Recently I was on an inspection with a client to prepare a high level incentive. Not a tedious task, but that aside. The final incentive group would stay in a very luxury segment hotel chain. Apple pie you might think, but surprisingly (unnecessary) bumps arose that adversely affected the customer experience. So how do you achieve magic and not magic with the customer who ultimately has to make contractual choices?
Highly anticipated
The purpose of an inspection is to leave nothing to chance, to carefully and thoroughly reconsider all choices, and to avoid surprises. For the record, one hotel night at this hotel approximates quite nicely the amount of an average home monthly mortgage charge. So expectations were high. In this chic hotel, we ordered an egg during at the 100% organic and organic breakfast buffet. Because an egg is part of the game. This egg had to come from the kitchen, because in this segment of hotel, a queue at an egg station is not done. The breakfast price at this hotel was commensurate with the room rate. Pitty priced, in other words. After a few minutes, the egg was served accompanied by a neat leather folder. As surprised as I was curious, I looked at the contents; a supplement bill of €25 per egg. The egg ordered did not appear to be part of the standard breakfast buffet. Without letting the customer know, a small voice haunted my head ‘surely I’m not on board with Ryanair here, god forbid, but in one of the fanciest hotels in the world’. My client and I were – not amused – on our guard. Armed with our guest experience from breakfast, we entered the conversation with the hotel’s event manager. Bummer number 2 was in our pocket in no time due to the famous reply ‘this is simply the policy at our hotel chain’ followed by ‘and with that you have to make do’ . As if I heard the driving judge speak
Egg-gate
My client was about to sign a gigantic contract which may have tended to break down not on a few hundred euros extra cost of eggs (what are we talking about ?), but on the whole approach of the hotel management. Surely the art of top hospitality is precisely that each individual guest feels heard, acknowledged and therefore happy? That’s the whole eating eggs thing wouldn’t you literally think? In the end, after two days! of negotiating through headquarters, the egg-gate was exceptionally resolved because neither the GM nor the event manager wanted to make an exception. So the hotel chose eggs for its money. Long live inspections. The guests ended up not noticing but fill in how the inspection partner experienced this. During the performance, I could not resist recommending to all guests especially an egg from the kitchen which was eagerly used.
Disney
How different a procurement process went a few events later at Disneyland. Despite the fact that Paris and hospitality is unfortunately not always an obvious combination, they do know how to hit the right chord at Disneyland Paris. Every guest or customer is seen as an individual here and is treated with royal respect. And a big smile is a gift. Disney’s guiding principle is to make each individual guest feel special and heard. The Happiness factor doesn’t just drip off the staff, they convey it to the guest in every facet and detail. Just top level hospitality. ‘Eggs right’ when working with guests you might think. The fact that the price for this is subsequently paid seems to be of minor importance. There is a reason why Disney is all about magic!
