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Our Town

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Pagosa_baloons


I had an interesting discussion with my mother the other day spurned by the recent Akron saga. One of her comments…“some towns just aren’t in to tourism”. This started me thinking…all towns have tourism, whether they like it or not. While they might not make it their focus, there isn’t any place on the planet which doesn’t see some sort of visitor traffic.

Now, they can embrace that and build upon it…or not. I’m not sure why you would choose to ignore such a vibrant and financially rewarding business. But, that’s another story for another time.

If a place plays on either end if the experience spectrum, it’s okay…as visitors we get it. If you absolutely don’t care about tourism and are focused on some other industry whether it be coal mining or whatever, it shows. When we get to your town, we understand your focus is not on us…but on whatever. And, on the other end, if you’ve created something remarkable and the vast majority of your resources are poured into a visitor’s experience that’s equally noticeable.

The problems begin when a city, town or region tries to capitalize on visitor traffic without investing in itself and creating a remarkable experience. Half baked and inconsistent products send mixed signals to the audience and hence create dissonance about the experience. Usually, this type of experience is the result of a disjointed approach to tourism with no real plan or community teamwork. We have a little bit of that going on in my town…but, it’s getting better.

links for 2005-09-29

Free Internet?

It seems that as an industry we're on the back side of the power curve...again.

I saw this recent article in USA Today about how confusing it is for our guests to determine who has internet service and more importantly what is being charged for said service. This state of affairs clearly indicates "we" are more focused on short term financial gain than what's important to our guests.

In the article, Megg comments,

I'm still befuddled why it is so difficult to just get a straight answer about the charge of high-speed Internet.

Here's my response to her

Nice article on the hotel internet price mess. I completely agree. I don’t know why this is so difficult for us as an industry. And, with internet access a way of life for the majority of travelers, I don’t know how and why we still charge for the service? We don’t charge extra for soap or shampoo…

The answer likely lies in our continued short-term financial focus vs. a more “guest centric” model. By now, WiFi should be free in every hotel. Charging for that service just makes us look foolish given the cost to provide it is almost nil and the fact that it is so widely available…for nothing. Any laggards look like poachers, or maybe worse. So much value could be added with complimentary services like this…far more than can be gained via the daily charge. Bravo to those who “get it”. Shame on those who don’t.

Let me know if you feel differently.

links for 2005-09-28

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The Perfect Sell

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I was recently asked about the “perfect sell” and how to achieve more of them. It's defined within our industry as filling every room with paying guests without relocating (walking) anyone.

Politically, the “perfect sell” has always been an issue for me. I have been in disagreement with many people about the goal of occupying every room at all costs…because it has such steep consequences. Rolling the proverbial dice and “overbooking” to ensure 100% occupancy doesn’t make sense, and here’s why:

1. ROI- If you have a solid no-show and cancellation policy, the cost is simply not worth the gain. Unless you pocket no-show money when you fill (it happens a lot), you gain virtually nothing. And even considering the extra cash, you’re almost guaranteed to create a significant amount of bad will when you relocate guests. Once betrayed, they will do you tremendous harm when they talk to their family, friends and neighbors about how lousy their trip went. The trust you worked so hard to achieve is immediately eroded. Why would you destroy one of your most valuable assets (along with permission) this way?
2. Lack of Care- It puts your staff in the unenviable position of providing poor service. They’re set-up to make someone unhappy…and to fail. Why would you do that? To make a few extra bucks? I recall having to walk people as a desk clerk…I hated it.

The cause behind this sort of “perfect sell” mentality is typically rooted deeply within the organization, usually the result of financial pressures and short-term vs. guest centric thinking. If the focus was truly on making every guest happy, this wouldn’t be an issue…not for one minute.

You can either strive for realistic goals, say 95% occupancy with everyone happy. Or, you can gamble to achieve 100% with a good chance of creating hundreds or perhaps thousands of angry customer evangelists.

Any other thoughts?

Making Noise

Justin and Ashley

According to the latest government data, those are the two most common names given to children of Hispanic parents in NY last year.

For Asian parents the story is different: name number one is Emily.

Names are a funny thing. Now, naming a company Google or Squidoo or BlueTurnip in the dot com world isn't weird... it's the equivalent of naming your kid Michael.

A recent study (sorry, I'm linkless here) by the government found that distinctly ethnic first names got fewer callbacks on otherwise identical resumes. Fair? Of course not. Not surprising, though, either.

Standing out is not the same thing as being remarkable. Standing out can just as easily get you ostracized. I don't think Purple is the same as just being different.

What Seth is talking about here is what I equate to making noise just to get attention. We do it all the time with billboards, neon signs, funky design and countless gimmicks. While it might garner a momentary turn of the head or even a try, in the end it's discarded for what it really is...average, or worse a fraud.

Please think before you shake the rattle.

Missing The Point

Okay, I just got called out for my recent Ambassador post by a proud Akron citizen who just happens to be a writer for their local paper. Well, I didn't get the brunt of it, Seth did. I just got a mention.

Now, I really don't have a problem with debate, varying perspectives or disagreements...that's what makes the world a better place. But, here's what I do have a problem with...making me complete a stupid form, chock full of personal data which leads me to a newsletter and product sign-up list just to read the article I was mentioned in. Who in the heck cares that much about reading a story? On top of that, you load me up with so much advertising when I finally do get to the article, I can barely concentrate.

Organizations like this are missing the point! Seth does a better job of explaining why...please read his post.

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Riding The Tail

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I recently received a request for some help with e-marketing and search engine optimization. Neither is my true area of focus. So, I referred the questions on to others. But, it brought to mind a fundamental thought about sales strategy and why it is we have come to rely so much on the likes of Google and Yahoo for people to find us.

In our business, there are only two basic approaches to selling. I call them remarkable…and coat tail. In a nutshell, people are staying with you either because of you…or because of something else. Unfortunately, the one used most often is the coat tail variety…mainly because of the low barriers to entry. And, while we all use some of both, you’re definitely coming into the game from one corner or the other.

Remarkable

This is the approach we should all be striving for. The experience you offer your guests is meaningful, relevant and interesting. It’s based on Design, Story and Care, and is best for you and your guest.

The advantages:

You are seen as “the best”
You are in whole or in part the “demand generator”
You are more in control of your performance and destiny
People spread the word about you
PR (editorials) comes much more easily
You don’t buy advertising
You can charge more for what you’re selling
Your experience has more to do with guest “wants” than “needs”
You don’t need to lie

The disadvantages:

It’s more expensive
It takes more patience
It requires a lot of “right brain” thinking
It requires a heavy investment in relationships

Coat Tail

This one is by far the more common variety, mainly because it’s easier and cheaper.

The advantages:

It’s easier
It costs less (you spend less on design, people and almost nothing on story)
You may see results more quickly
The “remarkable” or hard work is being done by something or someone else (theme park, national park, convention center, etc.)
You’re serving people’s needs more than wants (needs less creativity, i.e., “right brain”)

The disadvantages:

Results are likely marginal over the long-run
You’re experience becomes average
You’re more apt to “spin” your story in order to get people’s attention.
People don’t talk about you…they talk about the coat
You’re excellent franchise food (an expensive credibility stamp)
You’re forced to compete more on price
The supply/demand equation is very important (if there are less people in need, you suffer)
You’re more susceptible to the volatility of the market
You’re forced to spend money and time on the volume of your message (ads, special deals with coats, etc.) in order to get attention in a noisy market

We all ride a coat tail to some degree. But, the more we focus on becoming remarkable, the less dependant we are on the coat and the tail, i.e., the demand generators around us. And, consequently, the less we feel the effects of the various ups and downs experienced by those we rely on to provide our stream of business. In short, we are more in control of our own destiny.

So, if you’re in it for the long haul, the answer to selling more isn’t to spend more time and money increasing the volume of your message whether it be on SEO, ads or whatever. Rather, it’s more effective to invest those resources on being remarkable and the relationships necessary to spread the word. It’s tougher (mentally and fiscally) and takes longer to get a return. But, in the long run, you’re much better off and better insulated against outside threats. And, the result will be much more meaningful to your guests.

However, if you’re stuck in the coat tail doldrums with little chance of relief (usually a lack of money), get whatever help you need to move your property to the top of the search results page…and ride the coat tail as long as you can.

Cancellation Policies

There’s been quite a bit of buzz lately regarding hotel cancellation policies including this recent article.

I know (from firsthand past experience) that a number of hotels use cancellation and no show charges as revenue “builders” instead of revenue “safeguards” which is NOT in keeping with the spirit and intent of those policies. Cancellation policies are (or should be) designed to protect the hotel from losing business at the expense of customers who “change their mind”. The key words are “protect” and “losing”. These policies are not meant to be used to rack-up charges when someone has a legitimate reason for not honoring their reservation, especially when the room is going to go empty. As this article points out, think twice before you stand fast and tall on your cancellation soap box. People have too many choices to be “understanding” when we lack compassion and see things only in black and white.

links for 2005-09-19