Ideas for Hotels and Hospitality

August 10, 2009 · Comments

Ideas for hotels and hospitality

I travel a lot. Currently, I allow Priceline to find me a deal. I love good hotels, but I compete on price, because the typical amenities aren’t all that differentiated, so why should I care? I’m thinking a lot about this from the mindset of hoteliers, and also from my interests as a business traveler. I want to run a scenario by you, and see if this makes sense. I’ll make up a hotel name.

Ideas for Hotels and Hospitality

Chris Brogan logs into the M hotel’s profile system. He’s already received his special 16-digit loyalty card. Now, it’s time to express his interests when traveling. Chris prefers:

  • No floor preference.
  • No view preference.
  • No bed preference.
  • No allergy preference.
  • Thick down pillows.
  • Heavy comforter/duvet
  • Room at 70 degrees F.
  • Lemongrass bath products from Lather.com
  • SpaciousPLUS Desk with 6 power outlets and 2 LED lamps.
  • No wifi preference.
  • Herman Miller Aeron chair.
  • Breakfast delivered: oatmeal, fruit, brie, orange juice, pot of black coffee.
  • Wall Street Journal.
  • Swimming pool and/or exercise ball and dumbbells.
  • Late check-out.
  • Opt-in for social features: business, arts, dining
  • Price range: $129 – $199/night plus expenses.

What if I could show up and all that was just known about me? What if I could just swipe my credit card in a reader at the front desk and it would spit out one key (I only lose one at a time), and flash a room number?

This is so easy, and yet, we’re doing hotels as if it’s 100 years ago. I would skip Priceline if everywhere I traveled, I was guaranteed a room at a consistent rate range that I agreed upon. This means I’d give the money directly to the hotel.

Setting up rooms to meet my needs within their chain would be reasonably easy. In fact, if you look at my requests, I have very few specifics, except for the desk arrangements and the pillow. Hell, I even upsold myself room service.

The next-to-last feature is something I’ve always wanted: when I’m traveling, I want the OPTION to opt into a locality-based social network that allows me to pass an intermediary email address (and maybe distorted room number) out to other guests with shared interests. If it went through the hotel, and if it was noted that all emails and phone calls are stored for security purposes, but not reviewed without a warrant, then it would address most of the privacy issues. Yes?

And Then What?

After this worked out well, I’d want to expand concierge services. I want to have a database to start from and narrow down my potential interests in a city, and then have that last mile be served by a human (because one never knows). Here, I could see the concierge using services like Twitter Search and upcoming.org and Yelp and Google Blog Search to add to whatever’s been officially reported. I can see local venues knowing enough to tweet their upcoming events, and/or to share potential additional offers with visitors.

I want hotels to offer B-cycle for me to just grab a bike and go.

I want a virtual assistant at a rate of $20 USD an hour billed out to me should I have other business needs while staying at the hotel. This person can manage anything from basic laundry and store pickups, to simple business functions like copying, or making reservations, or any of those other services one comes into needing while traveling.

I want a selection of business books dropped off with the option to buy. Why can’t Borders or Barnes & Noble partner with the hotel and tap into the profile database, and let me select great books like Trust Agents for me to read while I’m there ($5/day or billed to your card if not in the room at checkout).

I’ll Stop Here

Any opportunity to be helpful is an opportunity to earn money. I’ll give you some of mine if you make my stay a custom fit. It might not look like a lot when you compare the room rates at a luxury hotel, but if you got this consistently from a whole class of travelers that stopped using discount services, wouldn’t you want to increase that revenue stream?

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  • Kevin Donahue
    Some of what you're suggesting is already being done as it relates to guest preferences, although the CMS is difficult to integrate across large chains, because the existing franchise models limit the amount of capital & systems upgrades that can be mandated in any set time frame. I think we're five years away from a large chain nailing the guest preference element, although it's certainly being studied by Omni & attempted by Ritz & Four Seasons.

    It varies by city, of course, but many of the better hotels in gateway cities already have good vendors for cycles, workplace services - even dog walking!

    The trouble for many hoteliers is the "arms race" mentality. Many feel that by adding amenities there will only be a minor benefit, as the most requested services will be duplicated (without the initial cost to beta/tweak) by the competition. As you mentioned, many "services" that had significant capital allocations - flat screen televisions, pillow-top mattresses, wifi, etc - only enhanced the commoditization of the industry. As nice & new as those items WERE 5+ years ago, the market has returned to being just about price, not service. In some ways, it's easy to see the hotels perspective that there isn't a significant ROI for to innovation.

    The best thing you can do, IMHO, is to continue to explain what you're looking for and be a thought leader on hospitality preferences. When hoteliers realize that there is a BROAD audience that would be LOYAL, then change will follow.
  • Some really interesting ideas. Unfortunately, as simple as some of them are, you'll probably have to wait a while. I don't travel a tenth as much as you, but my experience with hotels is that they typically do what they are used to, or what the competition is doing. Breaking new territory doesn't seem to be their "thing." (...though, maybe I'm staying at the wrong hotels.)
    In the long run, it's the companies who are willing to take a risk, to change what they are and, therefore, the game; that will make the biggest difference and win the biggest reward.
    Hmmmmm ... not that different from how it works when you're talking about individuals. No pain, no gain; right? I'd trade a few growing pains ant intermediary failures for some real growth any day. That's a no brained! :)
  • JamieLee
    On a related note (since we're talking about upgrade wishlists) - I wish the iPhone would allow me to scroll within a Disqus text box so I could correct the words that are incorrectly auto-completed by it's ever-brilliant (ok ... it usually IS brilliant) computer brain. If it would allow that, my last two sentences would have made more sense ... "and" instead of "ant" and "brainer" instead of "brained." I don't want to "brain" anybody ... really. Not even on my worst day.
    ;)
  • Jamie - I see you're causing trouble at chrisbrogan.com again! ;-)

    Jamie you're point is very good: "as simple as some of them are". The whole thing with a compelling experience is the subtleties and nuances that have high sensual value even though they do not add 'features'

    In other words - luxury. Making some feel nicer. Consumers have long since bought according to need, it is now according to feeling / emotion.
  • JamieLee
    Me? Cause trouble? Never! :)

    I agree that it's often the "little things" that matter most. Think of how many times you've shared an experience with someone because some little detail just amazed you. It's those points of differentiation that make an interaction memorable - whether the interaction is with big business (like hotel waitstaff "remembering" your wine preference because it's in their database from your last visit), or with an individual (the friend who not only remembers your birthday, but also the book you commented on four months beforehand).

    I see a three-step process:
    1. Pay attention
    2. Think about things from the other person's perspective
    3. Have a genuine desire to make other people happier

    For example, in the hotel example:
    1. Notice that your guest routinely asks about local copy shop services
    2. Consider the additional time it takes your guest to make the inquiry, travel to the copy shop, etc.
    3. Formulate ideas based on an authentic desire to make your guest's visit more pleasant and less hectic.
    Possible Solution: First, make the information about the copy shop (and other business-minded services) readily available in a "just for business" brochure. Second, offer in-house services (probably in partnership with a local or nationwide provider) or an on-site assistant/courier service.

    Voila - you win three ways:
    1. Very happy customer who comes back again and again
    2. Very happy customer who shares her great experience with friends and colleagues
    3. Very good possibility that your company will be seen as an innovative leader in the world of business travel hospitality
  • Jamie - "It's those points of differentiation that make an interaction memorable"

    Exactly.

    Of course, you three step process is actually far, far deeper than three steps. I've spent a long time building frameworks for delivering compelling experiences - but the essence is correct. Listen, see it from their eyes, and have a genuine desire.

    And what a win you get - an experience is far more memorable than a non-experience. An memorable things are what we share
  • rebeccawissler
    Jamie, you brought up a great point that may indicate personal preference catering may not be too, too far off. If a restaurant can remember such unique characteristics about their guests, hotels should be able to do the same. My husband and I love indulging at the restaurants in the Emeril's chain and each time they remember the table we liked, our wines, etc. It could be just an expansion of that system. We know it's a marketing tool, and we love it. I would love to think Chris Brogan is on to something.
  • JamieLee
    Rebecca, I agree! :) "Personal Preference Catering" ... is that an official term or something you just coined. I love it! It's such an interesting concept in that it's a real-world version of something that's done online all the time. When a company like Amazon remembers your account info, your last purchases, makes recommendations based on buying history, and so forth ... that all works along similiar lines. How cool that we've come far enough that we can now start to leverage these types of online tools and service styles in the real world? And, perhaps ironically, much of what we're talking about doing hearkens back to an age where this type of care and detail was created entirely by human beings ... the waiter, bartender, or concierge who remembered your name and all the things you like and don't like. I love how this technology is starting to bring us full circle back to a time when personal communication was not an innovation but simply how things were done.
  • rebeccawissler
    Thanks! I actually just spit it out there for lack of a better phrase, but I guess it works, huh?

    Either way, you are right. Chris's ideas could be a throwback to when personal (meaning in-person) interactions were extremely valued. Hotels would just be utilizing a better database to manage everything.
  • Simplicity is golden, convenience appreciated. I know you wrote from the mindset of hoteliers, however I shall remember to keep 'simplicity and convenience' as priorities for my audience and clients, as my business grows.
  • Chris I hope this post gains more attention than the previous satire because this is completely on the pulse.

    The digital ideal of customisation will enter physical business, like you've listed above. Companies that can then merge digital and physical closely together to provide a seamless, effortless experience will win.
  • hi Chris,
    first time reading you, and found it incredibly thought provoking, since I too am in the hospitality business (www.bizflats.com). Gave me some fresh ideas we can apply to our apartments.
    thanks!
  • KenBurgin
    Refer back to Michael Gerber's classic E-Myth book, when he said this level of service epitomised a hotel that 'worked'. And 20 years later, it's still a rarity...
  • Interesting post. What you describe is basically what the Ritz Carlton has made (at least part of) its name for. I once was talking with a General Manager for one of their properties who told me they do all those sorts of things and at the high end even do routine things like papering over all of a room's windows with black paper to block out every shred of light or even repainting the walls every time a certain guest visits to match their preferences.

    Obviously, you pay for THAT level of service.

    But maintaining simple guest preferences can be done. When I used to stay at Starwood hotels every week for years, they did keep basic preferences (room location, pillow type, newspaper preference, etc.) in their database and did a decent job of matching those preferences up when I would visit new hotels.

    For specific hotels that I used to stay in a lot, they went even further and would frequently give me the same room each visit (or one very nearly identical), which was a nice touch. In one hotel I visit at least monthly, the desk staff knows me so they just hand me a key when I arrive rather than making me go through the full check-in process.
  • Lots of hotels do that, especially Ritz-Carlton which has had a cutting edge guest preference program for years. But yes you are right the more they know these things the easier it is to satisfy your expectations.
  • jimholbrook
    As an intrepid traveller, I'd recommend the Joie de Vivre hotel chain www.jdvhotels.com on the west coast - they come the closest to Chris' wish list. And their story is a great one - founder Chip Conley www.chipconley.com has a great book on his journey - Peak....

    Chris' list could also be developed for the airlines - I fly a couple hundred thousand miles a year on American, and I am pretty much a total stranger to them....
  • margiezablefisher
    Love this!
  • jasonspencer
    Couldn't agree with you more, Chris. Hotels and other similar businesses should constantly be surveying their customers to figure out what "add-ons" they would be willing to pay extra for.

    Having a background in home automation, there are some other cool things that you could add to your list of "things the hotel remembers about you"... lighting preference, music listening preference (playlists, volume, etc.), movie preferences, and more (assuming they splurged for the automation system technology.)

    @real_jason
  • fabulousphotogifts
    Coming from a completely different angle (although it doesn't have to be hotels - it works in supermarkets and theme parks too), do you use the persons name when enquiring / checking out?

    Something magical happens when you use an employee's name - I normally get a smile, an extra salutation/farewell and have found a much more helpful, friendly and polite experience as a whole.

    Try it next time (if you're not already).

    Jonathan.
  • I travel a lot too - And to be honest you are absolutely right Chris!
  • Seems to me that way too many business models are directed inward, focused first on the bottom line and second, sometimes only peripherally, on consumer satisfaction. The thing that blows my mind is that if they shifted perspective, digested input like what you've offered, the consumer satisfaction and loyalty would feed the bottom line better than spiffs for emplyees etc.

    I would like to say that on my recent trip to BlogHer, the concierge at The Sheraton was incredible, doing things above and beyond what I asked of her. The appreciation I feel for her concern about my well being (found a shop with a breast pump) will not ever be forgotten even though the rest of the service at the hotel was quite lacking.
  • bnedguy
    These are really good ideas. I like the partnership with the book store. I often lug books on trips and that can be a pain. In fact, here in Boston I bought two books. I would also suggest that these stupid doors between suites be sound fortified. It seems I keep getting these rooms, and they have a piece of cardboard between the two. I'm sure they can hear me practicing my Italian arias.
  • Genius.

    I thought MGM/Mirage was brilliant in Vegas by having check-in desks at the airport. But of course, they're still desks.

    Even if they didn't know your preferences they could still make it work.

    If I can check myself into a connecting international flight at a kiosk, why can't I get a room that way?
  • I am with you on this Chris. I work in the hospitality industry and the frustrations of working in an industry that insists on following instead of leading are huge. The pieces are in place for most of this to work. Most frequent travelers have frequent traveler cards from their chain of choice so the data exists (or can exist). Why it is not used is beyond me. Thanks!
  • skeggsjp
    Wow. Been out of the Hotel business for a looooong time. Almost makes me want to get back in it. I like your ideas Chris, and you are right. They aren't that hard. In fact, I'd say they are probably very easy to implement. Eventually, forward thinkers will make stuff like this happen. I would almost say that if someone put their concept together correctly and centered it around this custom type concept, they could probably get some VC money relatively easy.

    You've got my wheels turning. Thanks.
  • streamingmarv
    Chris, Next time your in NYC area come out & ride with the Long Island Bike Club, I've got an extra bike: http://licycling.ning.com
  • Let me know if you ever find a place like this in the price range you're talking about. Most "concierge" style, luxury hotels are way more expensive. Of course, they don't offer your virtually "human-less" experience. For me, when I go to hotels, etc. I like the experience of being catered to , deferred to or whatever you want to call it when a human being looks after my needs. That's just me.
  • I don't travel as much now as I used to, but when I did I found there wasn't really much compelling to staying in a "luxury" hotel. At the end of the day, it was still a hotel. I tended to prefer the hotels where I got more personalized service. Where the third time I showed up the staff knew my name, room preference, check-out preference.

    The items that you mention are what I would call "luxuries" because they help tailor the experience to your needs/wants. I think the suggestions to partner with a book retailer or B-cycle are good, because a hotel should think to outsource for items they can't provide themselves. If you're a hotel, you don't need to profit off the service itself, because hopefully you profit by bringing more people to the hotel because the service is offered.

    Happy travels, Chris!
  • RunIntoShape
    Very interesting. And we the things that we are currently doing with memberships at grocery stores, and upper end hotel chains, the technology is already there...
  • RebeccaLSelf
    Oh this is genius (from perspective of a fellow traveler, business & pleasure). As a person who consults with multinationals on things like cust. service I wonder how to sell this: What would have hotel chains go for it? Do they need to? I think it could be sold simultaneously as a way to make customers and next gen employees happier and more engaged. Everybody wins. In the end, though, for me it's still the basics that get me every time: CLEAN (why is this so difficult?) and good food delivered to my room at a reasonable price. Most are still working on these.
  • kate
    Great ideas! Traveling is difficult and having to not explain yourself every time you go to a new place would be fantastic. Not to mention increase brand loyalty!
    Like most things, the idea may be simple, but the implementation is EXPENSIVE and complicated. Additionally the hospitality industry has taken a huge hit in the last year with the economic downturn. While the economy is looking up, the recovery period for hospitality lags (until companies start traveling again!). Encourage your business colleges to meet face to face and hold meetings in person in hotels and I bet you will see some of these changes become reality sooner than later!
  • Great Concepts for Hospitality Industry. Imagine... Hotels on Whuffie!
  • Chris - good "wants" list. Isn't it interesting that you began you article based on "I love good hotels, but I compete on price..."

    I think there are some realistic points made, but the laundry list of wants, actually costs real money to acquire and administer. The next time a client or potential client comes to you with a laundry list of wants, and then their primary want is low cost, what will be your response?
  • Scott,

    While these are tough times and the hospitality industry is suffering from low traffic, you have to be ready to prepare yourself for the uptick in the market. You compete on price because you are not differentiated, not the other way round. I always stay at Starwoods, because of their strong reward program and they "know" me. The cost of acquiring a new customer is 10 times that of retaining an existing customer.

    What Chris talks about here will be the next stream of revenue for the hospitality industry

    http://unscramblesm.blogspot.com/
  • "What Chris talks about there will be the next stream of revenue for
    the hospitality industry"

    Agreed. This type of customisation provides a far more memorable
    customer experience. The future.
  • Chris,

    Some great ideas here. Regarding the implementation, the hotels can start by focusing on their loyalty program members who feed in all their "preferences" to their profile.
    This can be a great way for tapping into the pool of business travelers who stay at hotels every week Mon-Fri.
    Some more things that I would like to add to the list
    - Ability to TIVO some of my favorite shows so that I can watch what I missed when I was at work or a client dinner
    - Based on my job profile and history of past events attended, ability to see the current business and social events happening in the city
    - Suggestions on how I can make my stay "more green". Make only one set of towels available in the bathroom while storing more towels (as needed) in the closet. Not changing my bed linen everyday

    http://unscramblesm.blogspot.com/
  • TomORourke
    Really great ideas here Chris. The idea of logging into a profile system to express interests as well as getting your room set up to meet your needs. I don't think this is asking for too much and my question is "Why can't the hotel web site allow you do all of the above". Too many hotel sites are designed to push information at the guest and not let the guest interact more. A large amount of hotel sites use a standard navigation structure that includes About Us, Services, Accomodations, Meetings, Weddings, Map and Directions. The only level of interaction is if you like the photos you can make an online reservation. The net effect is people end up leaving the hotel property website and going to review sites, get the real scoop and then make a purchasing decision. What if hotels designed more of a user generated content site. This site would let you log into M hotel create a profile, virtually speak to housekeeping and make sure all your needs are met. You would then speak to the e concierge who would arrange the assistant and organize the bike. All this activity would be a series of comments and now you would hopefully feel more comfortable using the hotel site as an interactive tool and not spend as much time on third party review sites.

    Again, great information Chris. Hope to see you at The Inbound marketing summit in Boston...
  • satch
    You're right ... some of this (especially profiling / room config) IS easy ... it's also expensive. This has actually been proto-typed out for HITEC a few years ago (I should know, I did the work!) and worked quite well running an Opera demo PMS instance with a company that slips my mind at the moment .. specialized in home automation systems. Worked great, grabbed the room number and gues ID from check-in, pulled the configuration settings from guest profile information and blam-oh ... shades went to half mast, thermostate set, radio configured, etc. ...

    BUT ... to outfit 400 room resort or even 4000 room strip property would've been a bajillion dollars and a hell of a network infrastructure project. Admitedly, network options have improved markedly since then and things like ZigBee and others might make life a bit easier, but still a hell of an expense ... for which I can probably NOT charge any more ... maybe uptick in repeat customers though, I'll give you that.
  • Great stuff Chris!

    I've been talking to people in the Irish Hospitality industry recently about what they can do to actually do things differently to create a more compelling experience. As you say, hotels are pretty-much a commodity for most travelers, frequent or not. Everyone has a few things that they care about, and the rest they probably are too busy to use anyway.

    None of the conversations had ventured into the exact territory you mentioned, but I was trying to pull ideas together based around the type of traveler.

    Can I use some of your ideas when I'm talking to people?

    Cheers,

    ast
  • shawnseipler
    How about every time you stay at a hotel you actually help save a child's life?

    www.cleantheworld.org

    No, this is not a joke. Click on the sun.

    Then tell your local hotel to get in touch and we will sign them up.

    What do you think Chris?
  • chrisjohnson
    I wish for this level of service and while I think to some degree its pie in the sky it is changing. I am looking to stay at aLoft in Ontario California in two weeks and it is pretty slick and definitely at budget prices being around 125/daily. http://aloft.starwood.com.
  • As always thought-provoking Chris. Actually, as for the books I'm thinking The Digital Handshake might be just the thing. I mean, if you're having trouble falling asleep, that one is guaranteed to do the trick. :)
  • Juliesquires
    Chris,

    Are you looking - in part - for something like www.rentwiki.com, only for hotels?
  • matthewwheeler
    I spent the last 5 years working with hoteliers. Change is not their favorite thing, expensive change less so, and expensive change that doesn't show an ROI is very unpopular.

    That said, I think you're right on every count - but we're still explaining VPNs to most, so I wouldn't expect those amenities to happen naturally in less than 8 years.
    Always interested in others' wants, especially yours next time you're in Boise - matt#@#guestnetworks.com
  • CallKathy
    I would love to see more hotels go in the direction of "personal interests" for frequent stayers.

    For example: I regularly ask for non-feather pillows when I make a reservation. The request is seldom passed to the front desk. Doesn't matter what level of hotel. Doesn't matter where I am staying. The default now is feather pillows and a feather comforter. Ask to have something else when registering and you will just have to ask again when you get to the room.

    It used to be the same for non-smoking rooms. Customers pushed back on that, but it took law changes to make it happen. As Jaimie says, it seems that the hotel industry just doesn't want to look at the individuals - they want what ever makes it easy for them.
  • I used to work for a software house that specialised in software for accommodation providers and the tourist industry. I soon discovered that there was a common trait amongst a great deal of clients, they either had little time to invest in progressive measures or it was impossible to break the committee of decision makers to adopt advances in business through using technology.
    The heart of any well thought out information system is to set a standard. The travel industry has adopted the Open Travel Alliance standards but its huge and because of its complexity has been interpreted badly by so many businesses who haven't taken the time to implement it properly - and that's maybe where it's fault lies.
    These companies have to break down their walls a little bit and make way for integration and synergy. There's no reason why on checking your bags in at the airport you couldn't secure your transfer at the other end an notify your hotel that you're on your way to make sure your room is ready for when you arrive. And what't the cost to them?
    I could go on but someone has to take the Apple/Virgin approach and go out on a limb and break this 100 year old mould.
  • I don't travel nearly as much as you do, but if the experience was the way you described I'd be looking for more reasons to travel.

    These are big ideas that the Hotel industry could never wrap their head around. Although everything you've described is rather simple for them to implement it's hard to get them to think differently about what they do.

    In their minds they are providing a place to stay.
  • I think this sounds great in a perfect world but you sound like you are a NICE customer. I think lots of business travelers are complete narks (have you read Skytrax lately?) and they would want EVERYTHING but be prepared to pay very little for it. So very impractical. And what if practically speaking they can't offer you everything you want? You could end up being very disgruntled. By not offering it they're not letting you down.

    (devil's advocate)
  • kat
    -slippers
    -pipe
    -whiskey
  • gerardmclean
    Chris, if it is so easy, just build the system and people who "allow Priceline to find me a deal... [and] compete on price" will flock to it. Eventually, you will have the expense of servers and irritated "customers" who will not want to pay anything for the service, believing falsely that is should be built somehow into the expensive room fees. Oh, and if you change your mind at the last minute, you should expect that the hotel will cancel your room and you owe them nothing, even though now they have a room that will remain empty. Everyone wants the Ritz experience for .27/night, less on Priceline (unlike you, I have not taken a "no sarcasm" pledge :-) )

    When you start out a post with "I compete on price," you immediately lose the hotel industry attention. Even if a system like this were to attract new customers, they would be customers who will continue to push the price of hotel stay downward. What hotel would want that? Most of these guys are already running on razor-thin margins.

    I like interacting with the hotel staff. I fake difficulty with automated technology everywhere when I travel (except gas stations) because people who feel like they are helping you are mostly genuinely nice. They share things with you because for that few minutes, no matter how smart you are, they are the smarter one. I don't like to wait to check in, but I wouldn't give it up if it meant swiping my own card to check in. More people, less automation.

    BTW, Marriott already has something like this by default. When I stay at any Marriott property that is not a full service or signature property, I know I will get a large desk, lots of outlets, Internet, a chair that fits under the desk and in-room coffee. I just don't bother booking anywhere else unless I have no choice (i.e., client pays by giving you a comp room) And, if you interact with the cleaning staff, you can get handfuls of those coffee bags so you never run out.
  • Chris, if you ever go into the hotel biz, let us know--this place sounds awesome :-)
  • Great post Chris. As it happens, my company has been working for two years on an online service called LetMeGo.com that allows you to create a traveler's profile that includes your preferences; then, each time you travel, hotels that fit your criteria can bid for your stay. Only hotels that can give you what your looking for will be allowed to submit, and unlike Priceline, we'll let travellers see the details of the bid *before* you book it.

    We will be launching LetMeGo.com soon. If you or any other reader of your blog is interested in beta testing our service,  I can get you an access code. Just email me at alex [at] torrenegra [dot] com.

    By the way, your blog post shares concepts with the "Cluetrain Manifesto"  ( http://cluetrain.com/ ) and Harvard's VRM Project ( http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/projectvrm/Main_Page ).
  • Chris, you nailed the issue - it is VALUE. Right now, you see value by getting a four-star hotel room for a 2+ star price on priceline because you are not brand loyal. No hotel group has yet earned your loyalty.

    There are hundreds of hotels throughout the world that can satisfy a majority of your requirements (albeit without an automated profile, but if you send them an e-mail, they will handle it "old-school" and get it done manually without question. The fundamental challenge is being able to match your desired price range - I doubt many could.

    The challenge for the hotels is that you are now accustomed to paying a rate that is deeply discounted for distressed inventory. The services you seek requires a rate premium that exceeds the normal average daily rate for the hotel due to the high degree of personalization required - that is sadly going to push the cost above your $129-199 target range in most major cities.

    The key question is, how much is that degree of personalization worth to you in terms of a price premium before the value is eroded to a point where you decide a commodity product through priceline provides better value?

    Also, if you require late check-out, are you willing to accept late check-in as well, or do you require an early arrival / late departure pattern? That is a big cost issue for the hotel as it impacts room utilization and drives housekeeping labor cost.

    These are some of the questions the hoteliers face. When most do the research, they find that operating margins are not adequate for providing highly customized services at moderate price levels.

    The challenge is typically compounded by the need for front-loaded capital expenditures to support the higher level of service and product delivery. Hotel CapEx is normally prioritized by life safety / regulatory mandates, followed by cost reduction initiatives, then revenue / margin enhancement projects and finally, incremental guest satisfaction programs.

    The bankers and insurance companies that own hotels often look at the bottom line first instead of the guest, which is clearly the wrong approach, but it is what they know and they perceive less risk by taking that approach. The brands and management companies that operate the hotel normally must rely on the hotel owners to provide the funding and endure the risk for such initiatives.

    I am actually not disagreeing with you - it should work the way you describe. It's just the current of the hospitality industry creates structural challenges.

    The value of a highly actionable guest profile is priceless. Not only can it substantially increase guest satisfaction, it can be used to dramatically enhance the value of the hotel services provided during the stay. Additionally, it can also be effectively applied to the inspiration, research, planning and booking phases of the travel process along with appropriate hard, soft & collaborative filtering techniques to provide highly customized recommendations for destinations, hotel properties and activities.

    I predict that there will be some revolutionary changes impacting both online travel and hotel service delivery. Guest needs are clearly defined, technologies are largely available to support those needs. Now all that is required is industry leadership driving innovative design and clever operational processes to deliver the services.

    My bet is a 10-15 year time horizon - I hope you will be available to provide your perspective as consumer needs continue to evolve over that period. We need more influential people calling for change. Nothing gets a good hotelier's attention like a clearly defined guest need; then we will just need some insightful players to embrace the vision and fund the projects.
  • Nice ones....I do agree with you and I guess that sooner or later indipendent and smart hoteliers reach this point.
    I will ask to our manager to buy 10 bikes and to leave them for our guests. Barcelona ain't that bad on 2 wheels.
  • Hey Chris, just came across a service that looks like it aims to serve the über traveller/workshifter. http://www.zerobaggage.com/index.html

    From watching half the video, which I found a bit tedious, and reading the entire overview, which was sufficiently light and clear to keep my attention, it looks like they aim to create a network of travel stuff that you can tap into, rather than travelling w/gear, or contribute to, at a preferred rate.

    Kind of like spies who leave passports, cash and undies in different safe-houses, minus the passports and cash.
  • Airlines could easily pick up on some of this (This could apply in many places (as you know)). When I fly do I want wifi, do I want business class, do I like isle or window, do I drink, do I like a pillow/blanket, what type of meal do I usually order, etc...

    A lot of this could be gathered online over time and then they'd have to employ a bit more customer services as passengers boarded the plane to make it happen. They'd have to figure out how to make it quick so that the flight times stayed on track.

    Lot's of opportunity to make flying a bit more pleasant.

    http://twitter.com/franswaa
  • tegbrar
    Chris great post, very thought provoking and forward thinking for the hospitality industry. Guest preferences are key to providing exceptional experiences in the hospitality industry and hotels can do so much more with technology in this area. Having said that, our industry is not the best known for embracing innovation, unless forced to do so. I am happy that you are bringing this discussion to the forefront.
    Teg Brar
  • Finding a good hotel at a competitive price is difficult in the UK. Good hotels charge over the top prices, and the less you pay, the more you regret not paying more. It's a viscious cycle!
  • Great post, Chris.Very thought provoking.Thanks for sharing.
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