospitality Moving Towards Zero-Touch With Service Automation?
Alan E. Young | December 12, 2022
By Alan Young The journey to high tech vs high touch has begun, but studies show that brands risk losing trust, and business, by neglecting human connection With each new technological breakthrough and innovation, what once may have seemed dystopian or impossible is now simply a modern-day reality. Let’s take, for example, Amazon Go stores, which allow patrons to select the products they need, and effectively check out by simply leaving the store – no cashier interaction or self-checkout kiosk required. The store uses an Amazon Go app for iOS or Android linked to individuals’ Amazon accounts for automatic billing to ensure a truly...
Our Customers, Not Our Competition, Are the Reason Customer Service Is Important
Shep Hyken | December 8, 2022
By Shep Hyken When a client is interested in engaging me to speak at their meeting, I’ll usually ask in our initial call, “Why is hiring a customer service speaker important to you at this time?” We get many different answers that include low customer satisfaction, ratings are slipping, we are great and want to stay great, and our competition is always trying to catch up to us, and we need to stay ahead. Of course, there are other answers, but for today I want to focus on the last one, which is about the competition catching up. First, if we’re worried about the competition catching up to or surpassing us, it...
Foxwoods Resort Casino Chooses Agilysys Point-of-Sale Technology to Elevate Its Retail and Food & Beverage Outlets’ Capabilities and Maximi...
Agilysys | December 6, 2022
The Largest Resort Casino in North America Invests in Innovative, Customizable Solutions to Provide More Personalized Interactions and Stays ALPHARETTA, GA. — DECEMBER 6, 2022 — Even amid inflation, millions of consumers are going all in on revenge travel — making up for lost or canceled vacation time brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestically, 85% of Americans were expected to travel this past summer and planned to spend nearly as much money on such excursions as they did before the global outbreak. Foxwoods Resort Casino, the leading premier resort casino in the Northeast, wants to ensure it is providing guests and staff ...
HVS Monday Musings: Hotel Industry Tapping the Metaverse
Mandeep S. Lamba | December 5, 2022
By Mandeep Lamba, Dipti Mohan The global revenue from the metaverse* is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 44% between 2022 and 2030, reaching US$1.5 trillion, and is expected to transform a number of industries around the world. Technically speaking, the metaverse is a shared interactive virtual environment where users can create virtual identities and avatars by combining various emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), spatial computing, etc. It is a fully functional virtual environment that coexists with the actual physical world, supported by digital money, items, and assets,...
Don’t Forget What Got You to the Dance
Shep Hyken | December 1, 2022
A restaurant took its most popular item off the menu. It had been on there a long time, and the owner decided it was time to make a change, even though it was his guests’ favorite dish. A company changed its invoicing terms. It wanted to tighten its terms to get paid sooner, with larger penalties for late payment. A retail store changed its return policy. What was once considered a flexible, customer-friendly return policy became a hassle for the customer. These changes are the reasons some customers shared when they were asked, “Why don’t you come back anymore?” If any of these businesses had taken the time t...
Amadeus Partners With Hilton on New API to Enable Faster and More Advanced Connectivity
Amadeus | December 1, 2022
Amadeus is the first GDS provider to integrate Hilton's own API to enable the chain to distribute content faster. The single API gives improved connectivity between Hilton and the Amadeus GDS to enhance sales opportunities for the hotels. As demand for travel continues to grow, hoteliers want to ensure they reach high volumes of customers through their Global Distribution System (GDS) connection. The ability to distribute inventory and rates through various channels, including the GDS, is critical in today’s operating environment. It assures hotels that their inventory and rates are being seen by as many potential sellers and customer...
The Clifton Adopts GuestCast by HIS to Address Growing Guest Demands for Modern and Personalized In-Room Entertainment
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | November 29, 2022
Boutique hotel deploys GuestCast to ensure that guests can effortlessly and safely access personal streaming subscriptions on guestroom televisions. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — November 29, 2022 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has been credited with boosting guest satisfaction rates at The Clifton in Charlottesville, Virginia, with the adoption of its GuestCast streaming platform. A historic 20-room inn embodying the charm of its local surroundings, The Clifton with GuestCast can now also provide its guests with a modern and instantly personalized gue...
Three Ways to Be Amazing
Shep Hyken | November 23, 2022
By Shep Hyken Creating customer amazement is a foundational concept I cover in almost every one of my customer service keynote speeches. I’ve always preached that to amaze customers, we must simply be better than average all the time. While I’ve thought a lot about this over the years, lately I have been trying to make it even simpler for people to understand. To do that, you must understand the three ways you can be amazing for your customers, including your internal customers, who are the people you work with. Over the Top – This is about delivering an “above and beyond” experience. It is impossible to make every int...
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