Page 14 - GBC spring 2016

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Golf Business Canada
I was wrong. The room, lobby, and shared spaces were funky, min- imalist, and contemporary. The de- sign value? Check.
Above every elevator button was a sign: “Walk down. It’s healthier.” But they didn’t just say it, they lived it. They painted the stairwells bright, bold colours and they had art on the walls. They invested in the stairwells so you actually wanted to walk down them. The health value? Check.
Finally, the only thing that you could bill to your room was alcohol. They had a bar, but no bartender. You just went in, grabbed a beer, wrote “Room 65: 1 Beer” on a slip of paper and put it in a suggestion box like it was 1978. There was no app, no code, no scanning or any- thing. Simplicity value? Check.
Values are important but if your staff reinforces those values through their actions, you’ll build loyalty, differentiate your offering, and be the King of Kensington.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
There’s nothing any of us like better than the sound of our own name. Throw in some of our favourite ac- tivities, sports teams, and musical acts into the conversation and we’ll like you even more.
In a world where we’re inun- dated with massive amounts of ge- neric information and advertising aimed at broad demographics, it’s pretty obvious that customizing our communications with things specific to an individual has a better chance of getting through. Whether it’s a handshake at breakfast or an email blast delivered to thousands, personalized information that goes beyond <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME> can be pretty compelling for the end user.
Why do you think the Ice Bucket Challenge was so successful in the summer of 2014? Family members shot videos on their phones (low cost of production), posted them to Facebook (global distribution) and created niche content that was only intended for an audience of 2-3 people who were called out specifi- cally by name.
You’re probably tired of hearing about data. I’m tired of people not using it. You have more data avail- able on your audience than you’ve ever had before. You just have to operationalize using it. Netflix can
“A few months later,
I returned to the hotel (without any advance warning) and when I got to my room, there was a note thanking me for positive mentions, Diet Coke and BBQ chips (my favourite snacks) on the table, 20 shampoos in the bathroom (love the humour), and a picture of me with our two dogs in a silver frame on the bedside table.”
provide a custom product for every one of its 70 million (and growing) customers. They not only know what I watch, they use what they know to provide an experience that’s just for me. That makes me feel special and in the Expression Economy, when someone feels special, they pay attention. That’s a good thing.
No one has mastered this like the Westin Grand hotel in Vancouver. I was there once and let them know via a tweet that there was no sham- poo in my hotel room. They apolo- gized and immediately replaced the shampoo. Later, they sent up fruit and chocolate with a lovely note thanking for my loyalty. It was awesome.