Last and lasting impressions matter more than first impressions
They say that an image is worth a thousand words, but if you were selling a book, your front cover is worth eighty thousand words as it represents your best bet at attracting the buyers attention to your book. When looking at a website, hotel front or restaurant menu first impressions count. Like the book cover, it is the first impression that dictates our next move. However, the story of the book doesn’t end there. Write a compelling story and you capture a fan for your next book release. Likewise, create positively impacting impressions for your guests and you inspire repeat bookings..
One often hears about the importance of that first impression and in the hospitality industry we go a step further with talk of creating “a sense of arrival”. In pursuit of this, one is often greeted on arrival at a star class hotel, by a smiling face – be it by the doorman, a bellboy with an offer to carry your luggage or a receptionist serving a welcome beverage or cold scented towel to help unwind from the weariness of travel. This attention on the ‘sense of arrival’ does make some initial impact. However, whether it contributes significantly to the guests’ overall experience is debatable. For one, the majority of guests, especially those who stay regularly in star class hotels have come to expect this form of welcome.
With so much emphasis on welcoming guests, it is rather surprising that the departure process at many hotels remains very mundane. While hotel staff step on each other’s toes to welcome you, your lasting memory as you exit the hotel is of the solitary bellman placing your bag in the boot of your car. Research conducted from a psychological perspective show that people don’t really remember experiences by how they begin, they recall the peak moments, and then they remember how they end
I recently stayed at a 3-star hotel, where the first impressions, beginning with, from making the booking to approaching the hotel set the tone to come. Overall, the check-in, the hotel room and the vibe was good…up until breakfast, where the choice, food quality and weak coffee were terrible - matched gloriously by poor service. Breakfast is the last interaction with the hotel many travelers have before checking out. In an era where any guest can be an online critic, a bad breakfast = bad experience = bad TripAdvisor review. Of my stay at that 3-star hotel, what will I remember most? The bad breakfast experience of course, and, since my last impression was negative, will I use this hotel again? No way.
Departing, especially after a memorable stay can be ‘sweet sorrow’. So, hotels should be also thinking about the “sense of departure”, because this is also a last (ing) impression by which their guests will remember them. Some hoteliers believe that the first and last 15 minutes of a guest’s hotel experience are crucial ‘moments of truth’ that can mean success or failure for a hotel. Be that as it is, very few hotels devise ways to enhance the departure process. Hotels that think of ways to make checking out as special as checking in, will make a lasting impression.
Shafeek Wahab- Editor, ‘Hospitality Sri Lanka’, Trainer, Consultant, Ex Hotelier
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