The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4th, 2024
The Art of a Great Arrival for Luxury Hotels
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | May 22nd, 2024
How Labor Shortages Can Impact Hotel Reviews and Long-Term Growth
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | June 15, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Think broadly about the post-pandemic ‘revenge travel’ surge we hoteliers find ourselves in the midst of right now. After being cooped up for two years, people want to travel again. And not just plan a trip, but due to COVID-19 (read: mortality salience or #YOLO) many place a greater value on travel as a meaningful contribution to their lives. In stark opposition to this prospect of high occupancy is the lack of new staffers, which likely won’t end any time soon given a slew of forces beyond any hotel’s direct control. Together, this amounts to overworked teams and the possibility for service errors. ...
Another Lesson on How to Handle Angry Customers: Don’t Smell the Milk
Shep Hyken | June 15, 2022
By Shep Hyken At a recent conference, I enjoyed an interview with a business owner who shared some of his customer service philosophies. His name is Jake, and he is a very smart guy. He taught several lessons that day, but the one that stood out was how he handles angry customers. Specifically, it was a lesson he called Don’t Smell the Milk. Early in Jake’s career, he worked at a grocery store. His manager taught him how to respond to a disgruntled customer. The example he used had to do with a customer who wanted to return a spoiled carton of milk. If a customer claims to have a carton of spoiled milk, the natural reactio...
How to Win Guest Loyalty for an Eco-Conscious World
Ellis Connolly, Chief Revenue Officer, Lassie | June 15, 2022
How independent hotels can deliver highly personalized and eco-conscious rewards that delight guests and demonstrate shared values By Ellis Connolly Chief Revenue Officer, Laasie The topic of climate change and sustainability has reached a fever pitch. The WHO predicts a $2-4 billion USD cost to public health, and it’s viewed as a national responsibility. From battery-powered cars to eliminating single-use plastic and embracing a more climate-friendly lifestyle, a worldwide commitment to sustainability is taking shape. As green initiatives continue to take the world by storm, we quickly realize that no industry is exempt from it...
Hilton Trains Waiters and Waitresses to Become ‘Waitographers’ in Order to Capture the Perfect Photo
Hilton | June 14, 2022
LONDON – Today, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) launches ‘Waitographer’, to help team members capture great photography of guests at its restaurants and bars. Almost 200 team members from hotels across the country, and 500 across the globe, have now been trained by renowned photographer, Roger Moukarzel. The initiative, which launched in the UAE and Saudi Arabia at the beginning of this year, sees highly acclaimed photographer, Roger Moukarzel, train Hilton’s waiters and waitresses, taking them from amateur to semi-professional photographers! After completion, team members receive a certificate and a badge so that hotel guests can easily iden...
The Top 5 Drivers of a Successful Company Service Culture
Catherine Rey | June 9, 2022
By Catherine Rey A service culture is one where customers are the foundation of the business. When customers receive exceptional services, they remain with a company longer; they will also be more open to sharing your business with friends and family. For instance, 7 out of 10 customers in the US will spend more with a company if it delivers outstanding services. In another textual analysis study of more than 1300 restaurant locations, 'service' was the most mentioned word. This shows that customers care a great deal about the customer experience and the service they receive. To customers, a great experience is the pinnacle valu...
A Lesson from Michelangelo: Details Matter
Shep Hyken | June 8, 2022
By Shep Hyken I don’t know if it’s true, but it doesn’t matter. This is a great story with a great lesson. Michelangelo was standing on his scaffold as he worked on painting a tiny leaf on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A colleague looked up from far below and shouted, “Why are you so concerned about painting that little leaf? Nobody from this distance will ever know.” Michelangelo responded, “I will know!” The point is that the smallest details matter. Even if they don’t matter to the customer, they should still matter to you. It’s a sense of pride, dedication, and discipline that you care enough not t...
Hotel Sales: When Product, Process, Place, and Price Are the Same, People Make the Difference
Doug Kennedy | June 7, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Despite the efforts of brand leaders to create meaningful differentiation of hotel flags, when I speak with both professional and social meeting planners, they generally express seeing very little difference, at least within any given market segment. In other words, a core branded Marriott feels an awful lot like a Hilton, Hyatt, or Intercontinental. A Ritz-Carlton seems very similar to a Fairmont or Four Seasons. A Hilton Garden Inn mirrors a Courtyard or Hyatt Place, and a Home2Suites, Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites don’t feel that much different either. It is not just the rooms. When it comes to amenities and s...
Virdee Connects to Onity, Enables Straight-to-Room Access
Virdee | June 7, 2022
The leading contactless check-in solution continues to build integrations that pave the way for straight-to-room access. AUSTIN, Tex. – June 7, 2022 – Virdee, a SaaS company delivering digital check-in and virtual concierge services to the hospitality and commercial real estate industries, continues to show its dedication to building a wide-ranging platform of integrations, most recently adding leading electronic access provider Onity. Onity's mobile access technology serves as a solution for both large hotel brands and smaller independent hotels alike. Onity's mobile access locks are Bluetooth-enabled to stay in a ready state, so g...
Nomadix and Telkonet Create Smart Room Experiences for Hotel Guests
Nomadix | June 7, 2022
Showcasing Angie Voice Assistant and Smart Thermostat Integration at HITEC Orlando LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 7, 2022 — Nomadix® Inc., a technology leader in hospitality and multi-tenant industries, and Telkonet, a leader of intelligent automation solutions designed to optimize comfort, operational analytics, and energy efficiency for commercial markets, today announced a new integration to create smart in-room experiences for hotels and their guests. Guests can now use their voices to set Telkonet smart thermostats to their preferences, for comfort and accessibility, via Angie in-room voice assistants. The combined solution ...
PPDS to Showcase a Full Suite of Hospitality Displays and Solutions at HITEC – With a Brand-New Line of Philips MediaSuite TVs to Be Unveiled
PPDS | June 7, 2022
Latest exciting updates to the market-leading 4K smart MediaSuite TV range for hospitality, including Apple TV, plus a range of dedicated solutions to support the current and future hotel needs to enhance guests’ experience will be showcased on booth 1931. Charlotte, N.C. - June 7, 2022: PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional displays, is excited to announce it will be attending HITEC 2022 in Orlando later this month, showcasing the latest evolution of its dedicated range of futureproof 4K UHD Philips MediaSuite smart TVs as one of the headline announcements at the hospitality event. The brand-new line-up of Phili...
Feedback Narcissism
Shep Hyken | June 1, 2022
By Shep Hyken The word narcissism is seldom used in a positive way. Google narcissism and you find the definition from Oxford Languages is “an excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance.” In medical terms, the Mayo Clinic says a narcissistic personality disorder is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism. All of this leads to a conversation I ...
Digitally Connecting With Guests Onsite Boosts Service, Satisfaction Scores & More
Thomas Zarikian | May 26, 2022
Leveraging the hotel’s web-based Guest App to gauge satisfaction early in the guest journey will go a long way in improving net promoter scores and showing guests and staff that you care By Thomas Zarikian As a hotelier, it’s my job to ensure that guests have an excellent time from the moment they enter our doors or engage with staff. We often think about the front desk as the point of first impressions, but we can easily forget other guest service touchpoints, from airport shuttle service and guest parcel storage/retrieval to room service ordering and request fulfillment. As we all know, it is very hard to run a glitch-free operation. ...
Travel Recovery Starts in the Lobby Bar
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | May 25, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky In the current travel recovery scenario, first impressions are everything. It isn’t just about maximizing new arrivals during the rapidly inbound summer peak season but ensuring that your property creates a lasting memory so that you are considered for a return visit. With lots of amenities curtailed during the pandemic, hotels must now rethink the physicality of the onsite experience so that positive sentiments are instilled, and this starts at the entranceway then continues into the lobby area. Remember that so many of us are just now emerging from our pandemic caves. Many of us crave the bustle and glam...
Is It Okay to Call a Customer or Employee Honey?
Shep Hyken | May 25, 2022
By Shep Hyken Just the other night, my wife and I joined some friends for a nice dinner. The server, who may still have been in high school, was taking our order. She looked at my wife and asked, “Honey, what would you like?” When the server walked away, my friend said to Cindy, “Don’t you hate when someone other than your husband refers to you as ‘honey’?” Hate may be a strong word, but Cindy’s response was simple and to the point, “I don’t really think it’s appropriate. I’m not her honey.” That started a great conversation about what is appropriate to call your customers and employees. I...
Guest Loyalty Is Not Dead – It’s Just Really Boring
Ellis Connolly | May 19, 2022
Hey Siri… play Loyalty by Kendrick Lamar By Ellis Connolly Let’s talk about loyalty. We write songs about it; we study it; we try to identify it in friends, potential suitors, colleagues, and customers – loyalty is an omnipresent force in our lives, whether it exists in abundance or, in some cases, is perceivably lacking. Specifically, loyalty has gleaned no shortage of attention over the last few years in the business world. Across industries, marketers and business owners find themselves ruminating over the same question – is loyalty dead? Are modern customers incapable of exhibiting loyalty to the brands they purchase from? I...
Answer the Question the Right Way
Shep Hyken | May 18, 2022
By Shep Hyken Sometimes a customer asks a question, and then either doesn’t understand or like the answer. And sometimes, it’s more than just a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication. Maybe it’s because the employee doesn’t want to take the time to answer the question correctly. Or sometimes employees are asked the same question so many times that they get sick and tired of customers asking, and it shows in the way they respond and act. One of my favorite examples of this came from a Disney Institute class I attended several years ago. Our “teacher” told us that the No. 1 question guests asked the cast memb...
The 420 Hotels Announces Launch of Crowdfunding Round for Denver’s First Hotel With a Legally Licensed Lounge for Cannabis Consumption
The 420 Hotels | May 17, 2022
DENVER--The 420 Hotels Inc. is entering the next phase of opening Denver’s first legally licensed cannabis consumption lounge in a boutique hotel by announcing the launch of an equity crowdfunding campaign, and by filing their Form C with the SEC, through the investing platform Republic.com. This campaign is now open to anyone who wants to get in on the ground floor of a new era for cannabis hospitality. “We’ve cleared the major hurdles to create a truly unique, 4-star hotel experience where cannabis is welcome,” said Chris Chiari, CEO and Founder of The 420 Hotels Inc., which owns the historic Patterson Inn. “With our successful...
Nomadix Appoints Mike Womack VP of Partner Sales, the Americas
Nomadix | May 17, 2022
Expert in wireless technology and customer engagement solutions, Womack will work with distributors and strategic business partners to bring the expansive Nomadix product line across multiple markets LOS ANGELES, Calif. – May 17, 2022 — Nomadix® Inc., a technology leader in the hospitality and multi-tenant industries, today announced the appointment of Mike Womack as vice president of partner sales, the Americas. He brings more than 25 years of sales management and business development experience in the wireless technology solutions and services space. He also has a comprehensive technology background that will enable the company to g...
Would You Rather Clean a Toilet Than Call Customer Support?
Shep Hyken | May 11, 2022
By Shep Hyken That’s exactly what we asked more than 1,000 consumers for our 2022 annual customer service research report. The answer: 42% of customers would rather clean a toilet! Is calling customer support so bad that cleaning a toilet is more desirable? It is if you’ve experienced wasting your time on hold, listening to terrible music, talking to people who don’t seem to care about you, having difficulty hearing or understanding the customer support agent, being transferred again and again, telling the same story over and over … I could keep going, but you get the idea. It’s important to note that not all custo...
Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Adds Volara-Powered Google Nest Hub Solution to Every Guest Room
Volara | May 10, 2022
Interactive voice-first solution supplies guests a more convenient and memorable stay, while enabling the hotel to serve its guests more efficiently and consistently. CABAZON, CA — May 10th, 2022 — As Morongo Casino Resort & Spa - an oasis in the desert just 90 minutes’ drive from Los Angeles - welcomes record numbers of guests to its four-star resort experience, , Volara is there supporting the contactless, convenient and brand consistent journey from check-in to check-out. Rather than picking up the phone to call room service or request a forgotten amenity at the front desk, guests can speak commands to a Google Nest Hub p...
Brighton Suites Hotel Caters to Latest Expectations in In-Room Entertainment With Deployment of BeyondTV GuestCast
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | May 10, 2022
Privately owned beachside hotel addresses guest demands for a personalized, user-friendly and secure content streaming experience. Rehoboth Beach, Del.— May 10, 2022 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the adoption of its hotel purpose-built BeyondTV GuestCast streaming platform by the Brighton Suites Hotel. Located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Brighton Suites Hotel’s reputation as a family-friendly and fun-filled destination has only increased thanks to its ability to provide each guest with instant and secure access to personalized...
Everyone Deserves A Compliment
Shep Hyken | May 4, 2022
By Shep Hyken I was on a flight to a city I can’t remember, but what I do remember was the wonderful flight attendant, Bailee from American Airlines, who enthusiastically greeted me with a smile and said, “I like that hat!” I was wearing a baseball cap with the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Championship logo. Of course, I thanked her and I found my seat, just a few rows from the front of the plane. I point that out because I was able to observe the way she greeted every passenger. As each passenger boarded the plane, Bailee welcomed them with the same enthusiasm and had something nice to say to everyone. Let me emphasize that sh...
The Most Important Employee in Your Business
Shep Hyken | April 28, 2022
By Shep Hyken Is the CEO or owner the most important employee of a business? They are the people who make the big decisions and determine the vision and strategy of the company. But if not for the company’s employees, that vision and strategy would mean nothing. Here is where I’m going with this idea. Let’s say the owner of a restaurant is also the chef. This chef prepares the most amazing meals using the highest quality ingredients, and customers are willing to pay a premium to enjoy this epicurean experience. Yet consider this … no matter how good the food is, if it comes out on a dirty plate, the meal goes back to the kit...
The Healing Power of Trust
PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management | April 27, 2022
In today’s globalized world, more and more hotel firms are expanding their business overseas. Yet success in the international arena may not translate into success at home, warn Dr. Alice H. Y. Hon and Mr. Emmanuel Gamor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With skilled managers from overseas paid 10 times more than local employees, frontline and service-oriented hotel workers are feeling increasingly disillusioned. With service standards falling, how can multinational hotel corporations build harmony between their local and overseas employees? The answer lies in trust, say the resear...
