It is a strenuous leap from the pretty good to the excellent, and that chasm represents a stretch for many of us. So, let's focus on what we do well and aim to move the Hospitality Bar gradually.
Hospitality has been battered this year. The litany of missteps, calamity, cycles and volatile variables has been significant - the economy, the weather, short term thinking. (However, it really is the economy!) But, we shall rise from the bruised landscape, renewed, invigorated and smarter. In our retrenchment, we were forced to minimize and curtail our typical products and services - prices were slashed, deals were cut, staff reallocated, renovation on hold - our confidence shattered. As we wend our way out of this miasma (peek out of that hole), we shall look differently, as will our Customer/Guest/Visitor.
So, we need to take stock, understanding that we must adapt as our Consumer has changed, too. This is a two-fold transitional review - what we offer and what our Consumer expects. What do we know about our Customer/Guest/Visitor? Perhaps, we have relied upon Comment Cards or Mystery Shops or the comments we read on the Internet - all valid, but only a piece of the picture. These do not establish valid Benchmarks - these views are fleeting glimpses. We need to do better! If there ever were a time to establish a Customer Satisfaction Program - constant feedback, timely results, smart analysis - it is now. You are only as good as the market says you are. The market has spoken, and the reviews are not laudable!
