Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2014 - (Page 18)
Out of Sight,
Not out of Mind
Connecting with guests before they arrive
and after they've gone enhances their
experience and earns loyalty
BY STACY POPE
W
hat is it that draws visitors
back to Hawaii? Our
natural beauty and climate, sure-but
it's also our aloha spirit, as overused
a phrase as that may have become.
And now Hawaii's cultural traditions
of warmth, welcome and helpfulness
have finally put us at the forefront of
a hospitality trend. Hotels everywhere
are discovering that it's not enough to
create a stylish spa or cigar bar; if you're
not cultivating aloha spirit with your
guests, you might never see them again.
"After guests leave your hotel, they
will not remember the beds, breakfast
or building-they will remember how
you made them feel," says Scott Nadel,
DMC Hotels and Dhillon Management
Group Chief Operating Officer. Polish,
18
Hawaii Hospitality May/June 2014
■
technology, amenities and upgrades may
set the tone, but personal connections
will be the heart of your operations.
That's where the true guest experience
happens.
One of the biggest mistakes that
a hotel staff can make, however, is
thinking that the guest experience takes
place only when guests are actually
checked in at your property. Guests are
judging you before, during and after
a stay, and the connections you make
with them at every stage will affect
their impression as well as whether
they'll be booking with you again.
The opportunities to share your
aloha with guests both before and
after a stay are limitless, and they often
present themselves in unexpected ways.
The five-star Halekulani,
on Waikiki Beach
These can be as simple as finding
out what kind of bedding someone
will prefer or thanking a guest with
a handwritten note to efforts that
transform brief encounters into
lifelong relationships. Read on for
six out-of-the-box "before and after"
guest experiences that will delight,
astound and hopefully inspire you.
Enter any Starwood-brand Aloft
Hotel from Tucson to Turkey and
you'll find a bit of home. Instead
of a front desk, each now has an
Aloha Desk-and "Aloha!" is the
official greeting.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2014
News Briefs
Are You Inspection Ready?
Lanai: Small Island, Big Aloha
Great Restaurants: W Bistro
Talk Story with George Szigeti
Small-scale Sustainability
Out of Sight, Not out of Mind
Food & Beverage SuperStars
Taking the Lead: Sales & Marketing
Jaclyn Loo of Google Inc.
Clean Talk
Association News
Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2014
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