Choosing Our Words Wisely

Words, words, words. To meet the fast-paced search for hotels, hoteliers often focus on keywords to describe their properties and operations. They want guests to be informed! When prospective guests search the web, they look for a hotel that matches their tastes. The goal of hoteliers and their marketing teams is to align those tastes through words and imagery. This isn’t a new concept, of course. But what I’d like to do is focus on the words "sustainability" and "luxury."

Most hotels aim to be as sustainable as possible, ultimately signalling their commitment to improvement. I won’t delve into greenwashing, which certainly exists. My focus is on the word itself. Is its meaning diminished by overuse? Surely guests expect that you are doing everything possible to do the right thing. After all, it’s not cool to be unsustainable, right? I’m not diminishing the efforts of hotels whose ethos is sustainability...responsibility; rather, I question the word's impact because of overuse. At this year's Internova Plus travel conference in Miami, travel advisors and Destination Management Companies said they are tired of the word; it has lost its meaning. This feedback comes from the travel industry. In my other company Exclusively Malta, we have a sustainable practice that is tied to cultural preservation. We practice sustainability but it’s called something very specific. Is this a case of "do more, say the word less"...or differently??

Regarding the word "luxury," let's consider Xotels' definition of a luxury hotel:

“A Luxury Hotel is considered a hotel that provides a luxurious accommodation experience to the guest. There are no set standards (such as stars) for luxury hotels. Often, 4 or 5-star hotels describe themselves as ‘luxury.’ This means that any type of accommodation can use the term ‘luxury,’ including boutique hotels, resorts, and B&Bs.”

Ask 50 different people of varying socioeconomic statuses what luxury means to them, and you’ll likely hear several different answers. Yes, it depends. Novices in the industry who overuse the word "luxury" in their marketing, and there are more than a handful, do so in a way that it loses its charm. Luxury is what your target guest persona perceives it to be. It all starts with that guest persona, and then you build the storyline of luxury around that.

Here’s a great example of a hotel that does not plaster the word "luxury" across its website but rather uses words that imply luxury. The Connaught Hotel in London, one of my favourites, uses the word "Luxury" in its Google listing for SEO purposes; they are calling themselves out to those who prefer some type of luxury stay. Once you arrive at its website, you see "luxury" replaced by imagery and words such as private, world-class, award-winning, (re)defined, peace of mind, and destination. The Connaught understands their target guest persona. Should they have used the word "luxury" three times more on their website, they might actually attract guests who don't align with their brand. It could very well be a guest who prefers conspicuous luxury over the more understated luxury that the Connaught evokes.

How can we be more specific if we’re going to use a word to try to describe a type of luxury? Here’s a quote from Sam Nazarian, who has championed “lifestyle hotels”:

“...definitions of luxury are changing as travellers demand authenticity more than white-glove service. They want a little more personality in the brand. They want a little more courage in the design, but still to feel that they're getting the best.”

It might take some time for people to understand what a lifestyle hotel is, but it is potentially easier to understand than what a “luxury” hotel is.?

Words can be powerful touchpoints, but they are often best conveyed through intended, emotion-provoking touchpoints that connect with guests on a subconscious and conscious level. We can do better by not having to rely on just words.?

What’s your take?

Damon

The Connaught XOTELS - Revenue Management Consulting Sam Nazarian Exclusively Malta