What Gives a Hotel it's Soul?

I've been thinking a lot lately about hotel design and operational strategies as we have started a new phase with our family owned hotel The Sun & Ski Inn and Suites. How do we continue to stay ahead of customer expectations and set our hotel apart from the rest??

According to a recent article from the Telegraph "How American hotels are failing their customers and why Europe has got it right", we are not doing that great of a job of this here in the United States. The article sites reasons including low service levels, hyped design features, cookie cutter experiences and the over-use of tech to name a few. Driven by the abundance of branded hotels in the country and the focus of owners and shareholders on maximizing the asset's bottom-line. The result...hotels without soul.?

There's nothing wrong with driving the bottom line. I'm also a firm believer that staffing shortages are not going away and that strategic choices must be made to ensure a great level of customer service on a lean staffing structure. Creating soul in a hotel is dependent upon creative and targeted efforts driven by people and connection.?

Creating soul in a hotel is dependent upon creative and targeted efforts driven by people and connection.

On a recent visit to our hotel, I saw a great example of this developed by our operations team. Every year we have three Christmas trees lit up at our front entrance. This year, the trees got some extra flair when our front desk team decorated the trees with their own theme. One team member chose a dog theme as a dog lover herself and to welcome our four legged guests.???

There are many examples of how soul can be created without jumping on the cliche hip hotel design trends or spending a lot of money. Incorporate unique amenities?during hotel development, use local ingredients and products, create partnerships with other local businesses and organizations, and develop unique programs. And most importantly, take?care of team members.?There is nothing more soul sucking than a disgruntled employee who can't hold a friendly conversation with guests.?

The Travel Leader Community

Looking for a supportive community of fellow travel leader peers? Join us each month during our group coaching sessions. Our next session is December 27th?at 12:00pm EST. Our theme this month is "Setting Intentions". Sign up here to get your first session complimentary.

The Travel Leader Podcast

Watch our latest episode Empathetic Grit with Vanessa Miller.?Our show is all about leadership in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries. In these authentic conversations you'll get a front row seat in how our guests make leadership their own.

I help high performing travel leaders remove obstacles, improve leadership competencies and unlock their limitless potential. Want to chat about how I can partner with you as a leader or company?

Learn more about coaching, workshops and speaking engagements.?

-Rachel Vandenberg

The Travel Leader Coach