Here's a surprising way to create a more personalized experience for business travelers.
People who travel for business a lot always tell me the same thing.
Some of their most incredible new business deals happen while traveling.
Yes, conferences and conventions are responsible for a lot of that.
But from what I understand, the best deals happen more haphazardly, either by sitting next to the right person on the airplane or sharing an Uber.
This got me thinking.
Why can't these kinds of business deals also happen at a hotel?
They usually don't because most people hang out in their rooms.
But when you think about it, a hotel is perfectly set to let these magical business moments happen and orchestrate them as well.
To test my theory, I launched The Businesses Serendipity Program.
It works like this:
When a guest books for business purposes, we delve into their business details, job responsibilities, and everything else we can about who this person does business with.
(LinkedIn is an excellent source for this info by the way)
Our goal?
To identify potential networking and business opportunities within our guest list or amongst the local businesses the hotel does business with.
In other words, we actively seek out potential connections to benefit our guests' business goals.
If we spot a match, we find clever ways to orchestrate these chance encounters into fruitful business opportunities.
Sometimes, we have no choice but to make a direct introduction.
But we find that the most effective way is to make these chance encounters feel more "natural."
One time, for what we saw as a very profitable opportunity for both parties, we even went as far as purposefully booking both people to the same room.
It was risky on our part, but they are still doing business together.
And the reason I know this is because they still visit the hotel.
Another time, when we noticed that our guest had made a reservation for one in our restaurant, we invited officers from a local business to a free dinner and had them sit close to our guest.
This proactive approach transforms the average business trip hotel stay into a profitable or fruitful experience.
By facilitating these valuable connections, we enhance our guests' experience and potentially contribute significantly to their professional success.
And because people like to go to places where "the right type of people go," it also makes the hotel look good and creates a ton of repeat business.
It's a win-win for everyone.
Wish you were here.
Tom
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