Reverse Perspective: Bringing Humanity into Hospitality

Skift, the largest travel industry intelligence and marketing platform, is at the forefront of helping define the future of the industry. Three years ago, the platform began by holding a Skift Global Forum, and within just a few short years it has become the largest creative business forum in the global travel industry. This year, one of the many speakers was industry veteran, Mark Hoplamazian, CEO of Hyatt Hotels. Hoplamazian gave a fresh take on the hospitality industry as he explained the need to part ways with the traditional guest experience. Here are a few takeaways that hoteliers like yourself need to think about and why Hyatt remains an industry-leading brand:

1. Reverse Perspective: Traditional perspectives of seeing consumers as guests needs to change. Hoteliers need to see the world through the lives of their consumers. Customers have a life and daily routines, so by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, you can minimize the impact of the hotel on the guest’s stay. To carry on, hotels should treat guests like hosts; hotels should check into guest’s lives, not guests checking into hotels. Reverse perspective allows hotels to visualize themselves as guests in the lives of their customers, which will then provide greater insight into the needs of the customer.

Takeway: Be empathetic. Practicing empathy can transform business and industry; it allows for re-imagined relationships, a blank canvas. Reimagine your business in the eyes of not only your consumer, but colleagues and community as well instead of forcing what you think is appropriate.

2. Bring humanity back to hospitality: Hyatt Hotels use one simple equation, which is: Empathy + Action = Care, and this is what contributes to its long-tenured success. Every single aspect of a hotel should lead back to care for its customers. If a hotel uses reverse perspective, they will better be able to show that they care, in the most candid and purest ways.

Takeaway: Pair empathy with action read this post here. Taking a walk in one’s shoes can only go so far. It is the action that comes next, which is what really defines success. Combining empathy with action equals smart business. Hotels need to cater to guests’ lives as much as guests cater to the hotel.

Hotels are a part of the hospitality industry for a reason. Learning and practicing ways to show hospitality to guests is crucial. Stay on top of the trend in your hotel by humanizing your guests’ stay through reversing the perspective. Next time your hotel implements a new business strategy, think about how you can minimize its impact on your consumer’s life. How can you check into your guests’ lives as they go about their – business or pleasure – while they stay at your hotel? How can you be unobtrusive while anticipating their needs? Become the hotel that empathizes with its guests, understands their preference and caters to their needs without being asked providing a seamless experience during their stay.

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