Seven Critical Steps to Making Service Excellence a Reality
Kanav Mata | October 22, 2019
Applying the Art of Storytelling to How You Sell Rooms
Larry Mogelonsky | August 7, 2019
Guest Experience
Give Me Some Relief
John Hendrie | November 11, 2019
By John Hendrie We in hospitality have a critical directive – provide succor and comfort to an American guest landscape which is suffering. The marketplace is in arrears; it is tired, unappreciated, fractured and downright scared. The next twelve months will be instructive, no matter the political party. But, make no mistake, people are nervous and worn out already. What a great opportunity for hospitality professionals to show their stripes and dedication to the craft. Your guests seek diversion, care and consideration. You see them entering your establishment, whether hotel, restaurant or attraction/recreation. They are harried, smi...
Space Travel: Redefining the Travel Customer Journey With Virgin Galactic
Pier-Luca Rapin | October 31, 2019
By Pier-Luca Rapin It is another level of personalization, it is not only to be sure to have the right water and the right pillow in the room, this is understanding why people are actually going in that journey, helping them realize that dream and being able to live that little moment the best as they can - Martijn Brouwer, General Manager Astronaut Relations, Virgin Galactic During the 2019 Young Hoteliers Summit, EHL Lausanne took a one-way ticket for space with the visit of Martijn Brouwer, General Manager Astronaut Relations and hospitality at Virgin Galactic. Virgin, as a group, has always been defined by a strong service philosophy. N...
Bad Timing or Bad Decision
Shep Hyken | October 29, 2019
By Shep Hyken Recently, my wife and I went out to dinner. We planned to go to a movie afterward but couldn’t decide what to see. Easy solution—we decided to go home and watch one of our favorite shows on Netflix. We arrived home, got comfortable, turned on the TV and… nothing. The TV went on, but there was no cable or Internet signal. There was an outage. Obviously, the cable company didn’t do this on purpose. It was out of their control. Sometimes things happen. It was just bad timing. A couple of weeks later, I attended a conference at a hotel in Orlando. We enjoyed the speakers in the morning session, and after about two hour...
The Survey Shouldn’t Be the Last Thing the Customer Remembers About You
Shep Hyken | October 25, 2019
By Shep Hyken I’m all for getting customer feedback. There are different ways to go about it. Ask customers on the way out of a store, call them on a phone or send follow-up surveys via email. I wrote about surveys a few years ago. The gist of that article was about getting more customers to fill out those surveys. Two areas were covered: timing (when the survey was sent) and length (how long it takes customers to complete). Without rehashing the entire article, timing is important. Don’t wait two weeks to send the survey. And don’t make it too long. Think about what you’re asking the customer to do when you send them a survey. ...
The Hotel Experience Gets High-Tech
October 25, 2019
Hotels have long promised guests they won’t have to lift a finger. Now some are reaching to technology for those light-touch – and even no touch – experiences to keep guests coming back. All over the world hotels have been racing towards clever devices, robots and voice assistants. For example, the 290-room FlyZoo Hotel in Hangzhou, China, this year launched facial recognition entry to lifts and rooms. “Hotels are now thinking about technology that can provide connectivity and convenience for their guests as much as they are design and interior styling,” says Huw Montgomery, project manager in hospitality at JLL. “The ability f...
InnSpire Leverages Zyxel’s Nebula Cloud Network Solution to Deliver Robust, Seamless Wi-Fi and IPTV Solution to California’s Tachi Palace
InnSpire | October 23, 2019
Luxury gaming property deploys scalable, cloud-managed wireless network to address connectivity complaints, add IPTV and build a future-proof foundation for guestroom automation LEEMORE, Calif. – October 23, 2019 – InnSpire, an award-winning provider of guest engagement, digital entertainment and business intelligence solutions for the global hospitality industry, has successfully implemented a highly customized cloud-based Wi-Fi network infrastructure, along with its IPTV guestroom solution at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Leveraging the Zyxel Nebula Cloud Network Management system, InnSpire completed a c...
Seven Critical Steps to Making Service Excellence a Reality
Kanav Mata | October 22, 2019
By Kanav Mata The dictionary defines “Experience” as “an event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone”. In my early days as a Hospitality Trainer, I always told my trainees that when a guest walks into your restaurant and pays a certain amount for your sandwich, he or she is not paying for the sandwich. They are paying for the “Experience”. Today, this holds true for so many other interactions. Whether that be buying a pair of trousers from a store, visiting the bank to open an account, walking in to a car showroom, visiting a clinic/hospital, the list could go on, but essentially any interaction which has a ...
Remaining Relevant in the Age of Airbnb
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservations Call Center Services | October 17, 2019
By John Smallwood, CEO, Travel Outlook Help travelers identify with your brand on an emotional level Noted Harvard Business professor Theodore Levitt once said that “People don’t want a quarter-inch drill. They want quarter-inch holes.” This expression gets to the heart of marketing and the desire not just to sell but to gain and foster a customer. Defining products or services as being defined by their practical use has since been seen as a critical feature in how advertisers go about selling. But in addition to their practical use, Levitt also wanted advertisers to focus on the customer and their needs, rather than just see them ...
Live Up to a Higher Standard of Service
Shep Hyken | October 9, 2019
By Shep Hyken A friend of mine recently told me about their bad experience at a restaurant. The server was very nice and extremely apologetic about the problems that happened throughout the evening—but there were still problems. The food took a long time to get to the table. When it got there, it wasn’t prepared properly. On the next attempt, the food came out uncooked. The drinks were mixed up. And there were a few other issues, too. The manager came over and apologized profusely. Finally, it was time to pay the check. When my friend opened the leather portfolio there wasn’t a check. Instead, there was a note that read, “Thank you...
Nomadix Rolls Out Generous Upgrade Program to Encourage Adoption of Its EG 6000 Gateway’s Higher Security and Performance
Nomadix | October 9, 2019
Advanced gateway platform provides the latest security and even faster internet speeds at 50 percent reduced cost to hoteliers still using older discontinued models. AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – October 9, 2019 – Nomadix, Inc., a provider of guest-facing cloud-managed network edge devices, has announced the launch of its EG 6000 Upgrade Program to provide hoteliers with the advanced capabilities and bullet-proof security offered in this top-rated gateway platform. With today’s hotel networks having to support multiple guest devices that access massive amounts of data, the Nomadix EG 6000 Upgrade Program ensures that hotels and convention c...
In Search of a New Hotel Revenue Stream
Paul West | September 30, 2019
by Paul West Once upon a time in the hotel business, someone connected the coaxial cable from the new cable company to their guest room televisions and began promoting their HBO and Showtime amenity to guests. Sounds funny now; but, even funnier because you can still find hotel/motel entrance signs as you drive around the country that actually still promote Free HBO and SHOWTIME. Those types of antiquated signs usually include a notice that also reads ALL UNITS AIR CONDITIONED. There was also a time when call accounting systems added 25%–45% to the cost of guest local/long distance calls yielding a nice chunk of change from a captive ...
E.P.I.C Hospitality™ Training
Doug Kennedy | September 24, 2019
This is the first in a series of five train-the-trainer articles contributed by Doug Kennedy Most hoteliers I speak with clearly understand that hospitality and guest service excellence are more important than ever before in the history of the lodging industry. Everyone knows that “word of click” has long since replaced “word of mouth” and that the old adage that “an unhappy guest will tell 9 or 10 others” has turned into 900, 9,000, 90,000 or even more. Yet for the most part, the impact of hospitality on profits has been anecdotal. However, a recent survey caught my eye that provides empirical evidence to validate what eve...
The Risks in Relying Solely on Guest Reviews
Jochen Ehrhardt | September 24, 2019
By Jochen Ehrhardt In today’s world, everybody seems to have an opinion about the quality of hotels and there is no shortage of avenues for voicing those opinions. Online booking sites, (meta-) search platforms, as well as the hotels themselves encourage hotel guests to share their impressions. Hotels have long realized that guest reviews are valuable information that needs to be taken seriously and is indeed quite helpful feedback for improving their offerings. However, this is only the second-best guest feedback there is, after, of course, collecting it face-to-face during the hotel stay. Collecting face-to-face feedback obvio...
Global CRM Study Preview: The Top Challenges When It Comes to CRM
Nicki Graham | September 19, 2019
This is the first article in a preview series of H2C’s Global CRM Study, a collaborative report that leverages interviews and a global survey to explore the current state of CRM in the hospitality industry. The importance of a single source of truth as the centerpiece of a profitable customer relationship management strategy is one of the key takeaways from H2C’s Global CRM Study. The vendor-agnostic study combined findings from an online survey of 62 executives of both global and regional hotel chains and interviews with 25 hotel executives and 11 technology providers. Here are the first set of takeaways from H2C’s far-reaching re...
The DAYTONA Opens With the Full INTELITY Platform
INTELITY | September 19, 2019
The motorsports-themed hotel takes the lead by integrating the hospitality technology platform into its operations Los Angeles, California (September 19, 2019) – INTELITY®, provider of the broadest enterprise guest engagement and staff management platform for hospitality, is pleased to announce it now powers The DAYTONA’s mobile app and in-room tablets, giving guests access to hotel amenities and services on demand. The DAYTONA is located adjacent to the Daytona International Speedway and anchors ONE DAYTONA, the brand new retail, dining, and entertainment district. The hotel pays homage to Daytona’s rich racing history and feat...
How Hoteliers Can Create ADA Compliant Content
Paul DeHart | September 12, 2019
The internet was not what it is today when The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. This law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life – jobs, schools, transportation, access to areas that are open to the general public - and has been extended since then to include websites and web applications. Courts today are interpreting Title III of the ADA, which requires places of “public accommodation” like hotels, to ensure that their web presences are accessible. A study published by Open Doors Organization found that American adults with...
How to Enhance Your Hotel’s Guest Experience From Start to Finish: Part One
September 11, 2019
Amy McNeill | GCommerce Solutions | Director of Account Services Part One: Experiential Travel “It’s when a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event." Welcome to the Experience Economy, Harvard Business Review. For this series, made up of six articles, we are going to start where the hotel guest experience journey actually ends. As we know, experience plays a very large role in driving travel and entertainment sales. “Over the past few years, personal-consumption expenditures on experience-related services—such as attendi...
Trending Now: Music in Hotels
Jessica Frost | September 6, 2019
By Jessica Frost The sound of a hotel can either welcome guests with enthusiasm or signal that your property is simply a place to sleep; and in such a competitive marketplace, is that the message you want to send? Fortunately, music--wherever it’s played--can both welcome guests and not break your budget. But playing music in a hotel requires more than just turning it on or hiring musicians. Music, like all intellectual property, is owned by the songwriters or composers who create it. This ownership is protected under U.S. and global copyright laws, which state that businesses that use music must first get permission from copyright ow...
Employee and Talent Experience Measurement Latest CustomerCount® Application
CustomerCount® | September 5, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 5, 2019) –Mobius Vendor Partners, has launched yet another enhancement to its CustomerCount® enterprise customer feedback system. Already well-known and highly respected in several industries to survey, measure and report on customer experiences, facilitate onsite service requests and analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPI), CustomerCount has added a new area of focus. [caption id="attachment_202555" align="alignright" width="300"] Bob Kobek[/caption] “Many components of Employee Experience Measurement are already within CustomerCount’s capabilities. Our system is so flexible that very few adjustments...
Montage Los Cabos Enjoys Increasingly-Positive Guest Reviews Through ALICE Partnership
Alice | August 27, 2019
Montage Los Cabos has chosen ALICE as their primary platform to implement a guest concierge system and streamline staff and resort communications. ALICE is the hospitality industry’s leading operations technology, connecting every department of the hotel with one platform for all staff communication and guest requests. With spectacular views and immediate, walk-in access to the finest swimming, diving and snorkeling in the region, Montage Los Cabos features 122 spacious guest rooms, suites and casas, along with 52 Montage Residences. Since May 2018, ALICE has helped Montage Los Cabos see an improved communication flow across this expansi...
OpenKey Expands in UK at The East London Hotel
The East London Hotel | August 27, 2019
Trendy Resort and Spa Elevates Guest Experience with Mobile Key DALLAS, TEXAS (August 27, 2019) – Tourists know there’s nowhere better than the East End to experience London at its most vibrant and diverse. Now travelers can experience the safest and most convenient form of room access at the modern East London Hotel. The property has implemented mobile keyless entry from OpenKey, the industry standard for universal mobile key in hotels. Set on busy Cambridge Heath Road, the hotel is an ideal base for a weekend spent exploring East London. The V&A’s Museum of Childhood is just across the road. Other East End delights are close...
Up Closer and More Personal
Roger Wolkoff | August 21, 2019
By Roger Wolkoff I walk into the newest branch of my credit union, and I am immediately drawn to the design. Lots of open space, thick wood beams surrounded by steel, and lots of light thanks to the plethora of glass. Stunning only begins to describe how it looks. Intimate describes how it feels. As I approach the teller area, it becomes apparent that there is something different about this space. There is no wall separating tellers from customers. Camille stands in front of her station with a welcoming smile. She extends her hand to greet me and guides me to the table that juts out from the side of her station. I stand at a 90-degree a...
Winning Decisions Are Sometimes Tough Decisions
Shep Hyken | August 15, 2019
By Shep Hyken I enjoy going to a baseball game. I live in St. Louis, and the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals are known throughout the sports world as being some of the best fans in all of baseball. Many fans remember Albert Pujols as one of the most skilled—not to mention beloved—members of the St. Louis Cardinals team. He was one of our best—and still is one of the best to ever play the game. The fans loved him, and he loved our city. But eight years ago, he left the Cardinals to play for the California Angels. Why did Pujols leave? The Angels offered him LOTS of money and the Cardinals wouldn’t match the offer. It was a sad da...
Dogs Had Their Day at Aloft Orlando Downtown
Aloft Hotels | August 13, 2019
ORLANDO, Fla. (August 13, 2019) — On July 27, the Aloft Orlando Downtown hosted a special party to mark a warm-and-fuzzy milestone that is dear to the hearts of hotel associates, guests and people in the community. It’s called the Bow Wow Luau, and it celebrated the 100th dog to be adopted in a partnership with the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. The luau was not your everyday canine mixer. The event included two Hawaiian-themed food trucks, live music, a Pawaiian costume contest and other fun activities. Special drinks such as Whisker Sours and Barky Marys were served at the bar. Hotel staff reached out to people who’ve...
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