Hotels are all about making their guests feel special. For the past year, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group (IRHG) has done just that at its four boutique hotels by creating special events and delights that they could treasure during their stay and beyond.
One such example features a guest who was a leader of a car group staying at the Skyline Lodge in Highlands, NC. The IRHG team crafted special car menus for the group for their dinner at Oak Highlands and put matchbox cars with Oak matches at every seat. According to the company, the group loved it and started trading cars with each other as they sat down.
The company also goes above and beyond for its team members. IRHG shared the story of one of its team members dining with his wife at Oak Highlands. It was their first visit to any IRHG restaurant, so the company wanted to make it special. The IRHG team got him a new Carhartt lunch bag and filled it with some goodies, accompanied by a personalized welcome card. They rolled out the red carpet for the couple and sent extra gifts. According to the company, the couple was so surprised and grateful but, “above all, they loved the food, service and amazing hospitality.”
Hotel Business caught up with Steve Palmer, founder/chief visionary officer, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, to discuss these “surprises and delights” and how they come about.
Why is it important to go the extra mile for guests?
In a world of transactional service that is most often without intention, letting our guests know that we appreciate them choosing to spend their time with us is the most touching thing we can do.
How has your company developed these special moments for guests?
We have developed them through leadership conferences, collaborative workshops and by giving each location the autonomy to express itself in a unique and original way. Creating these moments begins with thoughtful pre-arrival conversations with guests, asking questions about their stay, their meal, whether they are celebrating anything, perhaps why they chose to spend time with us and so on. We continue to build our opportunities for future surprise and delight moments by ensuring we take the time and care to add detailed guest notes to our reservation systems.
What should staff be looking for when looking to do this for one of the guests?
Teams should always look for ways to make an individual impact on the guest, not just a generic offering. The intention of surprise and delight is so the guests feel the individual experience based on them, not just an amenity that is sent to many. These should be specific to their tastes, likes and behaviors.
What kind of research does your staff do to find a guest to treat?
In addition to the pre-arrival outreach, the teams expand upon their intel through conversations during prior visits, asking more detailed questions about the celebration they may be planning or the reason for their visit. Again, the key is leaving the creative process up to your teams and ensuring they feel empowered to create the groundwork.
Any other tips or tricks for treating a guest to a memorable special moment?
It’s about authenticity—creating a culture with an authentic desire to connect with guests and make their experience special. When you create a thoughtful and intentional culture, the sincerity of the gesture shines through, and that’s where the magic happens.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think the surprise benefit for us is witnessing employee satisfaction and engagement rise through this process, which really creates an environment of wanting to take care of each other.
