Five Diamonds

In case you're keeping score...AAA recently released it's diamond award winners. By my count, 87 hotels received five diamonds. Here's a quick breakdown:

33 Indie's
54 Chain properties

Of the 54 chains,

23 Ritz Carlton
18 Four Seasons
3 Penninsula
3 Mandarin Oriental
2 Fairmont
2 St. Regis
1 Raffles
1 Omni
1 Pan Pacific

It's interesting that AAA consistently rewards the chains more than indie's (see last month's Star breakdown). It's also interesting that, according to insiders, the Mobil stars are more difficult to earn than the AAA diamonds. That might explain why you'll find a number of properties with a higher diamond rating than star.

AAA, can you say marketing games?

That's not taking anything away from these hotels...they're all fine properties.

Return On People

Thanks Seth for jump starting my brain…again. Here’s a link to the post that did it.

I’ll begin with the point…no amount of over the top design will overcome the shortcomings of people. And, on the flip side, if you load-up a modest hotel property with extraordinary talent, lots of good things are likely to happen.

Think of your fondest hotel memories. Chances are they exist because someone made you feel special and cared for…not because the restaurant used Spiegelau stemware, the bell staff wore $1,000 uniforms or the pool was equipped with an underwater sound system. Those things didn’t hurt the cause. But, they didn’t ensure victory either.

Lesson 1: Be sure to spend as much money as possible on people. It’s the first clear sign that you care. And, it has the greatest return over time.

Lesson 2 (when developing a new hotel): If you’re going to make cuts, do it on the front-end, so you can spend more where and when it matters most…on your employees, once you get going.

Here’s an example. The Inn on Biltmore Estate opened and immediately ran some the highest service scores (consistently 96% or better) ever measured for an opening property (by an independent evaluation company whose other clients included Ritz, Kempinski, etc.). That went on for quite a while (probably still is). Like with any new project, our team was faced with some serious financial decisions both during development and pre-opening. In essence, we didn’t get everything we wanted. We had to sacrifice some of the bells and whistles in order to get the doors open…things some of us thought would put as at a disadvantage, and maybe even risk failure. The lesson I learned is that those “things” can be replaced and the associated obstacles overcome with something better, a more effective weapon…great people. Whether it was luck, smarts, or a little bit of both, we achieved those guest accolades and their respective high marks by caring for them…in a very special way. Landscaping, fine china and an abundance of computers didn’t accomplish that. People did.

Maybe we shouldn’t measure ROI, instead ROP.

Carnival of the Capitalists Goes Back to College!

Years ago (really not that far back), if you wanted a great hotel experience, there were very few places to choose from…places like The Sagamore, The Breakers, Arizona Biltmore, St. Francis, Coronado, The Plaza or perhaps The Greenbrier. On the other end of the price spectrum, the anchor was Holiday Inn. And, there wasn’t much in between.

Along the way, came brands based on value and consistency. For the most part, it was an average experience. But, it was a low risk investment on the part of the guest and they filled a void quite nicely.

Now, there are literally thousands of properties in hundreds of niches. If you want cheap, there’s a couple on every city block. If you want hip, boutique, or to swim with Dolphins, there’s more than one to choose from. Just go to Las Vegas or Dubai if you don’t think there’s something for everyone.

The problem with all this variety is that it’s extremely difficult to get noticed. Having “spacious accommodations”, “fantastic views”, the “best price”, “fine dining” or “personalized service” isn’t good enough anymore. Just about everyone has those things…or at least they claim to. Now, the only way to cut through the noise is to be different. Not gimmicky, but genuinely different...heart, soul and passion different. Gimmicks are short-lived. And, while they might grab someone’s attention for an instant, it’s not long before they figure out the trickery and that you’re a phony. Being different is about finding a new way to generate intrigue without being obvious about it.

Once you have attention, of course, you need to keep it. There’s only one way to do that…be exceptional and create memories. Be exceptional by showing your passion and enthusiasm for what you do…in everything you do. Be exceptional by having a great story to tell…one with meaning.

So, ask yourself questions like these…what are we prepared to do to get attention, and to keep it? How are we different? And, what can we be the best at?

The pressure’s on because being big, fancy or cheap isn’t good enough anymore.

Four Seasons Style

One of the few "chains" (very few) that I would buy stock in is Four Seasons. They are by far the most consistent in delivering a remarkable service experience. Here's an account of a recent visit by Tom Peters...

Anyway, Susan was desperate to see last night's West Wing, which of course was pre-empted by the dinner. On a lark, about 15 minutes before we went out, she called the Concierge and asked if by any odd chance they could tape the show for her/us.

"Naturally," they said, "No problem."

Upshot. Great dinner. Returned to the hotel at 10pm. Our VCR was set up with the show tape in it, and a little Post-it note saying, "Happy Birthday, push Start." (There was also a plate of treats next to the note.)

Ye gads ...

A nice example of improvisation and adaptability...something FS does well, day in and day out. If there were a BCS in the hotel rankings game, they would be in the hunt for the national title every year.

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Down Time

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Most people, when they get a day or two off (especially in our business), just "veg". They read a novel, ride a bike or watch a ball game. Down time is considered private time and an opportunity to re-energize.

Other people, like my friends at Ideas In Food, spend off-time getting better. They take the time between games to practice and to work on new things. They invest so called "private time" to keep the game interesting and to stay ahead of others. They're relentless in their pursuit of excellence with set-backs viewed not as "bad" things, but as opportunities...to get better. And, none of this tireless effort is considered "work"...because they really love what they do. This is what it takes to be remarkable.

Finding people like this isn't a cinch by any means. But, if you're lucky enough to get them on the bus, do what you can to keep them there. And, yes, get the heck out of the way.

This is what happened on today's "day-off". I wish I could do that!

Bayscallopcidergreenoliveoreganoespelett


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Podsnapper

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If you're interested in building your business or your own micro brand, you should think about podcasting.

And, if you're thinking about podcasting you should download this free guide Michael Pollock recently released. It's a perfect introduction for anyone considering this relatively new way to converse with your customers, friends, family, etc. It certainly gave me some ideas.

Here's the link to the download:

Podsnapper

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Mobil Stars

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Well, it's that time of year again...ratings season. Mobil just released their four and five star assignments. You can read the entire list here. Here's a scorecard...

Five Star- 32 total

Indie's 15
Four Seasons 8
Ritz 5
Penninsula 2
Raffles 1
St. Regis 1

Four Star- 119 total

Indie's 64
Ritz 23
Four Seasons 15
Mandarin 5
St. Regis 4
Park Hyatt 3
Others 5

Overall, the indie's claimed 52% of the ratings...that's very impressive. The big franchise winner is Ritz at 39% of chain rated hotels. Although, if you're aiming for five star and are in love with chains, go with Four Seasons who earned almost half (47%) of the five star ratings for chain properties.

All in all, independents remain at the top. I dont think that's going to change. What say you?

What Are We Selling and Who's Buying?

Six_market_profiles20002010_stats

Saw these slides in a recent Tom Peters' presentation given to eCustomerServiceWorld in Orlando (complete presentation available here). While there were many notable points, these were rather "in your face". The first inends to point out that we're no longer marketing things, places, etc. We're selling experiences! The second points us to a somewhat eye-opening fact...that the customer majority is not gen x, it's boomers...baby!

If you're not reading Tom's blog...shame on you, you should be. It's loaded with lot's of morsels like these. If for no other reason, the guy's like a walking library of facts, quotes and inspiring speeches.

Check him out.

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Improvisation

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Aircraft_accident


As pilots we're taught the mechanics of flight to ensure we get up in the air and back down again safely and enjoyably. Once we have that figured out, the real teaching begins. That's when we learn to improvise and adapt. Because, much like in ordinary life, not much goes according to plan. We're asked to perform with the expecation that the s**t "will" hit the fan. The instructor's mission is to determine...How you will react? How you will adapt? What happens when one wheel doesn't come down, when the fuel gauge was stuck on the wrong indication (and you're sucking air), when you lose all electrical power (at night) or worse, a T-38 shears off the nose of your airplane at 5,000 feet (true story, I know a guy that happened to)? Great pilots are the ones who get to tell us these stories. The rest...I'll give you one guess. In aviation, this is where the men are separated from the boys (or, women from girls, whatever, you get my point).

Now, while it's not a matter of life and death in the world customer care (except for that one guy that threw a stapler at me when I was a desk clerk), the rules are the same. Anyone can be nice and offer smiles, hugs and kisses when the waters are calm. But, what about when it's choppy or there's a tidal wave? When there's no time to analyze, no time to think...just to do.

Better have the people with the "right stuff" on the line...because things almost never go to plan.

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Creativity Leads To Remarkability

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Want a creative work environment?

Try this...

First, hire smart, passionate, caring and honest people

Then,

Allow them to “act” and “express” themselves
Have Less rules
Have Less structure
Preach Adaptive
Train them to Improvise
Give people Freedom to “play”

In other words, Get Out of The Way!

Tom Peters and Marriott

Tom Peters recently gave a talk to Marriott International. You can download the slides here.

If you follow Tom at all, you know the common rants (and they’re all spot on):

Emotional Experience
Commodities are dead
Be different
Be the brand
Personal service
Adaptive
Improvisation
Creative design
Women are the #1 marketing opportunity

One of my favorite slides…”How many of you really crave a new Chevy?”

So, at the conclusion of the speech, I wonder how many in the audience asked themselves “how in the hell are we going to do any of this?”

I know I did…back in 1994 when I was in his audience (worked for a small chain called Wyndham. You may have heard of them).

I don’t particularly crave a Chevy…or to stay in a Marriott.

But, that’s just me.

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Wiggly Kidz

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Royal

If you're looking for a way to make your little guests happy, try this...Wiggly Kidz

Steve Riskas, founder of Wiggly Kidz, recently sent me a few activity bags to try-out on my own kids. They passed with flying colors.

In brief, this is a great product... and in keeping with the company's mission to foster child development through imagination and creativity. All of the contents are safety oriented, colorful and full of things to put together, glue, color, etc. There's quite a variety to choose from. And, for the price it's a perfect giveaway for your rugrat arrivals. We particularly enjoyed the King's and Queen's bag.

Children's feelings and impressions are often the most important, especially on the road. Cranky kids can ruin an entire trip. On the flipside, entertained and happy ones can make an otherwise mediocre stay very memorable. This is a smart buy when you consider what's at stake.

The Everlasting Last Memory

Jackie writes an excellent post over at Church of The Customer about the importance of "the last 5 minutes" with a customer. Again, she uses a hotel example. And, again, it's about those pesky internet service charges. Will the controversy ever end? (My feelings on that previously posted here).

Back to the point of her story. Make the last five minutes with your guest count because it's likely to be what they remember the most. Yep, like just about everything in life, it's what have you done for me lately that really counts. Our brains just work that way. So, to Jackie's point, make those final plays memorable...in a good way.

Don't drive the ball the length of the field in the last minute of the game, get ready to make the winning play...and then fumble the ball away as the clock shows zero. It takes a really long time for us to forget when our team does that.

Pardon the gridiron analogy. But, it's football season.

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The F Word

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Focus

My new friend, “Dr. A” (Dr. Mario Arnaldo, Hawaii Pacific University) recently reminded me of an important part of the remarkable service puzzle…Focus.

In sports, it’s called “being in the zone”. Once in this state, there’s no longer a quest to be the best…there’s an obsession. And, with that obsession comes a focus so sharp that nothing is allowed to get in the way of achieving the goal. Every conceivable distraction is tuned-out in order to give full attention to the task at hand…winning.

Another example…

I just watched The Aviator (starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes). The film depicts Hughes (quite accurately according to most accounts) as an ego eccentric maniac in a constant search (and struggle) to be the best aviator in the world. His passion, obsession and focus on flying enabled him to achieve exactly that…for a time anyway.

The same principle can be applied to service performance. Without obsession, passion and focus, we can only hope to be mediocre. So, as a leader, here’s your most important job. First, find the most passionate people you can afford. Then, give them the stage (tools and training). And finally, keep them focused. The best thing you can do is to minimize or eliminate distractions (get rid of stifling rules and regulations, get non-passionate people out of the way, provide “failure support”, etc.). Do these things well, and the rest takes care of itself. Oh, and don’t forget to get out of the way.