Everything technology-related for Monscierge.
Monscierge headquarters is located in Downtown Oklahoma City, blocks away from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and a few miles away from Moore, OK. Many of us were born and raised in Oklahoma and know first-hand the resiliency of our neighbors. Oklahomans are asked on occasion why we would want to live in Tornado Alley. We answer with a bit of bravado, rubbing the toe of a boot in the red dirt while brushing off any claims of fear. We have the best meteorologists in the world, we know how and when to prepare, and we have a battle plan. In reality, anyone who has stared down an EF5 tornado is on a first-name basis with fear. So why do we stick around? That part is easy. It’s what happens later. We are fiercely proud of our extreme weather, breathtaking sunsets, the dirt that dyes everything red, our heritage, and the many natural wonders our state holds; but those are secondary. We are here because of the men and women who rush into a building seconds after a bomb goes off to look for survivors. We are here because of ordinary people who step out of a cellar to find …
I had an interesting service experience yesterday that led me to wonder what went into the training of the staff. The young man I dealt with was efficient and polite, but the interaction was odd. His words were pleasant enough, and he even joked around with me a little bit, but he never once smiled. It bugged me a little, but the main thing I took away from it was that he didn’t like his job. Why? Because he told me. This is the third time in the last two weeks I’ve had service employees “leak” job complaints to me. Is this a coincidence or a growing trend? The first time, I was in a store waiting for help. An employee noticed me, but asked the other girl to come assist me. She then turned back to me and said, “Sorry, she’s slow. None of us like her.” I thought it was an extreme, isolated event. I realized it wasn’t when I returned to the same store. I thought the woman helping me had just had some kind of jaw injury, as she was speaking to me through clenched teeth. It took me a few minutes to realize that her …
In my humble opinion, good coffee is an integral part of the guest experience. More than half of U.S. adults drink coffee every morning, and the majority of them say they are not themselves without it. Most hotels have coffee pots available to guests in-room, which is fantastic for those (including myself) who would rather not face a lobby full of people before their morning coffee. I only remember one hotel stay that did not offer this amenity, but there was a very excellent selection provided right outside the elevator each morning. The better quality made up for having to leave my room to obtain it. My point here is, at the very least, to provide decent coffee for your guests along with an easy way for them to get it. On my recent trip with my kids, I woke up each morning at least two hours before they did. My philosophy is to never wake a sleeping child (they are easier to keep an eye on that way), so I was happy to see that I would be able to brew a couple cups of coffee in the room without disturbing anyone. I was much less happy with the …
Anyone even moderately engaged in social media for business has read countless articles best practices. You have probably noticed that social media experts (of either the true or the self-proclaimed variety) often disagree on these points. I keep a running list of “rules” I follow, and adjust them if needed when I come across a better idea. That being said, my two biggest rules are stay calm and be flexible. There are a few topics about which I feel very strongly, and one is scheduling tweets. I’ve seen passionate arguments for and against scheduling, and I believe there is a case to be made for both. Following are my personal guidelines for scheduling. Use a scheduling app for spacing out tweets and keeping up with things you want to remember. Sometimes, you find two or three excellent articles all at once but don’t want to spam your followers with multiple tweets within seconds. Scheduling allows you to space them out so you won’t forget to publish them later. I find this most useful when I need to focus on a project and don’t want to be distracted with the constant need to find more content. Do not add Facebook to …
My favorite article last week was from Hotel Management about singling out a guest on arrival. The article talks about the Hilton Memphis, which chooses one guest and singles them out for room upgrades and other goodies. What struck my in this story was the energy created for other guests just by being indirectly involved. “It costs nothing and creates energy, and a hotel is a hotel until somebody creates energy.” (Bill Spencer, GM of the Hotel Memphis) Why does this happen and how can you recreate this phenomenon in your own hotel? Humans are social creatures. We generally enjoy feeling more connected to those who surround us. As a bit of an introvert myself, one of the biggest travel stresses for me is being surrounded by people I don’t know. A hotel that facilitates even a small emotional connection between its guests by creating this kind of energy will make travelers feel more comfortable with each other, and happier with their stay. Aside from what the Hotel Memphis is doing, here are some energy-infusing from my friend Tom Costello at iGroupAdvisors: Create a social space. Guests who are checking in to the hotel would be handed an ‘invitation’ to …