Enhancing Guest Communication Channels

Had an insightful conversation over the weekend with a colleague about a common pitfall in CX programs: relying solely on surveys and ignoring other valuable insights. Here are some key takeaways: Ease of Implementation Surveys are easy to deploy and manage, providing quantifiable data that’s simple to analyze. This makes them an attractive option for many organizations, especially those with limited resources. Tradition and Comfort Many companies stick to surveys because it’s what they’ve always done. Changing this entrenched practice can be challenging, especially if the leadership team prefers traditional methods. Resource Constraints Surveys can be cost-effective, making them appealing for smaller organizations that may not have the budget for more sophisticated tools. Organizational Silos Feedback often gets trapped within departmental silos, preventing insights from being shared and acted upon. Lack of Ownership Without clear ownership of the feedback loop, survey results can end up being ignored. It’s crucial to have designated teams responsible for analyzing feedback and driving action. Inadequate Analytics Capabilities Many companies lack the analytical capabilities - people and tech - to turn survey data into meaningful insights. Cultural Resistance Taking action on feedback requires change, which can be met with resistance. Companies need a culture of continuous improvement to effectively address feedback. Short-Term Focus Organizations sometimes prioritize short-term gains over long-term improvements, leading to reluctance in making significant changes based on feedback. Here is where we ended in terms of actions to take: 1. Integrate Multiple Data Sources: Combine survey data with digital analytics, social listening, and customer journey mapping for a comprehensive view of the customer experience. 2. Foster a Customer-Centric Culture: Encourage leadership commitment, employee training, and recognition programs that reward customer-centric behavior. 3. Invest in Analytics: Enhance analytics capabilities to turn data into actionable insights. 4. Close the Feedback Loop: Implement a closed-loop feedback system and communicate changes to customers. 5. Design Thinking and Customer Co-Creation: Use design thinking methodologies to deeply understand customer needs and co-create solutions. 6. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Promote collaboration across departments to discuss feedback and develop action plans. 7. Measure Impact and Iterate: Continuously measure the impact of changes and iterate to improve further. What are you doing to get out of the CX-as-a-survey (CXaaS) trap? #customerexperience #cx #surveys #analytics #designthinking #customercentric

Let’s have a real conversation. There’s smart hospitality, and there’s dumb hospitality. And the line between the two is getting clearer every day. Smart hospitality understands that the game has changed. It’s about connection, personalization, emotional intelligence, storytelling, and strategy. Dumb hospitality? It’s still stuck thinking that a renovated lobby and a 20% off promo in the off-season is innovation. It’s not. Smart hospitality creates memorable moments by design, not by accident. Dumb hospitality copies what the hotel down the street is doing, then blames the market when nothing changes. Smart hospitality trains its staff to be empowered, empathetic, and culturally aware. Dumb hospitality prints out scripts and expects “Have a nice day” to pass for guest engagement. Now let’s get tactical: ➤ Stop outsourcing your social media to people who have no clue what your hotel smells like, feels like, or sounds like. Your social is your front door, if it’s cold and generic, that’s the energy you’re putting out into the world. ➤ Create a feedback loop between your social media team, your marketing team, your front desk, and your GM. If the person running your Instagram doesn’t know your peak guest complaints and your top compliments, they’re flying blind. ➤ If you're not doing daily micro-meetings with your department heads to catch friction points in real time, you're not leading, you're reacting. A weekly meeting is too late. Daily huddles create accountability. ➤ Leverage your PMS and CRM data to tailor welcome messages, follow-up emails, and room assignments. The technology is there. The only thing missing is leadership that demands this level of attention to detail. ➤ Invest in staff training that goes beyond operations. Teach them hospitality psychology, teach them social media etiquette, teach them how to read a guest’s body language. This isn’t just service, this is strategy. ➤ Make your GM visible. I don’t care how big the property is. If your GM is only seen in internal meetings or when there’s a VIP on site, you're running a corporate ship, not a hospitality brand. Visibility builds culture. ➤ Turn your guests into creators. The best marketing team you’ll ever have is the people staying with you. But they need a reason to pull out their phone. Smart hospitality creates a culture of excellence that radiates from the inside out. Dumb hospitality hides behind policies, templates, and slogans. And here’s the hard truth: the guest always knows which one they’re in. ---- I’m Scott Eddy, keynote speaker, social media strategist, and the #15 hospitality influencer in the world. I help hotels, cruise lines, and destinations tell stories that drive revenue and lasting results, through strategy, content, and unforgettable photo shoots. If the way I look at the world of hospitality works for you, and you want to have a conversation about working together, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com.

Most hotels are missing a huge revenue channel by ignoring email marketing. Here's what we've learned building email strategies for hotels 👇🏻 While I've spent the last year showing you how to leverage social media, email marketing remains criminally underutilized in hospitality. Unlike social media followers, your email list is something you actually own. Email gives you direct access to potential guests, allowing you to: ✔️ Send targeted campaigns based on location ✔️ Retarget previous guests ✔️ Personalize messages ✔️ Drive bookings without constant ad spend But for hotels, email marketing has been a black box... Most industries have countless resources for email strategy. For hospitality? Almost non-existent. Even big brands are just running basic discount campaigns and bland promotional emails. Here's what's working in our email strategy: ✅ Building Our List There are two main drivers - previous guests and website sign-ups. For website sign-ups, we skipped the typical discount pop-ups that would cheapen our brand. We focused on value-driven offers like free stay giveaways to build our list while maintaining luxury positioning. ✅ Weekly Content Strategy Weekly emails strike the perfect balance–keeping guests engaged without overwhelming them. Unlike retail where customers buy monthly, hotel guests book a few times a year. We don’t need to flood guests with emails–we're playing the long game. Mix local activities, events, and property highlights. ✅ Personalization That Converts Targeted messaging helped our email strategy standout. We created campaigns for: ✔️ Local guests seeking quick getaways ✔️ Past guests reminiscing about their stays ✔️ Engaged subscribers ready to book All without paid ad costs. ✅ Email Flows That Drive Revenue This is where email marketing became a game-changer. We created automated sequences to: ✔️ Welcome new subscribers with our story ✔️ Re-engage guests who haven't booked in 9-12 months ✔️ Keep inactive subscribers engaged Here's exactly how to get started: 1. Choose Your Platform Klaviyo is our go-to. While there are many options, we've found it works best for hospitality and is easiest to use. 2. Build Your Foundation Start by compiling past guest emails from your PMS. Then create compelling sign-up offers and popup forms for new subscribers. 3. Set Up Your Flows Top priority: a welcome flow introducing your property's unique experience & story.  Then add: - Flows targeting previous guests - Re-engagement campaigns for inactive subs 4. Plan Weekly Content Map out a calendar mixing: - Local events and activity guides - Behind-the-scenes content - Strategic promotions (but keep them minimal) 5. Design Your Template Create a consistent look: - Clean header with logo and booking links - Mobile-optimized layout - Strategic CTA placement Every property's email list is unique. Test different approaches, analyze what resonates, and find what works best for your property.

Closing the loop on customer feedback is an art — but a crucial one for driving product growth. Here's how to do it: 1. Open the channels Make it seamless for customers to submit feedback through your product, community, and other touchpoints. 2. Analyze and prioritize Identify the highest-impact issues across your feedback sources. Prioritize those areas accordingly. 3. Acknowledge receipt Even a simple, automated response goes a long way in making customers feel heard when they take the time to share thoughts. 4. Provide updates Keep the conversation going. Follow up with customers who submitted feedback to share how you're addressing their issue. 5. Implement and iterate Take action on the prioritized issues. Continuously improve based on renewed feedback. The bottom line: Customers who feel listened to are more invested in your success. Treat their feedback as a dialogue, not a monologue.

Luxury's Little Secrets: How Five Micro-Gestures Drive Millions In luxury hospitality, the most profitable brands are often not defined by their perks and amenities. True market leaders have mastered something much better: the consistent, daily execution of small, emotionally intelligent touchpoints that build profound guest loyalty. 5 Wining Micro-Gestures: Empowering Frontline Teams to Act: The most successful luxury brands give their staff full autonomy to resolve issues in real-time. By removing the need for approvals on refunds, upgrades, or comped services, they create an environment of instant resolution. This builds trust and creates a sense of effortless service that guests value above all else. Proactive Personal Check In's: Rather than the usual, scripted questions like "Is everything okay with your room?", the best teams are trained to engage with guests on a personal level. They ask, "Did you enjoy the private yoga session yesterday? Would you like me to book another one for you?" This shifts the convo from a corporate formality to a genuine, heartfelt inquiry that drives authentic upsells. Unscripted, Tailored Communication: Scripted notes are forgotten. The most memorable experiences come from an unscripted, human touch. When staff send a handwritten note that references a previous conversation, like "We noticed you enjoyed the wine tasting, here’s a bottle we think you’ll love" it creates a powerful connection. This personal connection builds a level of trust that allows guests to follow recommendations and spend more. Perfectly Timing: Luxury is found in surprise. It’s not about grand, expensive gifts, but about perfectly timed, unexpected treats that show genuine attention to detail. A custom smoothie delivered to the breakfast table after a staff member noticed a guest loves tropical fruits. The return on investment for these small acts is huge and could even lead to viral social media posts and repeat bookings. Personal Recognition 2.0: Far beyond just using a guest’s name at check-in, these resorts make it a constant practice. Staff members across all departments are trained to acknowledge a guest by name and reference a previous conversation. This act of recognition makes guests feel seen and valued, which is the ultimate luxury. When guests feel a personal connection to a brand, they are much more likely spend more and become lifelong brand fans. The secret to success isn't about building a bigger resort; it's about building deeper relationships. The question is, are your teams ready to execute these small gestures that win guests and grow your bottom line? #luxurytravel #luxurytraveladvisor #luxuryhotel #luxuryhospitality

Communication gaps and weak feedback loops hurt business success. [Client Case Study] A large hospital network noticed declining patient satisfaction scores. Even with state-of-the-art facilities and technology, patients reported feeling unheard, frustrated, and confused about their care plans. The executive team assumed the problem was with staff training or outdated workflows. ‼️ Mistake: Relying on high-level reports and not direct frontline feedback. Nurses, doctors, and administrative staff communicate differently based on their backgrounds, generations, and roles. - Senior physicians prefer face-to-face or email communication - Younger nurses and tech staff rely on instant messaging and digital dashboards - Patients (especially elderly ones) need clear verbal explanations, but many received rushed instructions or digital paperwork ‼️ Mistake: Differences weren't acknowledged and crucial patient information was lost, leading to errors, frustration, and decreased trust. Frontline staff experienced communication challenges daily but lacked a way to share them with leadership in a meaningful way. ❌️ Reporting structures were too slow or ineffective. Feedback was either ignored, filtered through multiple levels of management, or only addressed after major complaints. ❌️ Executives made decisions based on outdated assumptions. They focused on training programs instead of fixing communication systems. ❌️ Systemic decline Employee burnout increased as staff struggled with inefficient systems. Patient satisfaction declined, leading to lower hospital ratings and reimbursement penalties. Staff turnover rose, increasing costs for recruitment and training. 💡 The Solution: A Multi-Channel Communication Strategy & Real-Time Feedback Loop ✅ Physicians, nurses, and patients receive information in ways that align with their preferences (e.g., verbal updates for elderly patients, digital dashboards for younger staff). ✅ Digital tool that allows staff to flag communication issues immediately rather than waiting for annual surveys. ✅ Executives hold regular listening sessions with frontline employees to better understand challenges before making changes. The Result - Patient satisfaction scores improved - Employee engagement increased - Operational efficiency improved Failing to adapt communication strategies and strengthen feedback loops affects reputation, retention, and revenue. (The 3Rs of a successful organization.) Frontline operations directly impact customer and employee experiences. This hospital’s struggle isn’t unique. Every industry faces the risk of misalignment between leadership decisions and frontline realities. Weak feedback loops and outdated communication strategies create costly inefficiencies. If your employees don’t feel heard, your customers won’t feel valued. Business suffers. Are you listening to the voices that matter most in your business? If not, it’s time to start.

How a Simple Welcome Note Can Boost Guest Reviews Sometimes, the smallest details make the biggest difference What’s the secret to creating a memorable guest experience? It’s not always about lavish gifts or over-the-top gestures. Sometimes, all it takes is a heartfelt welcome note. Here’s why this simple addition can transform guest stays: 1️⃣ It Sets the Tone. Imagine arriving at a property and seeing a personalized note with your name. It feels warm, thoughtful, and intentional—like you’re truly valued. 2️⃣ It Shows You Care. A handwritten or carefully designed note says, "I took the time to think about you." Guests feel appreciated, and this often reflects in their reviews. 3️⃣ It Creates Connection. Use the note to share something personal about the stay: “Welcome, XYZ! The sunset view from the patio at 6 PM is breathtaking. Hope you enjoy it!” 4️⃣ It Encourages Communication. Include a line about being available for any questions or needs. Guests are more likely to reach out, creating trust and better relationships. 5️⃣ It Stays with Them. Long after they’ve left, guests remember the thoughtful note—and often mention it in their feedback. 👉 Pro Tip: Keep it short but sweet. A few lines that are personal and genuine can have a lasting impact. Example: "Dear XYZ, Welcome to your home away from home! We’ve stocked the kitchen with your favorite coffee, and the local guidebook is on the counter for you. Enjoy your stay! Best, [Your Name]" Small gestures, big results. P.S. Have you ever received a thoughtful welcome gesture as a guest? What stood out to you?

Practical NLP Techniques to Align Perceptions and Realities in CX In my last post, I discussed how perception is often more important than reality in customer experience. Today, I’ll explore practical NLP techniques that help align these perceptions, drawing from both CX and hospitality management insights. Sensory Awareness in Customer Interactions In both NLP and hospitality, sensory awareness—picking up on tone, body language, and expressions—is key to understanding emotions. For example, during my stay at Ritz Carlton Singapore for a Diversity and Inclusion conference, I was visibly tired after a long journey. The check-in team recognized my fatigue, offering a refreshment and expediting the process, without me having to voice my frustration. This attentiveness turned a potentially negative experience into a positive one. Similarly, hospitality professionals excel at creating personalized experiences by reading subtle cues. Whether in a hotel or bank, these small actions make a significant difference in customer perception. Reframing to Shift Perceptions Customers’ perceptions don’t always align with operational realities. This is where reframing, a core NLP technique, can help. For instance, a customer might view a service delay as poor service, but by explaining it as a step to ensure higher quality, we can shift their perception. In my hospitality course, we discussed how reframing can alleviate dissatisfaction, whether by providing a reason for delays or offering thoughtful gestures that reposition service challenges as commitments to excellence. Proactive Communication to Manage Expectations While metrics like CES (Customer Effort Score) gauge ease of service, anticipating customer needs through proactive communication takes service to the next level. For example, Ritz Carlton’s approach of informing guests about potential delays or offering alternatives transforms an average experience into an exceptional one. This same principle applies in banking or any service industry—managing expectations by proactively informing customers of wait times or offering compensation can positively influence how they perceive their experience. While CX metrics are crucial, they don’t always capture the full picture. Sensory awareness and reframing, combined with proactive communication, help align customer perceptions with operational realities, leading to more impactful customer interactions. By bridging the gap between perception and reality, we foster a truly customer-centric approach. #customerexperiences #sensoryexperience #nlpmasterpractitioner #customerenablement

Your Best Business Consultant Might Be Your Own Customer One of my clients was losing customers faster than they could onboard new ones. Support tickets were piling up. Churn rate kept rising. The issue wasn’t the product, it was silence. They weren’t listening to the right people. So we built a Customer Feedback Loop System in just 3 steps: ↳ Step 1: Capture the Voice of the Customer. We set up exit surveys, automated feedback requests post-purchase, and a suggestion box on the website. ↳ Step 2: Organize the Data. We categorized all feedback into themes: speed, communication, usability, etc. This revealed patterns the team had never noticed. ↳ Step 3: Act on It, Fast. We implemented changes WEEKLY, not monthly. One minor tweak to onboarding alone dropped support tickets by 40%. Within 2 months, their NPS jumped by 27 points. More importantly? Customers started referring others, because they felt heard. The truth is: Every business problem is a communication problem first. And the best fixes often come from the people already using your service. Want to build a feedback loop that actually improves retention and experience? Grab my free Customer Feedback System Builder guide, I walk you through exactly how to set it up in your business. Link is in the comment section below. This is what I help small business owners do; build systems that turn feedback into fuel for growth and customer loyalty. #systems #leadership #business #strategy #ProcessImprovement