Applying the Art of Storytelling to How You Sell Rooms
Larry Mogelonsky | August 7, 2019
Generation Z: What Do They Want From Their Hotel Stay Experience?
Court Williams | July 1, 2019
Guest Experience
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...
Customer Service May Not Be Your First Priority, and That’s Okay
Shep Hyken | August 8, 2019
By Shep Hyken Tony Hsieh is the CEO of the online shoe and clothing company, Zappos. The company’s reputation for amazing customer service is almost a cliché in the customer service world. Zappos stories have become customer service legends. The Zappos phone call that lasted 10 hours and 43 minutes is one such legend. There are many others, and this is just one of the reasons Zappos is recognized as one of the top customer service companies on the planet. Their secret to success? Contrary to what you might think… Customer service is not the first priority. WHAT?! How can that be? This is what Zappos is known for. Well, hold on! ...
Applying the Art of Storytelling to How You Sell Rooms
Larry Mogelonsky | August 7, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Emotions underpin all travel purchases, so it's a given that to enhance sales you should seek out ways to elicit greater positive sentiments for your property. For this, consider deploying the storytelling technique of revealing specific details about your product, particularly for your guestrooms which, as your primary revenue source, need a personalization boost through how you depict their attributes. Specificity Is the Story Vague language doesn’t excite our imaginations. It doesn’t give us a morsel to latch on to and connect with past memories. In other words, it la...
Sava Holdings Maximizes Hotel Security and Design With VingCard Essence Door Locks
ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions | August 6, 2019
Hotel development company implements stylish door locks with advanced encryption technology and the ability to upgrade to digital key functionality. Stockholm -- August 6, 2019 -- Sava Holdings, Ltd, a boutique hotel development company with nine properties currently flagged under several major hotel brands, has implemented VingCard Essence at two of its properties. As new construction projects, both the Aloft Fort Worth Downtown and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Plano East implemented Essence to present guests with a secure and convenient hotel environment along with a modern and enticing lock design. To maximize guest safety and...
The Customer-Free Zone
Shep Hyken | August 2, 2019
By Shep Hyken There’s often a disconnect between organization leaders and customers. Leaders live in a customer-free zone where they don’t interact with customers on a daily basis and therefore don’t know what customers most desire. I had the great opportunity to interview John Brandt, the author of the new book, Nincompoopery: Why Your Customers Hate You—and How to Fix It. I love the title of that book and its content, including his concept of the customer-free zone. Here’s my take on this interesting concept—or, should I say, problem. The most important factor to customers is that they feel heard and cared about by the c...
It’s Your Fault
Shep Hyken | July 29, 2019
By Shep Hyken The other day I was leaving a parking lot that required me to pay on the way out. It was an automated system. I put my ticket in the slot, the machine calculated what I owed, and then asked me to insert my credit card to make the payment. There were even some convenient instructions on how to insert the parking ticket and credit card into the machine. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Even worse, it took my card and didn’t give it back. The screen read, “Error. Ticket Jammed.” A little frustrated, I noticed a button to push for help. Within moments a woman’s voice came over the speaker asked what the problem was. I ...
Get Over It and Move On
Shep Hyken | July 19, 2019
By Shep Hyken Something bad happens. There’s nothing you can do about it. It happened—and now you have a choice. You can let it bother you. Let it fester inside of you. Let it impact your mood. Let it ruin your day or your week. Make you irritable and not pleasant to be around. Or… you can get over it and move on! Just a few weeks ago the St. Louis Blues hockey team, which I’m a huge fan of, won the Stanley Cup championship against the Boston Bruins. They went all the way to Game Seven. For those that don’t know, all the Stanley Cup games leading up to and including the finals are played as a best of seven series. The first t...
ABC(3): Above and Beyond Plus 3 Cs to Deliver!
Roger Wolkoff | July 19, 2019
By Roger Wolkoff I'm guessing you've heard the phrase "above and beyond" before, especially when it comes to delivering exceptional customer service and care to your clients. But I'll wager that you haven't heard how you can use the ABC(3) model of customer service to deliver on "above and beyond." The C(3) or "C to the third power" part of the model gives you three ways to deliver on above and beyond. Perhaps you're new to the service industry. Or maybe you've spent years delighting and thrilling customers. Somewhere along your journey, you've read or heard the phrase go "above and beyond." Here are three perspectives to consider when...
The New Guest DNA
Paul O’Reilly-Hyland | July 17, 2019
By Paul O’Reilly-Hyland It is no secret that the average consumer is changing. Across industries, purchasing behavior and expectations have been shifting in recent years, and no industry is immune, including hospitality. The industry as we know it is shifting into overdrive to satisfy a new generation of Instagram-savvy travelers who expect instant gratification in every area of their lives. With this new breed of guests here to stay, hotels are upgrading their services to stay ahead of the curve. Tech-Savvy People across the world are exponentially more tech-savvy than they were even a few years ago. Regardless of age, almost ever...
The Hotel Services Americans Think Will Be Made Easier Through Technology
July 11, 2019
• Americans would most like to access a map of their respective hotel and the surrounding area (63%) via a mobile phone • Thereafter, 58% are keen on using a mobile device to book a hotel restaurant reservation as opposed to doing it in-person • Interestingly, 38% are in favor of a mobile phone application that would enable them to monitor as well as pay for purchases around the hotel • Majority of holidaymakers would happily pay more for the option of flexible check-in/check-out times (74%) • Subsequently, 47% don’t mind splashing out a premium to access a 24-hour digital concierge The summer is finally here and for many t...
What Signals Are You Unintentionally Sending Your Customers?
Shep Hyken | July 11, 2019
By Shep Hyken I first came across this idea in the book Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon, which I consider one of the most important books written on customer service. By the way, Carlzon’s definition of a Moment of Truth in business is, “Any time a customer comes into contact with any aspect of your business, however remote, they have an opportunity to form an impression.” That’s every contact and interaction with the company. Carlzon used the example of a coffee-stained tray table. How does that affect the customer’s opinion of the rest of the plane? What if the landing gear is as poorly maintained as the tray tables? Okay, m...
Proactive Customer Support
Shep Hyken | July 8, 2019
By Shep Hyken Just last week I wrote about the concept of predictive customer support. Now, we take a slightly different angle with the concept of proactive customer support. The concept is simple. The company reaches out to the customer before the customer has a chance to reach out to the company. More often than not, the customer may not even know they have a problem. As an example, when does a typical customer find out their cable TV is out? Usually when they turn the TV on. Then there’s frustration and even anger. Typically, the customer will pick up the phone to report the problem and hope the customer service agent can help them...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism and Human Resources
Dr. Peter Tarlow | July 2, 2019
By Dr. Peter Tarlow Many travelers, and most vacationers, see a tourism experience as a luxury or way to pamper oneself. Often people will work an entire year for the sake of a few weeks of “vacation magic.” Without good employees, no matter how luxurious the circumstances are, the dream vacation has the potential to turn into a nightmare. Tourism success, to a great extent then, depends on the quality of your business’ or tourism office’s human resources. Tourism managers must find ways to inspire employees provide their guests with the best experience possible. Ironically, tourism experiences are rarely a question of money ...
Generation Z: What Do They Want From Their Hotel Stay Experience?
Court Williams | July 1, 2019
By Court Williams "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and are tyrants over their teachers." Attributed to Socrates in 470 BC, this popular quote sums up how humanity has felt about its younger generation since the beginning of time. Generation Z is no exception. Born between 1995 and 2010, these digital natives have become an important influence on people of all ages and incomes, according to a McKinsey report...
7 Things Hoteliers Can Learn From Airbnb’s Guest Experience
Kacey Bradley | June 21, 2019
By Kacey Bradley Airbnb has become a popular site for travelers who want an authentic and memorable experience. The hotel alternative has become so popular that it has grown to more than 6 million properties across 191 countries in as little as 12 years. With no recognizable brand name or structured expectations, what is it that attracts guests to the site? From reviews and photos to enhanced personalization through data collection, Airbnb utilizes several tactics to attract potential guests and turn them into loyal bookers. Hoteliers can learn to enhance their own guest experience by learning a lesson from Airbnb's approach. 1. Offer ...
CallTek Introduces the Odyssey Cx Comprehensive Call Center Platform at HITEC
CallTek | June 18, 2019
Hospitality Technology’s First Step in Guest Satisfaction Minneapolis – HITEC 2019 (June 18) – CallTek, the technology industry’s preferred white label support company, introduced a comprehensive call center insight platform, Odyssey Cx, at the HITEC hospitality technology conference in Minneapolis. The proprietary cloud-based platform records and analyzes every voice interaction, providing the industry with most extensive understanding of the guest experience when communicating with voice agents for reservations and technical support. Hospitality Technology professionals at HITEC in Minneapolis can experience Odyssey Cx at the...
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