Luxury hospitality begins with a signature property, but a well-situated, beautifully designed hotel is only a start. Stellar service, driven by devoted hotel staff, is what makes a great property come alive. As one general manager (GM) of a luxury hotel told us in an interview, 'Our facility is our stage, and guests are paying for a performance.'
Criticism is never easy to take, but at some point in your professional life, you will receive it and may also have to give it. Although it might not feel like it at the time, receiving criticism can be a positive and enriching experience. It can help you identify gaps in your knowledge and enable you to see certain situations in a different way. Constructive criticism, by its nature, aims to support growth and improvement, making it an invaluable tool for personal and professional development.
A crisis can hit any business at any time. It could start as negative news that snowballs, terrible online reviews, or even an ill-advised foray into social media. This type of event can tarnish your brand, harm your relationship with your customers, and have a damaging effect on key business outcomes.
Pollution, overtourism, and local residents displaced by tourists. These are just some of the concerns that have plagued destinations such as Venice, Barcelona, and Hat Maya, the bay made famous by the film, The Beach, in Thailand. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In a world where corporate greed and profiteering have been cited as two of the primary drivers behind the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that’s increasing financial hardship across Europe, the idea that businesses could exist for any reason other than profit seems hard to fathom. However, there’s a school of thought, called the triple bottom line (TBL), which suggests that businesses should be just as committed to improving the lives of people and the planet as they are to boosting their profits.
Breaking down big work goals into smaller components can enhance long-term success significantly, Wharton research shows.
The hospitality industry is all about relationships. Relationships between co-workers, guests, those in positions of prominence, and those cementing their place are of paramount concern. Without the relationships that are the bedrock of our industry, we would be nothing more than those who work in a building where people sleep in rooms.
Imagine a luxury hotel where front desk staff greet you warmly, housekeepers meticulously prepare your room, and servers delight you with their attentive service. Now imagine the opposite: a hotel where staff seem unhappy in their roles and indifferent to your needs. The contrast is stark, and it underscores a fundamental truth about hospitality - employee engagement and customer experience are powerfully intertwined.
An interview with Gianluca Guarino, Revenue Manager at CampusX (CX). Founded in 2011, the company aims to revolutionize the student campus offer in Italy, following the most evolved Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon models and re-thinking them for the eco-sustainable, connected, smart world of today.
In the last several weeks, I've been chatting with many people about the hotel industry's continued decline in guest service. The consensus seems to be that the downturn is due to factors such as the need for passionate hospitality workers, insufficient training initiatives for frontline employees, and the fact that, in some instances, management is more focused on data than on developing a culture of excellent service.
I ask you, the corporate executives, General Managers, and department heads, when was the last time you discussed the concept of hospitality and guest service excellence with your frontline associates? How often have these recently been topics for staff meetings? How much formal training have you put your staff through on these subjects?
To thrive in the hospitality industry, businesses must continuously improve their offer to adapt to industry trends and guests' evolving preferences. Achieving this requires a highly adaptive organization with a culture of continuous improvement that fosters adaptability, innovation and an openness to transformation.
By strategically integrating joy and surprise into your customer interactions, you tap into the realm of consumer psychology. Understanding the triggers that evoke positive emotions allows you to craft memorable experiences, strengthening the bond between customers and your brand. Here are a few expert tips to elevate your approach and create lasting impressions.
A behind-the-scenes peek into the heartbeat of service success in the hotel industry and questioning if the 'new' is, in fact, ushering in a 'no' service
As a testament to its resilience, agility and innovative spirit, this article reflects today's increasingly dynamic hospitality industry in terms of its long, medium and short-term evolution. Discover the industry's adaptability and forward-thinking approach, shaping its trajectory in the face of challenges and opportunities, while staying attuned to the latest hospitality trends.
In a world where customer expectations are constantly rising, and social media can amplify experiences, service recovery has become an essential part of any company aiming to maintain customer loyalty.
AI training enhances strategic skills, especially in lower-skilled individuals. But research shows it isn't a perfect substitute for human training partners.
As the final days of this year slip away, how interesting it is that Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2023 is 'Authentic,' meaning it was the 'most searched' on their site. Because I failed miserably at learning a second language, I have become somewhat of an Etymologist, so I was eager to see how Merriam Webster defined it in their announcement.
An Interview with Will Guidara, Author of Unreasonable Hospitality
The hotel General Manager (GM) is the person ultimately responsible for a hotel’s performance. A GM’s ability to make decisions and take action will thus have an important impact on his or her hotel’s operational and strategic results. GMs, however, may not always have the autonomy to make these critical decisions as the hotel’s owner and/or hotel management company (HMC) may in fact limit this through their own decision-making interventions.
Today, the growing expectation is that in the hospitality industry we are orchestrating experiences. This demands a deep understanding of our targeted audiences and the longing to surprise and delight – creating those unexpected moments where expectations are exceeded, and people feel cared for genuinely. This is what experience orchestration is all about.
An interview with Ian Carter, Chairman of Watches of Switzerland Group
Tooting your own horn at work is important, but including others in your symphony of accomplishments will make you more likeable, according to new research from Wharton’s Maurice Schweitzer.
No matter what industry, obstacles are plentiful in today's business landscape therefore leaders must equip themselves with the skills to overcome setbacks and support the well-being of themselves and their teams during difficult times, while the most successful and resilient leaders also find ways to grow from challenging situations. This article will explain what resilient leadership is and how you too can adopt this mindset to become a more desirable leader.
In a unique collaboration, the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and consulting firm Slalom measured the brain activity of employees to uncover what works best at work.