4 Dos & Don’ts of Creating Unique Experiences at Your Hotel

As more hoteliers venture into the experience economy, there will be quite a bit of trial & error to figure out how to create a variety of valuable activities. What should decision makers and teams keep in mind as they approach this process? Whether it’s on-site activities, pop-ups & events, workshops, excursions, or multi-day retreats, the possibilities are truly endless. But you have to find what works for you! Here are our top four dos and don’ts for creating unique experiences at your property.

DON’T follow the trends blindly. DO align with your creative concept.

Think you should offer yoga because it’s hot and every other hotel has a yoga offering? Unless your guests are begging for a yoga program, take a beat before you jump into offering an activity just because you think you should. An experience offering should align seamlessly with your unique positioning and brand story.

If you don’t feel you have a unique concept driving your property, take the time to establish one before diving into the deep end of experience design. A timeless yet purpose-driven concept will serve as your creative compass. This will ensure that your initiatives are sustainable & desirable, and you won’t have to worry about keeping up with what’s trendy.

DON’T try to appeal to everyone. DO go big on personality and culture.

When you first think about building out your experience offerings, you might be tempted to offer the standard activities that are on offer at most hotels. After all, general experiences often have fewer moving parts and low barrier toe entry, making them easy to throw together. But there’s also a greater chance that this standardized experience is already being offered in your destination, making it hard to compete.

The value of an experience is in the layers and rich nuances! If you can find your exact experience offering somewhere else, then it is in your best interest to differentiate it by incorporating more personality and culture. After all, the point is to offer guests something novel they couldn’t or wouldn’t necessarily do at home.

DON’T skim the surface. DO take guests on an immersive journey.

According to Siteminder’s latest report, travelers want their accommodation to have an active role in making their trip more meaningful. 87% would appreciate if their property enabled them to learn more about the culture and history of the location they are staying in, acting as a portal to the people and stories of the local community.

Most travelers don’t want to feel like outsiders or tourists. They wish to feel welcomed and immersed in the destination. And according to decades worth of neuroscientific research, a narrative arc is the most effective way to sustain immersion. So, to create immersive experiences, we must look to the power of story. Start looking at your guests’ stay as a journey (not just a series of disjointed activities), and you’ll be well on your way to creating a meaningful narrative-driven experience.

DON’T fall into the wellness trap. DO consider your guests’ wellbeing.

The hospitality wellness trend continues to grow, but most leaders’ concept of wellness continues to stay static. Wellness for many hospitality hosts means “the state of good physical health”. This leads them to create experiences that focus on the body, not the entire being. But we want to create experiences that help our guests flourish in all aspects of their life – not just their health.

While mindfulness, chakra healings, and plant medicine have their place, there are ways to support people in their wellbeing that are more approachable. Start thinking about where your guests are at on their healing journey and meet them there. Consider the ripple effect the experience has on someone’s life, not just the healing benefits in the moment, to have true wellbeing impact.

And last but not least, DO have fun with it. Passion is contagious, after all. The more enthusiasm you have for your experience, the more your guests will want to be a part of it!

Samantha Hardcastle
The Storied Experience
The Storied Experience