OK, let's get down to the bottom of this. Please stand up and raise your hand if you've been "WOW-ed" lately. At the supermarket, dry cleaner, health club or hotel. Where have you had your socks knocked off...and then cleaned, pressed, folded and put away? How about a truly awful experience? Give me a shout out if you've been mistreated, ignored or taken for granted. Where have you had an experience that brought you from a simmer, to a slow boil...and then to a frothing, steaming, spewing cauldron of frustration? What's that you say? You have both types of experience on a regular basis, often from the same company? Well, which one makes a greater impact and sticks with you longer, the gauzy sunshine or the raging volcano? READ MORE

Loyalty programs work. There's no question they affect buying behavior, drive transactions, raise margins and generate valuable data. Total U.S. consumer membership in loyalty marketing programs is over one billion-an average of more than four programs per adult. Maritz says that nearly 90% of Americans participate in some type of rewards program, and most are enrolled in more than one. The sophistication of today's loyalty programs is mind-boggling, and impressive. But as I look at loyalty marketing there are some nagging questions that I just can't shake: What happens to the loyalty when the loyalty program stops? Do loyalty programs really generate true loyalty, or just behavior that looks like loyalty? Could it be that our loyalty programs are deceiving us? READ MORE

For the record, this type of "culture" is defined as "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." Pretty heady stuff, but if you flip open any dime-store business periodical - hospitality industry trades included - you are liable to be overwhelmed with the offhand references to "culture" and its near-ubiquitous impact on the business environment. At this point, "culture" is used as a catch-all proxy for various pitfalls and challenges in any business. READ MORE

In a business environment filled with countless competing hotel brands, the only way you can really win big is by making an emotional connection with your guests. In other words, you have to capture their hearts. Lists of features and benefits alone cannot differentiate your brand and drive revenues anymore. Consumers of the 21st Century are less motivated by the products and services than in the social links and identities that come with buying them. This new reality means that your hotel's marketing strategy must be structured to draw guests into your hotel's tribe. READ MORE

As an industry, we have come a long way from catering to the woman customer by placing a red rose on the bed or handing her a restaurant menu without the prices. We realize that the woman customer is typically the decision maker in choosing the hotel or restaurant and is more often than not, the one who pays the bills. In 2005, women accounted for approximately 43% of the business travelers, according to the Travel Industry of America. In addition, a recent New York University study identified the women business traveler as a "baby boomer with a college degree who earns over $75,000 per year". That profile typically points to a sophisticated and discriminating traveler. And research confirms that women tend to have higher expectations than men when it comes to comfort, service, and security. READ MORE

Face it, customers who regularly purchase goods or services from you will eventually run into a problem. While you may be tempted to assume that they'll overlook one faulty product, you shouldn't take it lightly. In fact, keeping these customers happy should be of the highest priority, and any complaints they have should be treated with urgency. The good news is that a swift resolution can create even stronger bonds between you and your customers, because you're showing them that they are important to you and that their happiness is a high priority. So, what should you do when you make a mistake? Let's say you really mess up big-time with one of your most loyal guests? The real trick is to drive accountability and response down to the level of the service lapse. Local service lapses are best remedied by local response. New technology makes this kind of customer response easier than ever before. READ MORE

If there was going to be a silver lining to this recession, I figured it would at least make my concert-going habit a little easier. Shows what I know. Turns out the jam band offspring of the Grateful Dead, can teach us a thing or two about recession busting. Like the Dead before them, these bands have positioned the emotional connection within a community of customers as the central element of the brand, and have capitalized on that brand equity to survive - and even thrive - in a recession. Very interesting. Doesn't make Rat Dog tickets any easier to come by. READ MORE

"Customer Engagement". It's a term you've heard about quite a bit over the last couple of years - and one that should be at the forefront of your marketing efforts. But what is customer engagement? Is it satisfaction? Is it loyalty? Is it recommending your brand? It's all of these - plus more. Engagement is all about strengthening the emotional connection between the customer and the brand by consistently delivering (if not exceeding) the brand promise at each and every touchpoint. Customers that feel this emotional connection are more satisfied, more loyal and more apt to become ambassadors for your brand. READ MORE

Choosing an agency for your hotel should be viewed in exactly the same way that you would a business partner, and done with the same scrutiny, due diligence, inquisitiveness, proof of performance, honesty, candor, humor and affection. So where do you start? READ MORE

To consistently get great work from your ad agency you need to understand how to be a great client. It's not about giving in to your agency--rather it's about giving them the direction, feedback and opportunities to become one of your hotels most valued partners. READ MORE

We live in a world that's all about image. Where people make snap judgments and buying decisions based solely on the way something looks. Putting on a good face is no longer a figurative imperative, it's a literal one. Consumers are bombarded by over 3000 marketing and advertising messages per day and everyone is competing to be noticed in a world that's increasingly built around sound bites and brief flashes of photography and video tantalizingly sliced to capture your attention. If you believe "a picture is worth a thousand words" then you can only imagine how exponentially more valuable a really great picture is worth, especially as you think about a networked society that's taking these images and effortlessly distributing them to every corner of the world and sharing them on mediums ranging from computers to PDA's to phones. How you depict your hotel has never been more critical and the role that photography plays has never been more important. READ MORE

Choice proliferation has overtaken the hotel industry. As marketing guru Jack Trout quipped, "Like an amoeba dividing in a Petri dish, the marketing arena can be viewed as an ever-expanding sea of categories." So whether your hotel is a limited service, a full service, or a bed and breakfast, your guests have more choice than ever before. And there is no end in sight. This means that your property needs to compete by standing for something; i.e., you have to own a position in the consumer's mind. You, like Disney, Southwest and Wal-Mart have to get it. You have to do more than have a better product, service and value. You have to been seen as different. In other words, if you own it, flaunt it. READ MORE

Concept clarity is a lot like deciding whether or not you need an extreme makeover. You look in the mirror, you see a lot of warts and blemishes, and you have to decide-am I going to put on a lot of make-up and try to make it work? Or am I going to go under the knife and become that person? Translated to the hospitality industry, if your concept is not clear-from the confirmation email you send, to the doorman who greets you, to the pantyhose at the concierge desk-then all the make-up in the world is not going to cover up the warts. The minute a customer sees that your marketing concept is just a clever make-up job, you run the risk of alienating them and losing loyal brand advocates. READ MORE

It's easy to see how a legitimate news event is the most logical route to securing national broadcast coverage. But how does one best approach national broadcast? How does one capture the attention of the major morning shows, feature programs like "The View", and other high profile broadcast opportunities? Here are a few useful tips to get you there. READ MORE

If there's one thing we know about a successful hotel brand it's that it will attract copycats. And if there's one thing we know about copycats it's that they commoditize the market. That's not good for anyone. The initial response to copycats usually manifests itself in some form of hand-to-hand combat. After all, who are they to invade our space? But whether it involves expensive branding campaigns or inefficient loyalty programs, competing with a copycat is a drain on the bottom line. If you can't win the battle in the trenches it may be time to reinvent your brand, or at least explore new concepts that can be both exciting and profitable. READ MORE