It’s a given that each inn is unique, yet there are likely more similarities than differences. Every inn has rooms, common areas, and breakfast that make it just the same as all the rest. So aside from décor and dining, the one element that will make the most difference is service.
Create an inn known for exceeding expectations and not only will you maintain guest loyalty, you’ll grow it. And even if you feel that your guests already receive the best service you can give them, why not make an effort to give them a little bit more?
It can’t hurt, can it?
THAT CERTAIN SOMETHING
Too often, innkeepers have endured such a long road to open their inn, they’re relieved just to start welcoming guests and many of the little touches they envisioned take a back seat to the operation of the inn.
When you’re focused on cleaning rooms, doing laundry, mailing confirmations, doing dishes, writing grocery lists and handling myriad other tasks, it can be tough to understand that each guest is an individual who has arrived with unique wants, needs, and emotions.
While it’s easy to switch to autopilot as you take their bags, show them the room, and run their card, pause for a moment to consider not only why they selected your bed and breakfast, but perhaps more importantly why they needed to.
It’s easy to know when guests are arriving for an event such as a honeymoon, birthday, or anniversary, but from personal experience we’ve also welcomed guests who, we learned through casual conversation, were staying with us following a break-up, the death of a parent, or arriving to use our inn as a sanctuary while they re-examined their lives.
Had we simply run through the process and shown them their room without tuning into their emotions, we would have missed an opportunity to deliver what they expected. Granted, they didn’t reveal what they needed and what they needed. The joy of being an innkeepers is the ability to provide more than a room, it is to provide an experience.
And if you have staff, they can help.
BRING IN YOUR STAFF
It’s a certainty you’ve dined at a restaurant or shopped at a store where the manager’s dedication to service is compromised by the ambivalence of their staff.
Likewise, if you have employees, remember that for all intents and purposes they are your bed and breakfast. How they project themselves is something that your guests will remember more than the chocolate chip cookies and 1000-count sheets. You may have trained them how to clean rooms, do laundry, and serve breakfast, but have you shared with them the heartfelt reasons why you run an inn? Do they know why you want your guests to receive the best service? Are they aware that they have the power to create lifelong memories through simple gestures? Have you empowered them to make decisions that will exceed guest expectations?
If not, then they’re not really trained to fulfill your vision.
Ensuring that your employees are aware of and in line with your values and philosophy is a critical detail in the operation of your bed and breakfast. Or any business.
And details matter.
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
As a former Walt Disney World cast member, I often heard the story of Walt Disney dropping by Disneyland’s tiki bird attraction as it was being built. Although the birds could blink and move and sing, they didn’t breathe. His Imagineeers told Walt it’d be too difficult to rig pumps and valves and wiring to create that effect and although he heard the answer, he never detected a reason why the birds couldn’t breathe.
Walt shared with them that quality is sometimes so imperceptible that most guests may not even see it – but they’ll certainly know it’s there. The effort to make the birds breathe was emblematic of success and the Imagineers considered the challenge and the opportunity to give the guests something extra and so they created breathing birds.
More recently, that same point was made repeatedly in the autobiography of Steve Jobs. Author Walter Isaacson pointed out that under Jobs' guidance, Apple products not only worked superbly, but with their seamless lines, elegant design, near-absence of screws, they even looked like they would work superbly.
Having come from a video production background, we use the same approach at our bed and breakfast. Themed like a world traveler’s retreat, we apply details in the design and décor of the inn. Whether it’s the hand-painted trompe l’oeil border that matches that of an Arabic mural, the vintage passports discovered only by curious guests, the Moroccan fezes and pith helmets guests can wear when posing for photos… they are all details designed to transport guests from Central Florida to an around the world journey.
From incorporating props to educating and empowering your staff to understanding and anticipating the wants and needs and emotions of your guests…
What can you do to breathe new life into your bed and breakfast?
