True Waldorf Service

Here on another tough undercover assignment at the Waldorf Astoria, Park City, the only Waldorf hotel on the snow. I am here to understand why the Waldorf Astoria Collection is Hilton’s fast growing luxury brand (there are now 27 WAC properties) and why customers keep coming back. The Utah property sits at the base of the Wasatch Mountains in Canyons Resort, and was recently the official hotel for the Sundance Film Festival. Named one of 2012’s top resorts in the U.S. by Travel & Leisure magazine, the employees here really do take service to another level. My wife for example was having trouble putting on her ski boots because they were cold, so a member of staff noticed her troubles and proceeded to spend 10 minutes warming them up with a hair dryer!

 

The brand has just rolled out True Waldorf Service, the latest Waldorf Astoria service platform that extends the legendary personal service principles that were first born at the flagship Waldorf Astoria property in New York. True Waldorf Service is advertised as “authentic, personalized service that consistently meets your luxury travel needs from the moment you book your trip through the time you depart”. Guests receive a customized email before arriving, connecting them to a personal concierge to pre-arrange services and special requests attuned to personal preferences, and their travel destination. Upon arrival, the concierge welcomes the guest and escorts them directly to accommodations, bypassing the typical check-in process. Guests then have 24-hour access to designated representatives with local expertise. Upon departure, their personal concierge takes the hassle out of departure travel by arranging packing services, boxed lunches, home luggage delivery, transportation and expedited checkout. Rachel Bradley is a Personal Concierge at the Waldorf Park City and says she has arranged everything from baby-sitting for families with young children, to removing light bulbs from room fridges for guests strictly observing the Sabbath (many Orthodox authorities prohibit opening a fridge door if a light inside will automatically turn on). For business travelers, she often helps guests with scanning or faxing and will also provide supplies if needed: “we play secretary all the time” she jokes. Dana Fioravanti, Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, says that the True Waldorf Service program has been a great success. “We have three Personal Concierges now, and we have seen an increasing number of return guests use the service. Of course the brand helps, especially for those guests coming from New York and Florida, as they are familiar with the Waldorf brand and its legendary service.”

Waldorf, Park City, Utah

Make it Personal for service that is "alta" this world!

Alta Ski Lodge, Utah

I am currently staying in Alta, a destination in Utah I have been trying to get to for many years (and it is certainly living up to expectations). There are plenty of loyal customers or ‘apostles’ staying here in the Alta Lodge – I just met three of them in the hot tub – Canadians who have been coming here for 35 years! CEO Marcus Dippo takes guest loyalty to heart, encouraging employees to make every effort to place an emphasis on personal attention from the time a guest arrives until he or she departs. He believes that making visitors feel like friends is one of niceties that keeps hotel guests returning to Alta Lodge. Joni Dykstra, Sales and Marketing Director for the lodge says that 70% of guests are returning visitors – a very high loyalty rate in this industry. “The lodge has one 88-year-old female guest who has been coming every year with her family, children and grandchildren since 1951.”  As guests leave, staff will ask them if they would like to reserve the same room for next year, and many of them do. “We will always personalize the stay if we can” says Joni. “For example, we knew a certain gentleman preferred a particular type of cognac – so we go it in for him for his next stay. Others may say why go to all the extra trouble – but it is why we are here – hospitality is what we do. Our employees also come back year after year, even though it is a seasonal business." 

I can see why – this is really a very special place.

Joni Dykstra, Sales and Marketing Director for Alta Lodge

 

How can hotels convert customers into apostles?

I am working on an article for Hotel Business Review all about how hotels create Apostles – customers who have the highest satisfaction and loyalty scores. These guests are so satisfied that they want to convert others to share their experiences, and would not dream of staying anywhere else. I am in Utah right now trying to uncover the secrets to ‘creating’ such advocates, and the key seems to lie with customization. The leading hotels are making great efforts to customize the experience for guests to make them feel unique and to make them believe that the hotel has singled them out for special attention. Here at the Grand America in Salt Lake City, for example, all employees are empowered to make each guest’s stay exceptional and personalized. The Grand America also has a ‘Grand Ambassador’ whose role is to ensure that all repeat guests are recognized appropriately. “Our operating system will track all of our guest preferences, and our Ambassador then reviews all reservations and prepares for these requests,” says Director of Guest Experience, Annie Fitzgerald. “All of these things make the Grand America truly a home away from home and ensure the retention of our guests”. …… I would come back just for the afternoon tea and cakes!!

Dr. Hudson Ignites the Audience!

In case you missed Dr. Hudson's talk at Ignite! You can access the video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnVJ-1OL3t0

Coming Soon...

The second edition of Golf Tourism written by Simon & Louise Hudson will be out very shortly. Since the first edition of this widely acclaimed text the landscape of golf tourism has changed considerably. When the first edition was published, the worldwide recession was having a major impact on golf, and golf destinations around the world were suffering. But golf holidays are on the up again, with growth particularly strong in the emerging markets of Asia and the Middle East. A focus on family holidays has emerged, with an increased emphasis on the customization of vacations. Marketers are more inventive, packaging golf with wine, cycling, food and spas. Expectations have also increased in terms of customer service and value for money, and technology and social media have revolutionized both the decision-making process and booking procedures for golf holidays. Looking forward, one major event that could have a significant impact on the growth of golf participation, and thus golf tourism, is the game’s inclusion in the Olympic Games in 2016. A new case study in the book looks ahead to this event. Just as the first edition of this book did, the second edition of Golf Tourism colorfully illustrates the key issues, opportunities and future challenges that lie ahead for those in the golf industry. It contains 40 up-to-date case studies from all over the world, covering all sectors of the golf industry, the majority of the cases developed based on personal visits and in-depth interviews conducted by the authors.

Dr. Hudson Visits the Nation's Capital

On January 21^st and 22^nd,  2014, Dr. Hudson took advantage of the Office of Research’s invitation to researchers to  fly to Washington, DC, on the university’s plane. Over the two-day trip,  Dr. Hudson had the opportunity to meet with Representative Clyburn’s office, Senator Tim Scott’s office, Representative Tom Rice’s office, dine with the representatives from the US Travel Association and meet with representatives from the USDA to discuss current projects, future projects and tourism’s impact on the SC economy.  

What is the future for tourism marketing?

A new book on tourism marketing has just been published and Simon has a chapter in it called “Challenges of Tourism Marketing in the Digital, Global Economy.”His chapter looks at the new digital era of marketing communications as it applies to tourism, a digital era dominated by social media. It begins with an introduction to today’s digital marketing environment, and is followed by an analysis of the consumer decision process in the new digital world.  The third section takes a closer look at social media, and shows how savvy marketers around the world are leveraging new digital communication channels. Organizations profiled include Vail Resorts, Queensland Tourism, Orlando Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, The Virginia Tourism Corporation, KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Disney, Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and the Sukiennice National Museum in Krakow. The next part of the chapter outlines the challenges facing tourism marketers in the digital, global economy, and a final section speculates on the future of digital marketing communications, making suggestions for further research in this area. More details about the book can be found at: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415597036/