Day: 5 July 2016

Research from Forrester found that 73% of people consider “valuing their time” as the most important thing a company can do to provide them with good service. Being able to anticipate and react to needs in a friendly accommodating way is vital in hospitality. People skills are essential to a successful career and this focus on relationships is also what makes the industry a rewarding and exciting place to be.

These videos discuss what makes hospitality great:

Forrester’s report Trends 2016: The Future Of Customer Service looked at changing customer service expectations. The report reminds us that dissatisfied customers today have many outlets to share their negative experience. The report states that when dissatisfied by a brand 39% of people tell friends and families about negative experiences and 11% post negative comments about the brand on Facebook.

As well as keeping up face to face communications hospitality companies must maintain good levels of service on all channels. The study found that in the 12 months preceding the survey (published January 2016) 84% of respondents had sought assistance via an app, help page or FAQ page on a company’s website. 83% had spoken to customer service on the telephone and 76% had accessed customer service via email.

Self-service and digital channels are becoming increasingly important, but whatever method is used to deliver the service, the principles of taking people into account remain the same. And in any industry the attitudes people take towards customers and also colleagues will ultimately play into levels of success.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

This year, Hyatt launched a new ‘soft brand’ The Unbound Collection, a portfolio of individual properties with a ‘distinct character’. The popularity and character of independent hotels is being harnessed by soft brands. For the individual hotel owner being part of a collection offers them better exposure and other benefits in exchange for a fee.

Four hospitality experts discuss branding and independence:

According to STR and The Highland group, the supply of boutique, lifestyle and soft-brand hotels has increased at double-digit annual rates over the last five years, and in 2015 they jointly generated room revenues of $13.7 billion. Their research showed that Soft Brand Collections account for $43.341 bn of this revenue, and Boutiques account for $8.025 bn,

Another soft brand that is aiming to provide an independent feel include Best Western’s Vib, which has a membership fee of 5% of total room revenue. Hilton has several collections in including Canopy and Curio which each sells a slightly differently lifestyle.

It is not just hotels that are following this trend. In the serviced apartment sector Ascott recently launched the crest collection with four properties in Paris and Bangkok.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.