How would you rate the customer experience and overall customer engagement? A recent study conducted by CGA Peach found that 9 in 10 executives thought 'feeling valued' was a key driver for clients, whereas 3 in 5 leaders also found 'feeling listened to' as a key driver [when it comes to customer engagement].

In the world of hospitality, creating deep connections with your guests is important. Your hotel is their home away from home and making sure your guests feel comfortable and welcomed is a vital part of the experience. To ensure your guests are having a positive and personalized visit depends strongly on the staff and the way your establishment is operated.

One of the best ways hotels and those working in the hospitality industry can provide better service and deeper connections with their guests is through empathy. By putting yourself in your guests perspective, you will be better able to anticipate their needs, be proactive in services you provide, and can move forward with new ideas to improve the overall hospitality experience.

Because guests are interacting with staff, face-to-face conversations are standard in the hospitality industry. However, your social media and online presence is also important and having a more personalized social presence is another way to build those connections with your guests.

How can you use empathy to better connect with guests?

First, take a moment to talk to your guests, gather feedback, and connect with them so you can gain better understanding of their needs, preferences, and concerns. Once you've collected their feedback, you can move forward to brainstorm with your team (and other managers) to decide what other things you can do to improve the guest experience. While brainstorming, use an empathy map to focus on these four main categories: thinking, seeing, doing, and feeling.

As you brainstorm about these four categories, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Thinking: How do your guests perceive the world around them? What are their hopes, dreams, concerns, fears? By knowing them and how they think, you can be more proactive in meeting their needs and providing superior service.
  • Seeing: What is missing in the hotel room that they will need or want? When you have a better understanding of how they see and interact with the world around them, you build a deeper connection and a loyal guest.
  • Doing: What are their daily habits? By knowing what their morning and night rituals are, the more you can anticipate and provide them with the services to enhance those experiences.
  • Feeling: How do they express themselves and their feelings? How do they feel after coming to your hotel? Again, by knowing how they feel, and what is important to them, you will gain valuable insights to be proactive and provide them with even better service.

How have other businesses used empathy to build better relationships?

As you move forward with using empathy to connect with guests, take some time to think outside the box.

What does that mean? Look at Extra Gum. They created a wonderful and touching commercial, The Story of Sarah & Juan, around young love. In this campaign they were able to connect with people through showing the story of these two people and how they fell in love. They made the connection with people because many have been there (falling in love), want to be there, or are currently with the special person they are falling in love with.

Google Chrome is another excellent example of how to use empathy to connect with customers. In their video, Dear Sophie, they were able to connect with first time parents (fathers in particular) about those tender moments of watching your children grow up and wanting to share and preserve the moments in a creative way.

In these two campaigns, both companies connected with their customers, and future customers, on a personal level to build a stronger connection with them and their brand.

How can you build a deeper connection with your guests?

The way you create campaigns, like the ones mentioned above, is through empathy. Take time to understand your guests, their needs, and why they keep coming back (or why they won't come back) to your hotel. The empathy map exercise can help you and your team during your brainstorming section to discover new angles to consider. You may need to do this exercise a few times, but each time will give you new ideas and ways to ensure your guests feel like they've been heard.

Take time to be active on social media and other social platforms. People are on social media, posting reviews and talking about their experiences with brands. Use social media to talk to your guests, address their complaints (always be professional when dealing with an upset guest), and engage with them. Through positive interactions, you can build a loyal customer base and attract more guests to your hotel.

Bryan Phelps
InMoment
24.11.34.171
InMoment

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