brand Archives - HPG Advisory Services I Hospitality Leadership Advisory

Briefing: A good reputation goes a long way

Posted on November 16, 2016February 21, 2019 by Guy Lean

A new study from Resonance Consultancy has named London as the World’s Best City Brand. The results were based on analysis of social media comments about cities, by both locals and visitors. So how important is it that people are talking about your brand online, and how far are hospitality companies relying on Social Media for feedback on their performance?

Four hospitality experts discuss word of mouth and building a loyal customer base:

Outside of Social Media, performance on dedicated review sites continues to have a great impact on a hospitality business. ReviewPro’s 2016 Top Luxury Hotel & Brand Report, found that Luxury Hotels receive 1,008 reviews on average per hotel per year. Within that, an amazing 83% were positive reviews.

China had the largest number of top of top rated luxury properties in ReviewPro’s report, and had experienced a dramatic increase of +46% reviews year-on- year, further reflecting the fast changing developments in China.

The UK had the third most top reviews and unsurprisingly the Maldives had the second largest number of top rated luxury properties.

To return to Resonance Consultancy’s Word’s Best City Brands Report, the full top 5 best city brands were found to b: London, Singapore, New York, Paris and Sydney.

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.

Briefing: Unique experiences engage guests

Posted on November 5, 2015February 21, 2019 by Guy Lean

According to research by Gallup, luxury brands have the highest customer engagement level of all hotel segments, with 33% of luxury guests being fully engaged in a brand.

In the luxury/high end market, excellent service and memorable experiences are more important to guests than getting a bargain, so the potential for brand loyalty is higher. But it is becoming more and more difficult for hotels to offer a truly unique experience and keep up with what guests want.

In these videos industry experts discuss how they are attracting guests:

Engagement is important because, according to Gallup; ‘Hotel guests who are fully engaged spend 46% more per year than actively disengaged guests.’ If guests are engaged and returning to the same brand or property time and again, then these guests must be recognised and valued, as discussed above by Dan Wakeling. Gallup’s 2014 Hospitality Industry study found that ‘79% of guests who strongly agree that the hotel they visit most frequently takes care of their well-being, are fully engaged,’

Those who are willing to pay more for a high end stay have more requirements on their minds than a king size bed. Research by Booking.com found that sustainability is increasingly sought after and that ‘sustainable travellers’ were 50% more likely to intend to book more luxury accommodations in 2015 than they did in 2014, as compared with other traveller types.

The way that people engage with brands has changed. So how can one hotel make itself stand out over another?

The Zighy Bay Resort in Oman gives guests the option to paraglide into the resort on arrival.

In Sweden guests can stay in an Ice Hotel.

Some hotels and restaurants are epitomising ‘luxury’ by offering diamonds as part of their package.

And, as mentioned in the above video, Club Med offers a Cirque du Soleil experience.

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.

Briefing: building customer loyalty in the digital world

Posted on October 4, 2012February 21, 2019 by HPG Advisory

The new digital world allows all brands and individuals to communicate with each other with the click of a few buttons. But is the hospitality sector fully utilising all the tools available?

Mobile technologies now allow General Managers and other executives to understand exactly what is going on in real-time. This has never been achievable before, and it will only improve over time.

By being clever with contemporary technologies, brands can build advocacy and loyalty in a very personalised and specific way. Building this loyalty and the techniques of doing so are discussed in this week’s briefing.

Including comment from:

Sean Worker, CEO of Bridgestreet on understanding his customer needs 24/7.

Andrew Sangster, of the Hotel Analyst, on building a picture of consumers in real-time.

Robert Shepherd, SVP of Development and Design for IHG Europe, on what techniques IHG are implementing to build brand advocacy.

And Peter O’Connor, of the Essec Business School, on tactics for achieving loyalty with online consumers.

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

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.