Author: John Zirkle – Corporate Director of Operations
What is the “WOW Factor” and how do we ensure to deliver such an experience for every guest. The “WOW Factor” is about exceeding our guest’s expectations to the point that they say “WOW”, what a great hotel. The WOW Factor is about creating the experience that our guest expects and then making it even better.
If our goal is to WOW each guest, we must ensure we provide the training and tools for our team members to accomplish this goal. Training takes time and is too often rushed. Our brands all have great training tools which we must utilize. These tools have been tested and proven to work. Never skimp on training.
A poorly trained team member does not create WOW experiences for our guests.
There are a variety of ways to get the “WOW”. Probably the best way is to listen to your guests. They will tell you what they expect and want. From there it is just a matter of delivering. When a guest has a request, the answer is YES. Check their loyalty member profiles for items and services they request. I’ve always said if it isn’t illegal or immoral, we can provide whatever a guest needs (yes, we do charge for many of those requests/needs). But most of the time, a guest merely wants an early check-in, some extra towels, etc. These are the easy requests and if delivered quickly, help make the WOW. Harder requests may take some time and creativity to deliver, but once delivered, will surely produce a WOW.
DoubleTree used to have the saying “the little things mean everything”. I always liked that saying and found many ways to do the little things that make a guest say WOW. Wishing a guest “Happy Birthday” with a personal card. Thanking the Lifetime Diamond members for their loyalty. Sending an amenity to say Happy Anniversary to a guest. Greeting every guest that comes by the front desk with a warm “welcome back” or if they are leaving with a “have a great day”.
Let’s make every guest feel like the most important guest!
