Travel and hospitality magazines talk about one thing, the experience economy and the importance of being part of it. But do all the destinations need to have an add on experience or are they an experience in itself?
To get to know the habits and the wishes of hotel guests, I set up this blog. Your help will be of great importance and very valuable for the progress of the research.
In which ways does the implementation of (new) experiences for hotel guests affect occupancy and customer behaviour in terms of returning to the hotel and/or recommend it to others?
Tell me about your experiences, what do you see as a hotel experience and is this a reason for you to return to a hotel? Add on pictures or ideas, everything is possible. Create the ultimate hotel experience, one yoú would like to see in the hotel of your dreams!
11 comments:
Nowadays hotels can't survive financially in the long term without offering a true experience. Why? The ever growing demand in the tourism industry (fastest growing industry in the world according to the WTO) demands for add on value. Guests demand more and more and just don't book hotels which haven't got something extra to add. The choiche in different hotels is often so broad that guests just scroll through the internet to find the best value for money within minutes. The best way to attract new guests and maintain the existing guests is to offer them the little bit extra that others don't or can't. The best way to do this is to give them an experience they will remember!
It is all true what you are stating, however; is it sustainable? I would rather say that this is again a trend and therefore not sustainable in the long term. Hotels will always be necessary and do not always have to create extra value. As long as the basic product is right than it will always work.
I strongly agree that hotels have to update new things coming up, which in the speed of technological change becomes normal part of life. Best example is the internet, specially business guests will not book your hotel if there is no internet. Even leisure guests want to stay in touch with the family. It used to be an additional experience and now it is a must.
Offering a "true experience" is in itself a huge challenge, because you have to be consequent in offering this experience.
However experience is a highly personal perceived value and can therefore also be a threat. Also special treatments can lead to unsatisfied custumors, when not experienced again at a next visit.
So I would state that the key to satisfaction is being consequent in offering the "true experience".
And make sure that the experience you are offering is in fact the experience the guest expects and values.
One of the first things that I do when I get to a hotel room is personalise it. I stow all the informational material in the room in drawers such as the compedium of services, brochures and other pop-up cardboard devices on the desk, the tv armoire and bedside tables. I take out the bottles of over-priced drinks in the fridge and replace them with those of my own - more affordable and my own choice. I set up my laptop, re-arrange the toiletries in the bathroom and the configuration of the lounge area. All this is an exercise in making my own experience. And that is really what hotels are there for - creating experiences for their guests, particularly in the leisure sector of the travel industry. Business travelers, especially middle-ranking ones, don't always have much of a choice about where they stay because it all depends on what's provided by their companies.
These experiences don't have to be
over-the-top and hotels can customise them according to the specific market that they serve. It's part of hotel management 101 to know your target market and the segments within right?
Hotels now have to constantly come up with compelling reasons why people should stay at their properties. Customers are more savvy, because of the internet and comparisons of what's available out there is more easily done.
For me, service is always a competitive advantage because it's the one aspect of a hotel experience that is rare. There is nothing like being made to feel like royalty when staying in a hotel and it gives guests a great lift when they feel they've been pampered and cared for. Luxury hotels in Asia excel at this.
Due to increasingly competion within the hospitality industry, differenciation is becoming increasing difficult. It is clear that products offered in this industry are usually experiential, but having a basic experiential offer if different from using an experiential marketing approach (Williams 2006).
It has evident that there has been an evolution in marketing (considering the shift from goods to services and now to experience) however, it can be argued that the hospitality industry is not explicity using this concept (Williams 2006). Think about 'the shopping experience'. When you go to mall's its not just about the shops, its about the whole experience, grabbing a coffee with friends, going to the movies, etc.Consumers are searching for something deeper than just a simple product or service. One example of hedonism is hyperreality. A classis example of this term is Disney, think about the way they create an experience from the moment you get out of your car! Staff are even called cast members to enhance the experience. Check out the britsh airways ad (youtube), listen to the way they promote their service by stating 'your experience starts here'. I believe that this concept will be here for the long run due to the evolution of marketing and also taking into consideration changing consumer behaviour. (Research hedonism and the post modern consumer). I recently did some research on the presence of the experience economy within a hospitality organisation and found that although certain elements were found, the organisation was not explicity using the concept and taking full advantage. Think about when you might go to a trendy cocktail bar. Why do the waiters/esses produce the cocktail in front of you using 'props'? Is it just part of the service they offer (if so why do it in front of the customer and make it so theatrical?) or is it to 'add' value to the experience. Remember, that by adding value to a product or serivce, it will usually allow a premium to be charged...These are just some ideas i have researched! Hope it gives you some scope on your research!
Fascinating topic and interesting comments, I am looking forward to see more of them.
Some look for different experiences, and some are seeking to make the experience familiar by rearranging the room, while others have pointed out the dangers for a hotel of being different or inconsistent.
I think it is safe to say that people travel (leisure) to have a different experience, but then again they look to limit the surprise element by doing research and checking (peer) reviews. Today with the many travel2.0 sites you are able to pin point your search not just based on location, price, or worse, Star rating, but by finding people just like you. Is this the start of the de-commoditization of our industry?
For me it raised many questions.
- Is an experience always different, and does it become less of an experience upon repeated visits? Does this endanger repeat visitors? (“Been there, done that” argument)
- To what extend does the experience need to be crafted and designed? Is Disney or the Dutch Archeon going to far? Do hotels in Bali or Machu Picchu provide authentic experiences?
- Who can provide better guided experience tours/trips, a tourguide with the same cultural background as the group or a true local?
- Do cheap Sun and Beach resorts in Benidorm or Lloret de Mar provide the right experience for the sun deprived Northern Europeans that so desperately need a sun tan?
It is clear that the industry feels that different is good, when you notice that all the major brands are creating sub brands and that so many hotels are (successfully!) de-franchising or de-branding. The new (social) web and travel 2.0 are truly challenging the paradigms of the old traditional distribution.
From a consumer point of view, I believe we are better able to select our experience. But lets hope that our choice of for example a Hedonistic Resort in Jamaica, a Disney Resort in LA, a Design Hotel in Barcelona, an Adventure Resort or the Eco-Tourism Resort will live up to our expectations, because if not we might just write about it on one of the many travel blogs…
For me personally, creating a wonderful guest experience is all about the people who ensure this experience will truly be amazing. I have seen many hotels who are stunning, evoke the senses and offer all comfort and luxury, however when the associates aren't going the extra mile and deliver a true guest journey with a smile: all glitter, glamour and state-of-the-art technology can not deliver the experience by itself. Understanding the guests wishes and acting proactively is of the utmost importancy while creating a true experience. This is what creates the challenge as well: how do you ensure a hospitable attitude in your whole team when you have 600 associates and most of them are on a very low pay, work long hours and basically don't care about the customer at all.... Most guest complaints are not about a problem with the hotel hardware, but about the way how the staff dealt with the problem (or did not prevent it from happening in the first place). Most of the guest will not return for that reason and sometimes this does not only influence the individual property but the whole chain will be avoided by this guest. So for me the experience is dependent on the people not the material, although a certain level of luxury needs to be present to meet the customer's expectations, a personal touch is a must to exceed the expectations!
I agree completely with Roxane. In my opinion, the implementation of new experiences can attract a customer to decide himself to go to a specific hotel. Usually, I decide to go to a specific hotel because I was attracted by something which can provide me with a new experience ( it can be location, design, gastronomy, services in the hotel, art, etc.)but this is something very subjective as nowadays every person is looking for a different experience and is becoming more demanding. However, at the end, the true experience and what the guest is going to remember is the personal treatment he has experienced in the hotel through the staff and the personal service they have offered to the guest. Even if you can experienced something amazing at the hotel through other features but the staff did not treat you properly, probably you will not want to repeat at this hotel another time.
Lorena
A very relevant topic and even better to share this with all of us on a blog! Although I doubted to participate in this blog because of my double role here (:-)) I would like to show you a video on YouTube in which we express our statement on the concept of co-creation in tourism and/or hospitality experiences: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlTkXEAUpRw.
It expresses the added value by customizing the experience and co-creating both with the guests and the local experts (e.g., people with a story). Not only during the stay at the destination but also at home (blog, www) before or after visiting the destination, should people be able to connect... I personally do not have any doubt about the sustainability of this trend; it more than ever expresses the local uniqueness and helps at the same time constructing 'narratives of the self' for anyone involved but it obviously should be something more than a staged commodity!
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