How the guests feel emotionally in the spaces you create, is the most important thing
In pleasant experiences, hotels are interpreted as “caring spaces”
Weather is the most famous form of small talk, and today weather is hitting the headlines more often than ever. Weather patterns shape daily human life by directly altering physical health, mental well-being, and daily routines. For instance, less sunlight in winter can lower serotonin and trigger tiredness or cheerless moods, known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
You may be wondering what has the weather to do with hotel management. Quite a lot one might say.
Climate change is having an undeniable impact on the hospitality sector, influencing both tourism demand and customer needs. Extreme heat waves, which are now frequent and prolonged, can lead to increased bookings in destinations close to the seaside, lakes and rivers – outside the traditional high season. Milder winters and shorter periods of snow can affect ski resorts. The impact of the weather can affect both occupancy and accommodation rates, not least of all, causing unexpected shifts in our carefully crafted plans.
Generic hospitality is forgettable; personalized hospitality is unforgettable
Just as climate change impacts our mood and emotions, the power of personalisation and customizing the guest experience can never be overstated. A heartfelt welcome, a personalized gesture, or a genuine conversation can not only transform a standard stay into a memorable one, but also be a great way to influence the behavioural “weather pattern”. Personalized service impact is the single highest-ROI investment in how hospitality shapes emotional guest experiences. When a guest receives a dish spiced exactly to their preference, or a room with a view they mentioned in a pre-arrival email, they feel seen.
Discovering subtle ways to enhance the guest experience can lead to glowing reviews, personal recommendations, and repeat visits — all of which have a stimulating effect on bookings and occupancy rates. Little things add up, influencing the weather over time. The way guests remember the experience of a stay is not based on facts but on the emotions they felt.
Guests do not remember the room’s square metres, the number of amenities or technical specifications – they remember the feeling they had, the moments, pleasant or otherwise, that surprised them, the atmosphere of the space, and the personal experiences they lived through. It is precisely for this reason that individual moments become key elements that remain in long-term memory and shape the perception of the hotel. The difference lies between a night’s accommodation and an experience that is remembered long after.
In present-day luxury hospitality, what is been provided by hotels is more or less the same. Most hotels offer a carefully designed interior, a fine dining experience, amenities that are the near identical, except for the labeling, standards of operations that follow the same script – all of which make it difficult to single out one hotel as different from the other. This is precisely why differentiation no longer stems from what a hotel has, but from what it represents. What truly sets a hotel apart is its identity and the authenticity of the space and the context in which it operates.
Someone once told me “If you are feeling blue, watch the sunrise and sunset – they have proved to induce a significant boost of feelings of awe. Perhaps mood management is another dimension that needs to be embedded in everyday business practices?
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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