Just a few days after I shared a blog post on the incredible leadership lessons I have observed from hotel General Manager @tomboyer which include his team going above and beyond the call of duty
because it was the right thing to do, I had one of the worst hotel experiences in my life.
When I was going through this terrible experience, I couldn’t help but wonder if the hotel gods were ganging up against me because of my admiration for Tom and Marriott hotels.
Quick Summary of the Terrible Story
Long story short, I had a reservation at this hotel for months. It was made by our client’s planning vendor and in total there was a block reservation for 50 people including all of our Business Acumen for Women in Leadership and the vendors which included myself and a colleague.
I should have realized something was going on when arrived after 10 pm tired, exhausted, and hungry. A woman whom I recognized as a participant in our program was being given directions to a different hotel.
I didn’t think anything of it as I was moments away from going to my room and getting a good night’s sleep.
Until I wasn’t.
As I was to learn later, the hotel staff pulled some very shady business by overbooking more than 20 people at much higher prices than the $93 negotiated by my client, and then to make a few extra bucks the hard way, they started to displace some of the late arriving guests who had rock solid reservation numbers…
The absolute lies that were told to me and other guests kicked off their reservations were disgraceful. In the span of 90 minutes, I was told bald-faced lie after bald-faced lie ranging from, “We don’t have your reservation in the system,” to “Someone canceled your reservation,” to “There must be some error but we suggest you go to another hotel” to, “We have a family staying here whose child is on hospice and we can’t have them the leave.” It was a complete clown show just to make a few extra dollars,
Long-Term Impact on Brand
The hotel screwed up and refused to just own up to it as human beings, which was truly infuriating. I was witness to 3 other guests who were sent away to find another hotel (which wasn’t easy).
But where does this come from? Desk employees don’t wake up one day and turn into bad people. It takes years of work and years of being around leaders who lie and aren’t very transparent.
I couldn’t help but think about the long-term implications to the brand of the hotel and the lasting negative feelings of the guests impacted.
Remember, it can take a lifetime to build a brand and 38 seconds to destroy it. This incident reminded me that trust and transparency are more important today than ever and that transparency in executing a business strategy is crucial for 5 reasons:
- Customer Focus: Being transparent drives a focus on the customer which will lead to better innovation and customer satisfaction. Sharing the truth with customers can make the difference between failure and success.
- Employee Satisfaction and Engagement: Employees are more engaged and motivated when they feel like they're a part of something bigger. Transparent communication about the company's strategy helps employees understand their role in achieving organizational goals, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention. Transparency to customers motivates employees to overachieve.
- Building Trust: Transparency breeds trust between stakeholders, including employees, customers, investors, and customers. When everyone understands the strategy and its implementation, they feel included and valued, fostering a positive environment.
- Alignment: Transparent communication ensures that everyone in the organization understands the goals, priorities, and expectations. This alignment helps focus efforts toward common objectives, avoiding conflicts, and maximizing productivity.
- Accountability: Transparency holds individuals and teams accountable for their actions and results. When processes and decisions are open to scrutiny, it encourages responsible behavior and discourages unethical practices.
In summary, transparency fosters a culture of customer focus, openness, collaboration, and accountability, which are essential ingredients for successfully executing a business strategy and driving the highest level of customer satisfaction.
