You want to know what the key to a successful hotel is? It’s a laser focus on the customer and creating as much value for them as possible. Whether you are a motel or a five-star luxury resort with 10 outlets, this is what it all boils down to. The difference is only that expectations are different from one to the next.
It means doing things like not charging triple what you normally charge because you know your guests won’t be happy about it. It means going above and beyond when it comes to putting together. We know how to do this.
That’s it.
What happens when there aren’t guests to focus on?
This is what the transient-focused hotel and the businesses that support them are tasked with. I spoke with an owner of a large environmental graphics company last week who said he “doesn’t have to travel anymore” because “I can do my sales calls over Zoom.”
This isn’t going to change after the pandemic goes away. It will come back to some extent, but it’s never going to rebound to what it was in the past.
So, let’s get back to the innovation part. Your customer’s lives have changed. You must change with them. If there are more remote workers than ever before, that means there are going to be more company conferences than ever before. That means companies may not have an office to go back to, so small in-person meetings are going to have to be held somewhere. It means there is no place to go to physically brainstorm the next innovation or strategic marketing campaign. We also are, perhaps, watching the implosion of WeWork. Where does that demand go?
I don’t have all the answers, but why can’t hotels solve this problem for the upcoming needs of these businesses and their teams? I can tell you one thing; most companies don’t want their conference held in a ballroom that is ready for a wedding the next day. They want sleek, modern, well-lit interiors where brainstorming and work can be done comfortably. They don’t want boring, tasteless catered food either. They want local, made-from-scratch delicious food inspired by their destination. They want to have the ability to wheel in a giant white board and strategize their company's future. They want the ability to comfortably host their out-of-town workers in a signature hotel that makes them feel valued.
We have the chance now to be that location, to further embed ourselves in our communities and to serve the needs of our customers.
My belief is that this is the single biggest opportunity seen in the past two decades for a shift in market share in your city. There will be hotels who pivot into the future needs of their clients and those who wait by the sidelines and complain about how things used to be.
Who is with me?
Sam Trotter is a marketing & technology consultant based in the greater Boston area. Follow him on Twitter or at contact him at hello@tomorr.ooo.
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