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GHN Perspectives: Ken Eissing, Mood Media Corporation
Ken Eissing
President, North America
Mood Media Corporation
Four Timeless Goals & Timely Technology –
Hospitality Success in the Modern Age
For as long as the modern hospitality industry has been around, it has always needed to meet four
goals:
1. Attracting guests
2. Meeting guests’ expectations efficiently
3. Creating relationships that encourage repeat visits
4. Building a positive reputation
When successfully accomplished, meeting those four goals will virtually guarantee a profitable,
lasting hospitality location. Although the goals have not changed, the method of accomplishing
those goals has vastly altered over the years and must continue to adapt to fit changing consumer
behavior. Customers’ lives are increasingly filled with mobile apps, digitalization and
interactivity – technology trends that have quickly moved into the business space.
However pressured businesses feel to jump on this trend and begin adding new devices and
gadgets into their customer experience, they must be patient and take the time to figure out what
to add, what not to add, and when to execute. Not all consumer-facing technology is a good fit
for all industries, and something even made for the hospitality industry may not be appropriate
Copyright (c) 2014 Global Hospitality Resources®, Inc., San Diego, CA USA. All rights reserved.
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for all hotels. Implementing certain solutions because everyone else is doing it can cost hoteliers
a lot of wasted money if the solutions are not planned and assessed against the objectives of the
total guest experience. Instead, hoteliers should walk through the full guest experience to identify
all touchpoints, evaluate their brand identity to ensure it is attractive and consistent, and then
seek out solutions that will boost your brand, streamline the experience and add value to the
guests’ stay.
First things first – in order to succeed in hospitality, you must first attract guests. Thanks to the
many new touchpoints for building connections, hoteliers have more advertising options than
ever before. Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO of mashable.com, says, “We're living at a time
when attention is the new currency… Those who insert themselves into as many channels as
possible look set to capture the most value.” The traditional print, billboard and television
advertisements are no longer enough to hold valuable consumer attention. Now businesses can
share their brand stories across channels online, in their location, in traditional advertising
channels and through social and mobile applications to capture that “currency” and build value
before the guest has even reserved a room. Once you have their attention and have differentiated
yourself from the “noise” of other competition, you can showcase your services and attract
guests more effectively.
After capturing the attention and winning business, integrated technology can be used to meet
and exceed guest expectations and make the experience more satisfactory. From online checkin that lets guests skip the counter line to digital signage that highlights available amenities and
specialized location specific content delivered to a guest’s smartphones in a unique way,
technology can be used throughout the location to enhance the experience and satisfy all your
guests. Even ambient additions such as the right music or a carefully chosen scent can be used to
further amplify the experience and leave a lasting memory of the overall brand experience.
But use caution. Implementing different solutions that are not purposefully designed to work
together will likely do more harm than good. Guests may be frustrated or uncomfortable with
contradictory or outdated messages or when an inefficient check-in application causes them to
waste time instead of save it. The technology itself should never be the objective because the
technology holds no intrinsic value. You must look at all the pieces of your guest experience and
make sure they fit together smoothly and efficiently, tell a consistent brand story and add value to
the overall stay. If a technology you’re using is unable to accomplish those things seamlessly,
simply don’t use it.
Copyright (c) 2014 Global Hospitality Resources®, Inc., San Diego, CA USA. All rights reserved.
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With so much competition in the hospitality industry, just meeting guest expectations won’t be
enough to really impress. To make a great impression and turn one-time visitors into loyal guests,
hotels must work to connect and create relationships. Well-integrated technology can play a
major role in accomplishing that. You could send a personalized greeting via email after a
reservation is made so the guest feels welcome, store information about frequent guests (Is there
a specific room service order they always make? Do they consistently use certain services or
amenities?) in order to anticipate their needs at every visit, and automatically follow up with
guests via email or a mobile message after their stay to encourage them to return and ensure they
were completely satisfied. Of course, don’t rely entirely on technology to make a personal
impression. The value of face-to-face engagement or a simple handwritten note can never be
underestimated.
After delivering a memorable, personalized and enhanced guest experience, the final goal for
success is to get more guests. The best way for a hotelier, or any business, to build a positive
reputation is through word of mouth between friends, family or online review sites. Your guests
have more power than ever before in sharing their experience with vast social networks.
Unfortunately, many businesses struggle to get satisfied customers to take the time to post a
positive review – it’s much more likely that a severely dissatisfied customer feels compelled to
post a review. However, a well-designed and extraordinary guest experience at all touchpoints
can inspire guests to share their experience with others. Also, through mobile apps and other
interactive technology hoteliers have the potential to make the usually time-consuming process
of posting a review quick and easy. If a system for easily posting a review were integrated into
the normal check-out process or into a hotel’s guest wi-fi logon process, hotels would have an
ideal method of gaining recommendations and spreading positive word-of-mouth about their
business across multiple social channels.
By designing and integrating business technology that is as varied and useful as consumer
technology, hotels are positioning themselves to capture more guests’ attention and business in
the modern hospitality industry. Those without guidance or understanding of this rapid transition
to digitalization may find themselves left behind. Those with a strategic and purposeful approach
may find themselves well ahead of the curve.
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About Mood Media Corporation
Mood Media Corporation, the global leader in Experience
Design solutions, empowers brands to connect to customers
in extraordinary ways. The world’s largest hotel chains, the
Copyright (c) 2014 Global Hospitality Resources®, Inc., San Diego, CA USA. All rights reserved.
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most exclusive resorts and casinos and the most distinctive boutiques know that it’s not just the
lobby, the bed or the bar that guests remember – it’s the overall experience. That’s why they
depend on Mood, the single-source provider for media and sensory content, social and mobile
applications, and technology-based solutions that will create an experience guests will want to
remember and repeat. With purpose and intent, our experts design and integrate customer
touchpoints throughout your business to help strengthen your brand identity and further connect
with your customers. Mood Media’s solutions reach over 150 million consumers each day
through more than half a million client locations in over 40 countries. Create brand loyalty,
encourage repeat business and complete your guest experience today with Experience Design
solutions from Mood.
Mood Media is a member of GlobalHotelNetwork.com and Mr. Eissing is a member of
GHN’s Technology Committee.
Copyright (c) 2014 Global Hospitality Resources®, Inc., San Diego, CA USA. All rights reserved.
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