The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
The Art of a Great Arrival for Luxury Hotels
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | May 22, 2024
Guest Experience
Five Uses for Tablets in a Mature Market
Larry Mogelonsky | March 25, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Tablets are soon to be classified as a 'mature' technology product, if they aren't already. What this means is that there are many competing devices in various sizes available for purchase - even those besides the industry leading iPad and its little nephew, the iPad Mini - and that many consumers have already or plan to make such an acquisition. Moreover, true mobile and smartphones already fulfill many of the tasks that the larger tablets are best suited for. Tablets aren't as light as mobile devices, making them a tad more cumbersome for transport, and on the other end, they aren't as ad...
INTEREL Partners with Twelve Thirteen ID at HI CONNECT® 2015
INTEREL | March 25, 2015
Dubai, March 2015: INTEREL the world's fastest growing manufacturer of integrated room technologies in the luxury hospitality industry, and Twelve Thirteen ID, one of the world's leading luxury hospitality design firms, have joined forces to showcase the latest in luxury guest room design and technology at Hi Connect 2015, taking place from 25-27 March in Nashville, Tennessee. Now in its fourth year, HI Connect® is one of the hospitality industry's most stimulating interior design trade shows. The event brings together the hospitality industry's decision makers, owners, developers, GMs, architects, purchasing executives, designers and ...
4 Questions On How To Know Your Customer
Katie Scheer | March 19, 2015
By Katie Scheer Great service organizations know how to read their customers and respond. Businesses who lose sight or misunderstand who their customers are, what they want, or what matters most to them, are at risk. Focused service organizations train their employees to notice customer body language, to observe the surroundings for all customer touch points, and how to REACT and RESPOND with informed knowledge. Holding employees accountable for this level of service is what makes the difference. "The secret to world-class service is knowing the true customer and aligning all participating resources and people with the value stream that...
Group Sales Promotions in Ten Steps
Larry Mogelonsky | March 18, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Ten step formulas are in vogue when it comes to conveying a simple guideline for marketers to follow. Here is one designed for making better group sales promotions. 1. Set your objectives. We've all heard of SMAC principles (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Comparable) as an approach to business management. Start by clearly stating objectives and defining them holistically. Take your time with this one because if you start off on the wrong path, changing course is all the harder to do. 2. Identify the competition. Do your research. Understand the properties that you compete with for group...
The Hotel Narrative is Written by Guests
Larry Mogelonsky | March 11, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Hotels are all about delivering an experience; bestowing guests with an uplifting story to enrich their lives. At least that's the aspiration. Sadly, we fall short sometimes. Whenever we breach this topic, we often discuss a hotel in terms of the 'narrative' it offers to those who visit. But this narrative must change from the hotel's point-of-view to that of each individual guest. Although it's a step in the right direction to even contemplate what a property's narrative is, any efforts along these lines may prove to be a tad blindsided or self-centered if you are only considering what the...
Hotel Price Positioning With Strategy
Jana Love | March 9, 2015
By Jana Love, ProSolutions President/CEO What ProSolutions has learned about pricing in the last 9 years while doing competitive pricing analysis for hotels is that to capture your fair share in your competitive set, knowledge is power. There are so many factors that need to be considered and understood when deciding to lower or raise your prices. Knowing when to vary pricing to match demand patterns, and when to drive revenue and profits need to be key components of your operating strategy. Building a sustainable revenue stream is built by proper pricing strategies that drive revenue both in the short-term and long-term. Pricing optimi...
Transforming the F&B Department in F&F
Larry Mogelonsky | March 4, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) In the good old days of hospitality, food and beverage was part of the core. Management treated the department with the lofty respect it deserved, not only in differentiating the property, but also because of the profits it delivered. The iconic hotel dining room was an important meeting place in the community it served, often considered the best table in town. Times have changed. Food is clearly important, as witnessed by a myriad of great chefs and restaurant brands associated with and located within hotels. But the drink side of the equation has taken a heavy blow. Alcoholic beverages ar...
Your Leaders Will Also Need Mentoring
Larry Mogelonsky | February 25, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) According to a benchmark study in 2012, US companies alone spend almost $14 billion annually on leadership development with the cost of customized offerings from top business schools reaching upwards of $150,000 per person. No one can doubt that it's important. But molding the next generation of hospitality leaders (keeping this price tag in mind) is far easier said than done. There are lots of tricks to develop and coach leaders without spending excruciating amounts of money. You start by choosing only those individuals who possess the most essential capabilities for business success such ...
A Checklist for Your USP
Larry Mogelonsky | February 18, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Central to building your property's awareness and sales generation, is its 'voice' or unique selling proposition (USP). Specific to the hospitality industry, a USP is defined as the single most identifiable benefit a property can give to consumers. In this day and age of endless distractions and screen bombardment, you have at best five to ten seconds, or one short phrase, to impress a prospective guest - not much time to communicate the full extent of your brand value. But this should be enough for you to get across one clear idea or selling point. From a marketer's point of view, an ironc...
Hotels Upgrade the Hotel Business Center with SmartCenter from Blueprint RF
Blueprint RF | February 12, 2015
ATLANTA (February 12) - Hotels across the country are turning their business center into a SmartCenter. Blueprint RF delivers and supports its affordable SmartCenter solution, which includes sleek yet durable Dell desktop computers and printers. The SmartCenter solution offers hotel-centered features such as brand-standard home pages, customizable content to promote local amenities, the latest session-to-session security, Microsoft Office Suite, and around-the-clock Blueprint RF support. "Our business center has become a worry-free amenity since Blueprint RF is always available to take care of our needs in a timely manner," said Steve M...
Understanding Your Hotel’s Glanceability
Larry Mogelonsky | February 11, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Is your hotel glanceable? I know that's a made up word, but that doesn't diminish its importance. What I mean by 'glanceability' as it relates to hospitality is how noticeable or different a property is with respect to the average guest's preconceived notions. When consumers research hotels online - whether for business or leisure - statistics indicate that typically browse twenty different sites. Glancing through so many properties, what makes yours pop? It's interesting to note how this harks back to the neuroscience concept of Pre-Attentive Processing, whereby most stimuli to reach our b...
Handling Customer Complaints 101
Katie Scheer | February 10, 2015
By Katie Scheer February 10, 2015 Customers come in all shapes and sizes, and we can probably all agree that the most difficult is the angry customer. This is someone who has been wronged (in his/her opinion) and is upset and emotional. We get it- mistakes happen, and you will have upset customers. Did you know that ~80% of dissatisfied customers tell 10 people and ~20% of dissatisfied customers tell 20 people? You don't want this negative publicity- NO WAY! So as soon as it is apparent that your customer is upset or that there is a problem, it is absolutely necessary to deal with the situation ASAP. Unlike the customer, you are not ang...
From Slowtelier to Intrapreneur
Larry Mogelonsky | February 4, 2015
by Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) The hotel industry isn't exactly known for operating faster than a speeding bullet. Even in independent properties, there are many layers of management to funnel change and multiple operational departments that must be coordinated to make any transition effective. In other words, when it comes to executing a strategic plan, many hoteliers might as well be known as slowteliers. Pardon the cheesy portmanteau. Don't let this be you! With the current pace of new initiatives, hotel organizations (independent as well as chain) must learn to mimic the agility of a tech startup or an entrepreneuria...
Retirement Must Spur Mentoring
Larry Mogelonsky | January 28, 2015
by Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Now in my 60s, part of what keeps me young (apart from the hair-loss-inducing challenges of rearing my millennial progeny) is the learning that comes from keeping up with changes in our industry, be they technological, financial, service-oriented or from a creative application standpoint. To me, the thought of continuous learning is a critical driver and a constant source of brain activation. Mark my words: the day you stop learning is the day you die. And the ability to pass on this new learning - as well as the application of 30+ years working as a hotelier - through articles, newsletters...
Hotels and Spas Sign with BWTV for Online Service Excellence Training
BWTV | January 27, 2015
Bowie, MD (January 27, 2015) - After a successful launch in 2014, Bryan Williams' BWTV continues to bring world-class service education to thousands of employees. Among the many businesses that have subscribed to the popular online service, several hotels and spas have signed on to bring his popular training concepts to their teams. "With BWTV, my teams can experience the professionalism, connection and humor that Bryan brings through the videos, and I can keep the conversation going with the discussion guides", said Erin Peck, VP of People, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. BWTV addresses two major issues that many businesses have....
A Customer Service Point of View
Jana Love | January 27, 2015
By Jana Love January 27, 2015 In the grand scheme of things, service is service, right? Or is it? The degrees to which successful and unsuccessful service is delivered has varying effects on the outcomes. The service industry provides many levels of delivery outcomes. The range can be dramatic. For example: a rude cashier at the 7-11 is annoying while a rude floor nurse not focusing on details is far from annoying- the outcome of this lack of service can be life threatening. So the questions is, "Is it right to expect less from the cashier than we do the floor nurse with regards to service?" The universal answer has arrived at "yes," bu...
Beware of Departmental Siloing
Larry Mogelonsky | January 21, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) I want you to think about your day-to-day life as a hotelier, whether rank or title you hold. What department do you belong to? How often do you chat with members of other units? Are there any people on your team who are particularly 'tuned into' the coming and going of other departments or subdivisions? 'Departmental siloing' is the term I used to describe the tunnel vision that often sets in when there is a lack of communications between different departments. This often happens when an organization has reached a large size, so much so that there are already too many intradepartmental rel...
Get Back To The Customer Service Basics ~ And Stay There
Jana Love | January 19, 2015
By Jana Love January 19, 2015 Lately, to my disappointment, I have not encountered near enough notable customer service exchanges. In fact, quite the opposite ~ until the other day! My daughter recently had surgery and her surgical pre-op nurse demonstrated service at its finest. It was obvious that this person operates naturally from a place of compassion, but she was also textbook perfect with her service delivery ~ and in my world, with what I do for a living, I don't use that "perfect" word very often. As I do voluntarily with all service experiences, I will think about what made this exchange work so well. In this experience, what...
The Three Pillars of Hotel Customer Service
Larry Mogelonsky | January 14, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Every good salesperson or individual working in guest service knows about guest expectations: you must first meet, and then exceed. This presupposes that you are actually able to meet a customer's expectations, because if you cannot, then it goes without saying that you will disappoint. However, meeting is just okay - mediocre at best. Being okay is not enough. Too many other hotels are already capable of this, so you aren't differentiating yourself from the herd. By exceeding expectations, you will surprise and delight your guests, both positive sentiments to have for your hotel. I want yo...
Is Customer Service Really Just Common Sense?
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | January 13, 2015
by Bryan Williams Not too long ago, someone told me that all this customer service stuff is really just common sense. She went on to explain that customer service is, merely, basic social skills that all people have. Saying "good morning", "thank you", holding the door for someone, and offering help are all elementary. I then asked her if she does those things consistently at work, and I got a somewhat blank look from her. Then, I went on to ask, "If something is considered to be common sense but is not commonly done, is it really common sense?" Again, another blank look. Here is a partial list of things I consider to be common sense, b...
Content Marketing Slush Piles
Larry Mogelonsky | January 7, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) With so much emphasis on the sharing and distribution of content, we tend to neglect the content itself. The most important aspect of content marketing is not the sharing, but the raw content itself - every idea, concept, sticky fun fact or quirky nugget of value that you give your fans in return for their continued appreciation. It comes down to the value you give, and providing this every week is a daunting task. Introducing the Slush Pile Approach The best I can do is share with you the method I use to keep the content marketing pipeline flowing. It's called The Slush Pile Approach. Gene...
Upselling Good, Drip Pricing Bad
Larry Mogelonsky | December 23, 2014
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) We all have a conception of what's implied by 'upselling'. Drip pricing is a little less understood, so bare with me through a broad definition. It's the practice of removing services out of what would normally be included in the regular nightly rate then offering them for an additional surcharge. Hence, the prices 'drip' from a customer's wallet as opposed to flushing out in the form of a single line item on the final bill. To look at it in black and white: drip pricing is bad; upselling is good. Getting into examples of drip pricing is where we need to properly distinguish both these term...
The Insight of Kindergarteners on Customer Service
Jana Love | December 23, 2014
By Jana Love In keeping with the hope that the holiday season provides the platform for lots of laughter, I decided to get some real perspective on Customer Service. Anyone who has children in their life can attest to the joy that the innocence of a child can bring. Some of my favorite memories with my girls was when their words would simply ground me. In their little minds, whatever the situation, it wasn't the complicated mess I felt or created. Aw, simplification- just the best! So for your enjoyment this week, when we asked a group of Kindergarteners (5 and 6 year olds) questions on customer service, we received some great insightfu...
How a Tissue Box and a Pepper Shaker Rocked My World
Roberta Nedry | December 22, 2014
By Roberta Nedry Greetings! Chilled champagne in a silver bucket, chocolate -covered strawberries, spectacular floral displays, elegant upgrades and décor, delicious chef creations, limousine luxury and red carpet treatment...each of these are extraordinary gestures and touchpoints in the world of hospitality. These examples are some of the ways in which hoteliers and their teams go above and beyond for guests to celebrate an exceptional moment or occasion. They are designed to create a special feeling, extra recognition, a moment of surprise and a sense of appreciation. They are "WOW" efforts that are usually recognize...
