After a long journey around the world, when you finally enter the hotel room, did you ever feel a sigh of relief? A sense of safety and yet the eagerness to explore the unknown? Don’t worry, we all have experienced that!
But the important question is what made you feel safe and welcome in a new city?
It might be the taxi driver who drove you to the hotel, the kind local who helped you with your bags at the airport or the warm and courteous receptionist who made you feel at home!
This feeling can be described as Hospitality, it’s an experience.
The Essence of Hospitality: A Feeling that is Experienced
Hospitality in present day and age is imbibed in everyone and in almost every business not just Hotels per se. Companies in major sectors want to offer unmatched services to their customers. The idea of providing an exceptional service to your customers is what has taken a center stage. It has led to development of superior tools that are client and region centric. Just take an example of the integration of IT with Hospitality, where an AI Powered Virtual Assistant is trained and programmed to be empathetic, hospitable, caring and problem solving at the same time!
Hospitality is constantly evolving and is more about providing an all-round experience that is memorable and worthy of coming back. Several companies which have their offices internationally, want their frontline staff to be skilled and trained to handle the ever-increasing customer base, which most of the time are multinational.
“Present Day Hospitality: It’s not just about hotels and definitely it means more than just a Smile!”
The impact is such that we see CEOs of big brands in Retail, IT, Telecom and Finance send their employees for a short training in hospitality. One such example is Apple, which decided to reinvent their retail experience for which they sent all their future store managers into the Ritz Carlton Leadership Training Program. They have reimagined their in-store experience on the lines of the concierge of a luxury hotel.
Ever wondered why you get such a personalized experience when you walk into an Apple store or why Apple stores are so plush and posh? You know the answer now!
In a Nutshell: Hospitality and it’s Necessity
The most important aspect of running a business nowadays is the relationship that you build with your customers. The product almost seems to play the second part in this equation. The relationship can be built across several levels, such as providing an exceptional automated online experience, ensuring customer satisfaction by offering a proactive customer service or by personalizing your services at each stage of the customer journey.
Hospitality plays a major role in making this relationship stronger. Company leaders who understand this and make it a part of their daily business processes definitely fare better when compared to their peers.
We have seen several innovations in the past decade and yet again we are at a turning point in time. As we slowly make our way out of the pandemic, each industry will make a come-back slowly but steadily. However, Hospitality will play a central role in getting customer confidence back. Are you ready to excel and lead and make an impact by adapting and changing for the better? Only time will tell.