Jill Griffin looks at what insights even our worst customers, or the more disloyal ones can provide into the issue of "loyalty". Some of the types discussed include:

Rule Breakers: Not Playing Fair,
Churn Makers: Unwittingly Encouraging Volatility?,
'Bought-Aways': Lowest Price at a High Cost and
Variety Seekers: Easily Bored but Important

Read the whole article here: What Your Worst Customers Teach You About Loyalty | MarketingProfs.com

tags: hospitality

Rick writes:
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Dear JJ,

This is important, not just because so many operators miss these 'Home Runs' that are just sitting there to be hit, but that the Moments of Truth are the essential fuel for a brand to make an impression. Buying is about emotion, even if we don't want to believe it. In any case, I'm feeling prolific. I also hope you like my Ladder of Raving Fandom

Best Regards

Rick
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One of the essential elements in every business is to recognize where the Moments of Truth are for your guest. One could make a case that every moment is a crucible which may tip the consumer up or down the Raving Fandom Ladder, which looks something like this:

The recent bedbug fiasco that happened in the US has prompted 'Healthy Hotels Guide' to build a website that will rate hotel mattresses and bedding. The site, which is planned for launch in June 2006, hopes to guide guests on certified, sanitary hotels they can trust and also eductate them about hygience and other related issues in the hotel / hospitality industry.

Hotels watch out! Amazing what a revolution such small insects can spark, isn't it? :)

JJ

Read more at HotelChatter: Finally, Someone Decides to Grade Hotel Bedding || HotelChatter

tags: hospitality

by Rick Hendrie (reproduced with permission from the author)

When I speak to groups I am struck by two things, the eager yearning I see in many faces to elevate their game, to ‘Get To WOW’ and a cloud of doubt that lurks, peeking out through the sudden downcast motion of the eyes. The way to WOW sounds right. By God, it IS right, but the obstacles seem so large, the inertia to remain in stasis so profound that action appears doomed. So, let me reiterate the basic mantra, “WOW is not nice to do, it is a Must Do Proposition”. How do you get the forward momentum? Get mad at the barriers which have held you back. Stand up, look in the mirror and shout, “What The #$*#@%!!#$%!!!!”

Hotel chains are realizing the crucial need to differentiate the guest experience and create a lasting impression... Since the tourism bounceback a lot of new development had occured and a lot of money has been spent on upgrading and renovating facilities - but very little attention paid to brand positioning and the "lifestyle" focus. This is surely a keystone to a marketing edge in the hospitality business.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp. have all announced initiatives towards differentiation, using technology and tweaked CRM approaches.

Some examples of announced changes include Marriott's new lobby design, Starwood's tie-up with Yahoo! and a major ad campaign by Hilton, including extensive TV advertising (the first in over a decade).

One thing is clear in today's market - you've really got to capture your guests' hearts and minds .. and emotion-based marketing tends to do that best.

JJ

Read the full story on Reuters: "Hoteliers search for ways to stand out from rivals" National, World and Business News | Reuters.com

tags: hospitality

A growing number of books and articles are actively promoting the concept of Customer Experience Management (CEM).

When we look at the nature of Customer Experience Management, there are essentially five key areas that CEM practitioners or "Experience Architects" examine. While these are broken down by consultants in slightly different ways, based on individual methodologies, they can be described, at a high level, as follows:

1. The Customer
2. The Environment
3. The Brand
4. The Platform
5. The Interface

Read the whole article here: Just What Is Customer Experience Management, Anyway? | MarketingProfs.com

tags: hospitality

The author discusses the clash between brand parameters and creativity..and how to come out on top.
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The trick for any brand is to define the standard but not to stifle innovation. The brands need to ensure the expectation of the guest is satisfied but also that the ‘wow’ factor and sense of theatre the best hotels have is also there. This needs clear criteria for how a room is presented to the guest and what it must contain to meet the brand standards. Such definitions are often a part of the franchise documentation, which may start with architectural standards (square footage devoted to the bedroom for example) and proceed to set performance criteria for the furnishing items in the room.

Read the whole article

tags: hospitality

Research indicates that "Loyalty Leaders," or companies with strong customer relationship programs, grow faster and are more efficient than the industry average, an expert says. Strong customer relationship management can help achieve that, and the author offers a list of resolutions for 2006 to become a "Loyalty Leader."

1. Begin (re-energize) my CRM initiative
2. Make my customer database the foundation of my marketing efforts
3. Identify my most profitable customers
4. Integrate all my marketing efforts – customer service, sales, advertising, public relations, direct marketing to focus on the customer
5. Establish metrics to determine the success of my CRM program
6. Allocate my marketing budget to programs and media that offer my hotel the greatest return on investment (ROI)
7. Romance my most profitable customers before, during and after their stay
8. Employ “best practices” including permission based marketing to build strong relationships
9. Expect it will take some time to start realizing a return on my CRM effort
10. Seek the integrated marketing and technical expertise needed to ensure my CRM initiative is successful

Read the whole article: Hospitality Net - Industry News - Luxury Hotelier's 2006 Top Ten CRM Resolutions | By Madigan Pratt

tags: hospitality

Marriott International has implemented new personalized services allowing guests to input a code when they reserve a room that will identify their personal preferences on room type, special requests, method of payment and Marriott Rewards accounts. The chain is also launching a pre-arrival e-mail system, providing guests who sign-up with information on weather, transportation and events during their stay.

Source: Marriott Unveils Cross-Brand Traveler Profile Service

tags: hospitality

According to the new Luxury Customer Experience Index survey (LCEI) from New York-based Luxury Institute, Mandarin Oriental earned top honors as the luxury hotel brand that delivers "the best customer experience" as rated and ranked by their own wealthy customers. Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons tied for second; St. Regis was a close third.

Read the article here: Luxury Institute Survey Rates Top Luxury Hotels

tags: hospitality

Good news for us average-looking joes in the industry! ;)

JJ
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Consumers are demanding more efficient and more convenient service from hotel staffs across the nation, as opposed to the cute staff trend of the 1990s, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers hotel consultant Bjorn Hansen. W Hotels has hired more young people for its front desks, instead of "model types who pose," said W Hotels Worldwide President Ross Klein.

Read the article here: For Hotel Staff, Competent Trumps Cute - New York Times

tags: hospitality

A fresh new look to an old and dreary issue..a lot of hotels are adopting new and creative methods to wake you from the blissful slumber...and are making a positive impact!

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You're in a strange bed when the phone rings, rousing you from sleep. You pick it up and hear a slow drawl saying, "Good morning, this is Tom Bodett using one of mankind's greatest inventions, the telephone, to deliver one of the worst: the wake-up call. Sorry 'bout that."

USATODAY.com - This is a new recording: Souped-up wake-up calls

tags: hospitality