EP #23 – The Complete Customer Experience, with Tony Bodoh

Working in the hospitality industry we all know reviews are critical. But do you know the specific ways to go from 3-star reviews to 4-star and even 5-star? Or what it means if you are regularly receiving below 3-stars, and what you should be fixing in your hotel in order to improve guest reviews? On this episode of Hospitality Academy, Tony Bodoh is here to answer those questions. He’s an expert on the subject of customer experience in the hospitality world. We will talk about why the human connection is such a defining factor for hotel guests, even in today’s digital age. And he shares what to look for when you’re reading online reviews and surveys, the keys that will help you know exactly what to change and what to do more of in your hotel to create the complete customer experience. Essential Learning Points From This Show: * What is the hedonic treadmill and why should you know? * A simple factor that separates 4-star reviews from 5-star reviews. * How to look for little changes that have a big impact on guest experience and improve guest reviews. * 2 simple ways to drive better sales. * Why does your hotel’s smell matter so much? * And so much more! From an early age, Tony Bodoh learned the importance of connection. It’s a lesson he’s carried with him throughout his life and a message he shares with his clients in multiple industries, including hospitality. Today he is a trainer for Fortune 1000 companies in hospitality, a best-selling author, and international keynote speaker. On today’s episode of Hospitality Academy, Tony shares the wisdom he’s learned. We talk about the 3-star hotel that consistently generates 5-star reviews, how behavioral economics impacts your ratings from guests, and the best way to read reviews for maximum impact. Tony brings up a hotel in Nashville that continues to outperform its competitors: it is rated as a 3-star type place so when guests arrive they have the expectation of being treated as though they are staying at a 3-star hotel. But when they are treated as if they are guests of a high-end, 5-star establishment, they are blown away. As a result, this hotel continues to outshine any of its local competition simply by going above and beyond. The staff has been trained on how to create a human connection and how to know how much of a connection the guest wants to receive. Tony also shares some fascinating behavioral economics that influences a guest’s rating of their stay at a hotel. One facet of behavioral economics has shown that people feel twice as bad when they lose something, versus the happiness of when they gain something. Guests have expectations when they walk in the door of your establishment. If they expect a 3 and you deliver a 5, they’re going to feel pretty darn good. But if they expect a 3 and you deliver a 1 or a 2, they are going to feel robbed and victimized…and it’s going to hurt twice as much. Those 1s and 2s come when a specific feature or function of your hotel did not work, the basics like the linens were dirty and the carpet was stained. These are all below basic expectations of any hotel or motel. If you see 1s and 2s in your online reviews and guest surveys you know you need to invest in the physical aspect of your hotel, and perhaps preventative maintenance and capital upgrades. Also on this episode of Hospitality Academy, Tony explains the best way to read those surveys and reviews so you can see clear patterns in your hospitality business and a few simple things you can do to increase sales. He also gives an interesting example of a hotel that used gratitude to save a multi-million dollar client! Listen in for that and more on today’s Hospitality Academy.