There’s an infection running rampant in your hotel right now, and it could very well choke the life out of your profitability. But unlike most infections, this one has some very real benefits as well—if cultivated wisely.
I’m not talking of disease or some other terrible plague. I’m speaking here of emotions. Like germs, they can spread from one employee to the next faster than you can say, “Gesundheit!”
Think I’m stretching the analogy thinner than a used tissue? Guess again. Scientists and social observers have dedicated countless hours of research toward the study of “emotional contagion,” which is, in layman’s terms, the tendency between two or more people to emotionally converge.
But you don’t have to be a scientist to recognize the symptoms. Have you ever felt a sudden burst of energy after speaking to a particularly cheery coworker? Likewise, has your glass-half-full demeanor ever turned upside after working on a project with a particularly glum sourpuss?
Emotions are contagious, which means your mood has a direct impact on your team members around you and—just as importantly, if not more so—your guests.
So much of the guest experience is predicated on personal interaction with your team. That means you have a huge opportunity to infect your guests—er, let’s end the analogy there. Put it this way: The cheery mood of your staff can rub off on your guests in very real and measureable ways.
I experienced this effect firsthand on two separate occasions during my past few weeks of travel.
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What’s better than having hotel associates know you by name? Having them spell it off in your morning jolt of caffeine. |
The first came during a Marriott International-sponsored trip to the Middle East, during which the global chain was eager to show off its efforts in the extended-stay segment. After a one-night stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott Manama Juffair in Bahrain, I can certainly see why. Not only was the product itself superb, but the staff comprised some of the most downright happy hotel associates I’ve ever encountered during my many years of travel.
They were friendly, attentive, genuine and—in a truly remarkable turn—addressed each of the seven or so people in our party by name.
Granted, it’s easier to add this personable appeal in an extended-stay hotel, where guests stay longer and the turnover is less frequent, but that’s not to say it’s easy. Diane Mayer, head of Residence Inn, told me the extra effort is engrained in the brand’s culture—as is an undeniable spark of fun on display here.
The pessimists among you might think the song is a brand-mandated mantra dictated from corporate HQ. On the contrary, it’s the result of a brand-wide competition to put the Residence Inn mission statement to a more memorable tune. The winning jingle was penned at one of the chain’s Chicago properties. The choreography was whipped up by the Manama team themselves. Not even GM Sam Van Campenhout knew what the staff was up to. Such is the culture that pervaded this special hotel, which explains why it’s killing its competitive set and leaving such indelible impressions on each and every guest that comes through the front door.
The second positive outbreak of emotional contagion I encountered came more recently in Spokane, Washington, where I was attending Red Lion Hotel Corporation’s brand conference earlier this week. While the team members working at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park never broke out in a choreographed display of brand spirit, their enthusiasm was palpable. Everyone I encountered—from front desk associate to room attendant to engineer—wore smiles from ear to ear and seemed genuinely happy I was visiting.
I thought it might have been something in the water, but after chatting with the hotel’s airport shuttle bus driver, I realized it was something else entirely.
“There’s a great core group of people working here,” he said of the Red Lion’s corporate office, which sits adjacent to the hotel. Not only do the executives work extremely hard to better the overall company, but they take an active interest in the lives of their employees, he said.
Though public, Red Lion operates “more like a family company,” he continued, explaining it’s a place people want to work and have fun doing it.
The work culture he described sounds highly contagious, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Now on to the usual goodies …
Stat of the week I
60%: Percentage of hotels in STR’s U.S. database that have never changed affiliation—be it brand or status as independent—since opening. This insightful nugget was one of many in an exceptional analysis from Jan Freitag and Ali Hoyt. Others include:
- The average time a chain-affiliated hotel stays with a brand ranges between 10 to 15 years;
- the average length of an independent affiliation lasts nearly twice as long as a chain affiliation at almost 23 years; and
- economy hotels are most likely to change affiliations—on average more than two times in their lifespan.
Quote of the week
“We used to be out here,” said Red Lion’s Jon E. Eliassen, holding his arms out wide to either side. “Now we’re here,” he said, moving them together in front of him. “We’re more focused.”
In a few sentences and some hand gestures, Eliassen summed up nearly two years worth of scrambling to turn around what was once a struggling Red Lion hotel chain. The company today indeed seems more focused and on track for success in the future.
Reader comment of the week
“I'm going to contact this author Zembruski to come speak to my company's executive mgt team. What a unique, curious mind that thinks to analogize the Broken Windows Theory to his profession. Need more of that kind of thinking.”
—Commenter “TravelGal” in response to HotelNewsNow.com’s columnist Adam Zembruski’s latest, “Acting the part builds confidence.”
Couldn’t agree more, TravelGal. Adam’s column also indirectly speaks to my point above—how you act can sway the thoughts and opinions of others. Use that to your advantage.
Email Patrick Mayock or find him on Twitter.
The opinions expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HotelNewsNow.com or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.