A hotel is more than a building. It's a place. It should not be viewed as a commodity but rather a distinct buying proposition with meaningful benefits. By creating and delivering the right kinds of experiences it can accomplish that mission and be transformed from merely a physical space to a dynamic destination and, as a result, become the preferred spot for guests and travelers. The key to doing this is to develop an “experience framework” that details the proposed positioning of the hotel. Once established, the various contributors and property attributes should individually and collectively align and reinforce the experience proposed. READ MORE

Counterfactual thinking is an overlooked cognitive notion that can adversely or favorably sway a hotel guest's satisfaction and retention level. Research has shown that counterfactual thinking can magnify customer satisfaction or customer dissatisfaction levels. Counterfactual thinking is a conduit to a range of human emotions like feeling of regret, anger, and relief. These emotions in the context of hotels can be linked to a guest's post purchase service evaluation. Examples of counterfactual thinking, alongside with guest satisfaction, and retention levels is also laid out. The write up helps to bridge these conceptual gaps, and other related issues to establish pivotal connections among these otherwise unrelated concepts. READ MORE

Juggling the needs of guests, the personalities of associates and the demands of owners makes the daily life of a general manager anything but routine. As a multi-tasking GM, where do you start? Award-winning GM Dawn Wells, a seasoned professional in Charleston, South Carolina, shares her the insights and experiences working with associates that have resulted in top guest satisfaction scores at her hotel. She notes that showing the staff that you care is an important first step. Giving encouragement and recognition to her team coupled with building and maintaining relationships combined to make a difference with her associates, guests and ultimately the hotel's bottom line. READ MORE

Customer loyalty programs have become a 6 billion dollar a year industry, and yet for many firms they remain an expensive customer benefit that is unconnected to the firms overall marketing strategy. In this brief report a number of mechanisms are proposed that may help firms to retain customers and increase overall satisfaction. READ MORE

Things will go wrong. It's inevitable in life and in business. And the sooner one gets to that conclusion the sooner he can get on with what comes next: preparing for the inevitable. In the hotel business that means following up with guests when the experience is substandard for any number of reasons, from guest service to property maintenance to the type of sheets on the bed. But there is a difference between just preparing for the inevitable and being well-prepared. Following up effectively with upset guests doesn't happen accidentally. It is planned, trained tracked and executed every day. It is a way of life for best-in-class operations. READ MORE

A primary objective of hotel operators is to keep their properties full of 'heads in beds' to capacity. While this goal is understandable, there is a risk hotels may market themselves indiscriminately and draw guests that are not a good match to their particular value proposition. While this meets a short term goal of wasting as little inventory as possible, there is a longer term risk that these guests may provide negative feedback about their stays, even though the hotel was being true to its own identity and branding. Indeed, the guest experience cannot be fairly evaluated apart from the expectations and preferences a person brings to the hotel from the time he or she books a room. Using a comparative restaurant example, a top steakhouse could never deliver a satisfying experience to a committed vegetarian, even if it provided the best cut of meat and the most attentive service. You have to like steak to positively evaluate the experience. READ MORE

In the hustle and bustle of being accountable for so many facets of the hotel business, a hotel general manager needs to do one thing to truly secure his or her future in our industry, that being “insuring your team members truly care about your guests stay.” Sounds simple enough, right? This is not rocket science and I mean no disrespect to anyone struggling with operations or sales issues that can often seem surmountable. We all have these problems at one time or another. There are resolutions to every issue we have. The resolution to any problem is really just a matter of applying a specific strategy that will minimize the issue or frankly, make it go away completely. How many times have you walked into a situation with a guest that was surprised and upset that a tiny issue was never dealt with by a front desk agent, housekeeper, waiter, maintenance person, or even a manager that worked for you? I have too, the important thing is that we learn from this and move forward. One must insure everyone on our team grasps the importance of caring and the application of certain techniques can solidify a culture. Getting everyone on your team to care about your guests really is the key. READ MORE

According to the Oxford Dictionary an apostle is a “vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause”. For hotels, creating apostles should be a priority. They are the most loyal customers and they are so satisfied that they want to convert others to share their experiences. But how do hotels create apostles? This article looks at how some hotels around the world are delivering not only superior products and services, but through customization and personalization are creating guests who would not dream of staying anywhere else. READ MORE

Training at five-star resorts around the world offers a window seat into the more-refined sector of creativity and the achievements of those who are constantly striving to enthrall guests—guests with ever-rising expectations driven largely by access to an ever-expanding field promising and delivering equally exceptional experiences—and so move beyond merely satisfied guests into the heady domain of delighted guests who return again and again, friends in tow. The following anecdotal observations of effective initiatives being undertaken at the sumptuous end of hospitality are just that: neither official and sanctioned statements nor measured analyses with scientific conclusions; they do, however, have the advantage of a cross-chain perspective filtered through the prism of a butler's luxury service mindset—with the same basic stresses and initiatives being relevant, equally, to three- and four-star environments. READ MORE

Who do you work for? It might not be who you think. In fact, who you think you work for might actually work for you. Hierarchies and the good 'ole chain of command aren't gone, they're just better understood. I'm not saying your Human Resources department is useless (mainly because the Legal Department won't let me) rather, I'm simply proposing that the Human Resources department is unnecessary. Just think about all the time we'd save writing job descriptions and interviewing unqualified candidates if every team member at your hotel knew what they had to do. And, they did it happily. If you work in, near or around a hospitality venue, this is your job description: Everyone works for the guest or someone who is and, yes, that means you. READ MORE

Maintaining excellent guest relations is a vital way to boost customer loyalty and brand recognition. But often this practice is watered down to niceties and small talk with guests, and nothing to really spark a genuine connection. To propel these relationships to the point where consumers will actually form an emotional bond with a hotel, the concept of guest mentorship can act as a precision tool. In essence, it involves taking on the role of teacher in order to satisfy guests' inner desires for meaningful life experiences. READ MORE

In the hospitality industry, getting heads in beds is directly related to guest satisfaction - one of the foremost services focused on to generate revenue and high return rates. From the moment a guest inquires about a potential visit, whether online or by phone, staff need to be on point and equipped with the proper information to answer any and all incoming questions. Furthermore, the hotel industry cannot afford to lose engagement with guests while on property or following their visit because of the large competition and desire for brand and experience loyalty. READ MORE

The hospitality industry welcomes and needs to be creative and innovative to continue its survival, more so with its talent. Hospitality and customer service are very important to seeing a brand experience become efficient in the market. We do need to do our best to improve and keep retention rates of employees as high as possible. If not we risk not hitting realistic figures in our financial statement, because if there is inconsistency, in the workplace and day to day operations, then the guest will ultimately have to pay the ultimate price. READ MORE

With the high cost of working with OTAs and the growing challenge of acquiring your own new customers, hotels are quickly realizing that they need to focus their efforts on driving customer satisfaction and capturing guests' attention and loyalty at every stage of the travel process, from inspiration to post travel. By focusing on driving guest satisfaction, you improve your chances of having guests book directly with your hotel during the inspiration phase of travel or when they return to your city in the future. With the distraction of mobile devices, social networks and the always-connected nature of life today, engaging guests and forging strong connections isn't always easy. But to be successful, hoteliers need to figure out how they can drive the highest satisfaction possible, whether pre, during or post stay. This article covers some best practices for driving guest satisfaction at every stage of the travel cycle. READ MORE

Customer Service Magic: How Other Industries Make it Happen. For years, our industry has been providing the model for outstanding customer service. The proliferation of concierges is just one example. Let's turn the tables and take a page or two from companies in other industries! This article explores what two service superstars are doing to create unique customer experiences. Their commonalities include generating positive emotions in their customers, strategic use of technology and an insistence on authentically warm, friendly personal contact. Basic principles, when applied creatively, make satisfied customers into loving fans. For more of the latter, other's tricks of the trade can be leveraged to our great advantage. READ MORE

At Market Metrix, we've worked with hundreds of brands. We've noticed that the brands with the highest levels of loyalty and retention have something in common: a clear understanding of who they are and who they are trying to serve. They know what part of the market they own. They have an attitude and provide a unique, memorable experience to their guests. Here are a few examples: READ MORE