Google Glass for Hotels?

The development of futuristic technology has provided hotels with more opportunities than ever to truly impress their guests with a unique experience.  Two hotels, Acme Hotel Chicago and the Stanford Court San Francisco, have found a way to use wearable technology to their advantage.  The highly sought after Google Glass is currently available as a beta program. Google has released the product to “Glass Explorers” who can get the product in hopes that they will reveal the many flaws in the advanced piece of technology.  To get Google Glass, one must sign up and pay a hefty fee of $1500 for what is essentially an unfinished product.  While Glass still has tons of cool and useful features, the polished product will undoubtedly be better.  This makes people reluctant to purchase it as new technology is often buggy.  The Acme Hotel Chicago and Stanford Court San Francisco have signed up to become “Glass Explorers” but the hotels themselves won’t be doing any exploring.

Guests have the option to rent Google Glass during their stay as to enjoy using the product while in an unfamiliar city.  Acme is offering the product on a complimentary basis in three hour blocks for guests to enjoy, while Stanford Court offers the “Google Glass Explorer Package” for just $199 a day.  The opportunity to “borrow” Google Glass for a day is a tourist attraction in itself.  Besides getting the opportunity to test one of the most advanced consumer technology devices on the market, the product has dozens of uses for a traveler in an unfamiliar city.

A few things guests are able to use Glass for when traveling:

• Weather information
• Travel information like maps, travel guides, nearby accommodations, restaurants and more.
• Ability to get live directions from your exact location

The use of this product could essentially eliminate the need of a concierge service in your hotel.  At the moment, it’s financially unrealistic to provide every guest with a pair of Google Glass, but in a few years as new products are unveiled the price will drop as technology always does.  There are several ways you could use Google Glass to increase efficiency at your property behind the scenes for your employees and in the front of the house by providing it to guests.  One hotel brand, Starwood Preferred Guest, has created an app for Glass which allows guests to check into their rooms, call the hotel, look up their reservations and even take virtual tours of individual hotel rooms.

Google Glass is still young and we can’t predict the impact it might have in the future.  But one thing’s for sure, people are anxious to give this product a try; they just don’t want to pay $1500 for it.  This can be a fun and innovative way to enhance your guest’s experience!

Follow Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association on Social Media for industry trends, news and information!

Facebook                   Twitter                   LinkedIn Group                    Google

Source:

http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/50807

5 Ways to Handle Unhappy Customers

There are so many ways to deal with unhappy customers.  Some methods are more effective than others but the most important thing you can do is let the guest know you’re making a sincere effort to fix whatever’s wrong.  Being able to successfully deal with these situations on the spot is essential to good management and a successful business.  Here are 5 key steps to making sure that guest doesn’t leave your business unhappy.

1. Learn the facts from all parties involved.  Before approaching the customer, ask the employee who was first presented with the situation what their take is.  Often times they will have a different perspective on the issue than the customer will.  Then proceed to ask the customer what they believe has occurred and how they were wronged.  Once you have all the facts, you can make a decision on the situation should be handled.
2. Know your abilities and limitations in the steps available that you can take to fix the issue.  Are you allowed to give complimentary items? Can you give them an extra night’s stay?  Have a thorough understanding of all your options prior to dealing with the unhappy customer.  More often than not, a bad situation can be fixed with some other form of compensation; but make sure you’re authorized to provide said compensation before you do it.
3. Inform the customer that you are the person that will assist them.  Make them feel valued and personally help them to solve their issue.  This way there is only one party involved in fixing the situation and customers don’t feel brushed aside by being sent to various people.
4. Get direct assistance from others in your organization; if you’re not able to resolve the issue yourself.  If you’re unable to fix the issue at hand, there is usually another employee who is readily available that can help solve your problem.  Go directly to them and ask for their help as to solve the issue in a timely manner.
5. Follow up with the customer.  This one is a no-brainer.  While solving the issue, you’ll usually receive the customers contact information.  Make it a point to reach out to them after the fact and offer to personally take their reservation should they choose to come back.  Make sure they know that you’ve taken the time to personally assure their satisfaction.

While there are of course many ways to handle an unhappy customer, these are a few steps you can take when something comes up unexpectedly and you’re forced to make quick decisions.  To read the full article, please visit; http://www.hospitalitynet.org/column/154000392/4065105.html

Follow Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association on Social Media for industry trends, news and information!

Facebook                   Twitter                   LinkedIn Group                    Google

Marriott Hotels Engages Customers for Innovative Ideas

How often do you wonder how you can improve your guests overall experience? There’s always room for improvement in hospitality, but finding it can sometimes be difficult; especially when you only get the inside perspective on hotel operations. Guests are not always willing to fill out satisfaction surveys and sometimes it can be hard to draw feedback out of them unless you’re able to get a moment of their time.  Marriott Hotels has found a new, innovative approach to finding out what makes guests experience a remarkable stay at their properties.

Travel Brilliantly is a new website developed by Marriott Hotels that invites travelers to share their ideas and innovations to help discover the next big thing in hospitality.  By inviting the traveling public to a single medium that allows them to discuss ideas and receive feedback helps to find the innovative ideas that will change the industry for the better.  Marriott has set up this system to have 4 judges who review hundreds of submissions and select winners to travel to the company’s headquarters to work alongside industry experts to pioneer their new idea.

Of course not all properties have a corporate headquarters with a research and development team so for many this may be an extreme example of this idea.  By setting up a simple blog and adding a little content you can quickly generate conversation among your guests and travelers to find out what you can do in your own hotel.  While this idea takes some work, consistent and engaging content can help you build an audience that trusts you and ultimately shares their ideas with you openly.

A less robust way of getting this feedback is through your existing social media pages like Facebook.  Guests are happy to provide responses to questions when they’re readily available.  A guest is more likely to answer questions like, “what could we do to improve your stay” through social media than answering the same question in a survey.  This practice also allows other guests to see what one another are saying and build on the ideas to come to a strong solution for multiple issues.

Marriott’s new website may not be the most innovative idea in the world, but it creates a simple solution to a huge problem in the industry; how to engage guests and get them to provide feedback on what can be improved upon during their stay.  A certain level of personal interaction and intimacy that is provided through blogs and social media makes a guest feel like someone is actually listening.

Join our conversation on Facebook and Twitter here:

Facebook

Twitter

Sources:

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140206-912396.html

http://travel-brilliantly.marriott.com/

Employee Appearance Matters

It’s no secret that guests make their judgments about your property largely based on the appearance of your hotel.  Making them feel at home or experience a unique stay will help drive positive perceptions of your organization.  Not-surprisingly, employee appearance plays an equally important role in creating a positive experience for your guests.

A study published in the 2013 issue of Cornell Hospitality Quarterly showed us that guests think the most effective employees are men and women who smile and are attractive.  This comes as no shock as we see in mainstream media that humans prefer interaction with more attractive people, but this is not to be mistaken as an expectation of an employee.  Of course if you’re interviewing two people and one of them (a male obviously) has long hair, a beard and looks generally unkempt, your decision is easy.  How do you determine what is designated as acceptable or unacceptable in terms of personal grooming qualities?

“When it came to facial hair guests weren’t so sure what they preferred.  They assigned greater assurance ability to clean-shaven men, but for reasons that are not clear this effect held true only for Caucasian men and not for African-American men.”  Simply put, an African-American man with a beard is viewed as more effective and trustworthy than a Caucasian man with a beard; the reason for this is uncertain.

So when it comes to the appearance and grooming quality of your employees, there’s a bit of a gray area as to what is acceptable.  To keep a standard guideline, many guests don’t mind beards, long hair or even obscure hairstyles but they will take notice to things like obscure and visible piercings, tattoos and anything else that is considered less formal in terms of appearance.

Many hoteliers have employees who walk a thin line in terms of acceptable physical appearance but as long as they are cleanly cut and visibly well-groomed, guests generally don’t mind.  If they have a beard, keep it clean.  If your hair is long, style it or put it in a ponytail to make it more socially acceptable.  There will always be employees who push the boundaries of acceptable work appearance but there is always a simple solution that can make all parties (the employee, management and most importantly, the guest) satisfied by coming to some sort of compromise.  You don’t need to ask employees to change what makes them an individual but while you’re at work, at least look presentable!

What do you think?  Do you have employees who walk this thin line? W ould you hire someone who was generally unkempt?  Do you avoid “less attractive” employees?

http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-74764.html

Hospitality Trends: Minibars, Markets and More!

Hotels are constantly looking for new ways to draw in guests and make a personal connection with them.  By creating a personal connection with a guest, you create a loyal customer.  Old strategies in hospitality are being abandoned as times are changing and guest expectations are evolving.  With this evolution, older amenities that have always been a part of the hotel experience are changing to newer, more modern versions of the same amenity to cut low-revenue programs and create a new experience for guests.

One common amenity in hotel rooms is the minibar.  Minibars are rarely used due to the expensive nature of them and the fact that guests can provide their own beverages and food from a nearby convenient store for a fraction of the price.  Another common issue with minibars is guests consuming the drinks and filling them back up with water to avoid the extra costs on their bill.  Since housekeeping has limited time to check and restock the minibar, they don’t often take more than a glance into the fridge; if it appears full, it is not restocked.  Since this amenity provides minimal revenue and is often just taking up space in a room, more hotels have eliminated the minibar option and replaced it with an empty, full-size refrigerator for guests to use.  This way if they want to provide their own food and beverages they have an adequate storage option.

Another popular innovation is the development of “hotel pantries” or “hotel markets.”  Pantries and markets within hotels serve the same purpose; to provide guests with a quick and convenient location to get snacks, drinks and even personal amenities like aspirin and other toiletry items that travelers often forget to pack and must purchase on the road.  Hotel chains including Hilton and Marriott have adapted a market/pantry that is a standard part of the lobby design for these chains.   La Quinta recently launched the “Bright Side Market” as a universal feature for all of its properties.  “The San Antonio La Quinta sold up to $15,000 per month in food and amenities with a 50 percent or higher profit margin.”

While guests’ expectations are growing in terms of technology, there’s one strategy hotels are adopting that isn’t so technology-driven; hotel libraries are becoming increasingly popular.  Modern guests now expect full-size, HD TV’s in their rooms that get at least as many (if not more) channels than they would get at home.  This is a necessity when staying in a hotel but more often than not guests are frustrated with the lack of preferred programming playing at any given moment; we all know what it’s like to try and find something to watch on TV..  Providing guests with a book renting option that allows them to rent a book and return it before they check out of the hotel is a great way to create a personal connection with customers.  Some hotels even allow the guest to rent the book and return it at any of their chain locations; creating an obligation to continue using the chain when traveling elsewhere and giving the guest the ability to continue their book in between travel destinations.

Finding a way to stand out from the crowd and getting your guest to enjoy a remarkable stay is an ongoing struggle as expectations and trends change constantly.  Staying on top of these trends can help set your hotel apart from the rest and create a memorable experience for your guest.  Check back each week for hospitality trends and other important happenings in the industry!

“Like” us on Facebook! 

Follow us on Twitter!

Add us on Google+

Source:

http://www.northjersey.com/travel/226631691_New_or_coming_soon_to_hotels__the_latest_trends.html?c=y&page=1