Admirable Traits Every Hospitality Staff Should Have

The hospitality industry is one of the most demanding industry in the world. Hotel staff deals with people on holiday, on business trips, or even those who want a quick getaway from life. Regardless of their reasons, people in hospitality should be equipped to handle any situation with the utmost care and respect. Here are some admirable traits every hospitality staff should have.

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Empathy is one of the best traits one could have when working in the hospitality industry. It takes skill to listen to a complete stranger, hear what they have to say, and come up with a solution taking account their situation. Empathizing may also help diffuse possible irate responses from customers. For example, a stressed-out couple who is having problems with their reservations can be offered complimentary beverages to help them calm down.

One should also be forward-thinking when working in the industry. It is crucial that staff learn to anticipate their client’s needs. For instance, if a big family is checking in on a double room, ask if they would want extra beds arranged before they check in. Or if a couple is checking in with an infant, offer additional toddler or baby services like bottle warmers or a crib if available.

Lastly, one has to be calm and composed at all times. Chances are, not every guest checking in are of bubbly disposition. Arguing with customers will only give them leverage against the establishment. Remain calm, listen, and offer solutions as politely as possible.

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John Jefferis is an acclaimed hotelier who has 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He is the chairman and owner of Coco Reef Resorts, a high-class tourist spot located in Bermuda and Tobago. For more reads on the hospitality industry, visit this blog.

How The Hotel Industry Is Slowly Affecting The Healthcare Industry

There seems to be a growing trend in the healthcare industry. Many hospitals and healthcare facilities are adopting more strategies from the hotels and resorts. It might not come as a surprise to people who’ve already given this some thought, but for those who haven’t, they’ll realize the similarities between hotels and hospitals. After all, they’re both commercial real estate structures that provide people for a place to stay for a certain period. However, today, the similarities between both industries are getting deeper. 

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Hospital owners have adopted several important strategies from hotels. One of the most significant strategies is customer service, which is given utmost emphasis in hotels. The best hotels have employees who can communicate warmly and effectively and anticipate what their guests want. Hospitals and nursing facilities are now beginning to train nurses and staff to do the same. 

While the health of the patient is still the main priority in hospitals and healthcare facilities, there has been a growing emphasis on the experience. Hospital food is getting better. Wi-Fi connections in rooms have been set up. Even the appearances of some hospital rooms seem to be taken from hotel interior design. 

Hospital owners are keen on the fact that a hospital stay doesn’t need to be a somber experience. And they know all too well that patients already have a hard time as it is, which is why making their stay as comfortable as possible is a big deal.

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Born in Hampshire, U.K., John Jefferis is an acclaimed hotelier with 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He is the chairman and owner of Coco Reef Resorts, a high-class tourist spot located in Bermuda and Tobago. Learn more about him and his work here.

How Storytelling Can Give Hotel Sales a Boost

Storytelling has had a profound effect on humanity for thousands of years. From prehistoric cave paintings to parents reading a bedtime story to their children, storytelling has been effective in conveying anecdotes as well as one’s thoughts and feelings.

Hoteliers can also use this powerful communication tool to give their business a boost, especially in sales. Hotels and resorts can have all the competitive advantage in the world, such as excellent location, outstanding facilities and amenities, great customer service, competitive prices, among others. But if they cannot get these across to their potential and existing customers, they might find it difficult to contend against competitors.

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A solution for this is using a storytelling approach when interacting with guests, either in person or digitally.

They must make good use of all available online channels, including the website and social media pages. By posting authentic content in an engaging manner, it becomes easier to market the hotel and resort as potential clients get a clearer picture of what awaits them should they decide to book or visit the place.

Storytelling can also be instrumental in providing guests a memorable stay. By teaching employees how to interact with and what to say to guests or using audio-visual designs or triggers to share what sets the hotel – its features, location, and the experience it provides – apart, guests are more likely to become repeat customers.

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John Jefferis is renowned for his hands-on approach in managing his hospitality businesses. He has been in the industry for more than four decades now, already recognized as one of the most successful hoteliers in the world. Read more insights on hotel management here.

Edible Resorts: A New Tasty Trend In The Hospitality Industry

In choosing a hotel or accommodation, consumers consider many factors. The most common are the location, price, and their or others’ previous experiences with the hotel. But the demographics of travelers is continually evolving, and so are their preferences in choosing which hotel to stay in.

Now, travelers are looking for places where they can have new experiences; some examples are culture and cuisine.

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This is why travelers have hotels that offer farm-to-table and ocean-to-plate dining high on their list. Not only do they enjoy the place, they get to try local produce and food choices. What hotels and resorts typically do is work with local partners, harvesting and bringing in their crops to either use as ingredients or market to customers.

But this has leveled up in recent years. Instead of sourcing produce from outside, some hotels and resorts grow their own plants – giving rise to edible resorts.

In Cikat, Croatia, the Bellevue Hotel has transformed their once-vacant and redundant roof spaces into attractive and useful fragrant herb gardens. As soon as the guests wake up, they can watch the kitchen staff harvest the herbs, which are then used in the restaurant.

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In the Kittitian Hills in St. Kitts, they added organic plant nurseries and arable landscapes around their golf course, where goats are also free to roam around and graze. The produce are brought to the restaurant, sold at the farm, or given to those in need within their community.

For more interesting reads about the hotel industry, visit this John Jefferis blog.

REPOST: To Attract Millennials, Hospitality Marketing Turns to Content

Many of the world's leading hotel brands have beefed up the use of content to integrate multiple marketing components to attract more millennials, the fastest-growing customer segment within the hospitality industry. Know more about this story by reading the article below:

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Hospitality marketing is shifting toward content to lure guests to hotels, particularly the younger, digitally savvy crowd.

According to Skift, hotel brands are pumping more dollars into their content marketing budgets. The most innovative brands are developing sophisticated online content marketing campaigns that sell not just the hotel, but the whole destination experience. In this new wave of marketing, a hotel is just one character in the story of a traveler’s journey.

Brands are betting this approach will appeal to millennials, the fastest-growing customer segment within the hospitality industry, who are willing to pay more for a better experience. To stand out from competitors, hospitality brands need content that can “entertain, enlighten, inspire and/or educate in some way,” Skift reports.

The Rise of Content

The hospitality industry’s shift toward content reflects an overall trend of growth in content marketing. These days, content is the “atomic particle” of all marketing, including paid, owned and earned channels, Altimeter reports. No longer is content just a company blog or newsletter; rather, content comprises the multiple forms of media that fuel social, PR, and advertising. Top brands create “culture[s] of content,” where content is shared and made across the enterprise.

The most innovative hotel brands are using content to integrate multiple marketing components that enhance one another in “content ecosystems.” According to Skift, the best brands integrate live events, aggressive social media, branded website content, apps, and user-generated content to entice potential guests. Marriott’s new global content studio will create and distribute digital content across platforms with travel- and lifestyle-related content. The content, Marriott hopes, will reel in that coveted segment of next-generation travelers.

Millennial Connection

In addition to changing the world of hospitality marketing, the millennial generation is also driving changes in hotel experience. Millennials represent about a third of all US travelers; by 2025, they will represent over half. They also are expected to spend incrementally more on travel services than any other age group, according to MMGY.

Reflecting this demographic shift, new lobby designs reflect millennial desires for spaces that combine work, play, food and drink, Robert Rausch reports at 4Hoteliers. Hotels are creating new ways to check in, pay room bills, and research nearby activities utilizing technology.

Brands such as Kimpton Hotels are using content to sell their unique experiences to younger customers. The hotels’ websites feature visually stunning designs and content that’s evenly split between hotel information and destination experiences. Kimpton’s site pulls together more visible third-party reviews, a blog, slide shows, Google maps, and more to give potential guests all the information they need in one place. Kimpton’s techniques are quickly being adopted by larger hotel brands, Skift reports.

These “content ecosystems” could majorly pay off for hotels as millennials command more of the hospitality space. While content marketing can be challenging, brands that get it right are rewarded by customers’ willingness to share their positive experience. For hotels, that could mean positive reviews on third-party review sites that will, in turn, drive more traffic to the hotel.

Learn more about the latest trends in the tourism industry by following this John Jefferis Twitter account.