ILHA Webinar Series Continues with "Strategies to Transform the Hotel Guest Experience"

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International Luxury Hotel Association

May 03, 2021, 11:49 ET

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) hosted their webinar series with a discussion on "Strategies to Transform the Hotel Guest Experience" on April 28. The webinar is part of ILHA's virtual series that focuses on important post-COVID-19 topics as it relates to the future of luxury hotels.

Strategies to Transform Hotel Guest Experience webinar

Hosted by StayNTouch, the webinar was moderated by Bridget Tran, CMO and CDO, The Transformation Groupe, and included guest speakers David Israel, Senior Vice President, hotelAVE; Jackie Volkart, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour Miami; and Jeanine Conforti, Sales and Marketing Director, Canyon Ranch.

You can view the webinar here.

Some of the webinar's discussion topics included developing a '360-degree guest experience' throughout the customer's journey, along with best practices for digital content and sales and marketing initiatives – all with a strong focus on guest services.

Jackie Volkart of The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach & The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour Miami has noticed that guests like to be in the loop, whether it's through social media, Trip Advisor, or Google. She believes that hospitality professionals should have their website constantly updated since we are living in uncertain times. Volkart also believes that the QR menu codes in hotel restaurants will be here to stay. She also noted that as hotels re-open and get busier, it's imperative to properly train hotel staff and continue to educate and communicate with guests.

Jeanine Conforti of Canyon Ranch shared that the number one priority right now is health and safety. Having strict COVID-19 guidelines is important not only for the guests, but also the staff. Her second priority is answering any questions guests may have. The rules and guidelines are constantly changing, so providing clear and transparent information will help instill confidence and trust between the hotel and guests.

David Israel of hotelAVE believes it's more important to communicate what you offer rather than what you don't. 70% of guest's opt-in for house cleaning, so giving guests the ability to choose how they want to be accommodated is extremely important, especially throughout the pandemic.

The speakers all agreed that pre-arrival communications programs and creating an atmosphere where guests feel comfortable is crucial. Guests want to know what restaurants are open or nearby, what activities they offer, the health and safety guidelines, etc. Providing a QR code that takes the guest to a list of health and safety guidelines would be useful and can be easily updated as rules change. Israel has found that QR codes are very successful and helpful when it comes to housekeeping.

The webinar on "Strategies to Transform Hotel Guest Experience" was sponsored by StayNTouch, an easy-to-use hotel property management system (PMS) enabling hotels to deliver an enhanced service experience, drive revenues, reduce costs, and streamline operations. To learn more about StayNTouch, please visit: https://www.stayntouch.com/

Discover more about the membership benefits of the International Luxury Hotel Association here and join our chapters and mentorship program so that you can get the support you need to advance your career and grow your business. Save $20 with the code WBSERIES20.

Written by CIIC.

About the International Luxury Hotel Association

The International Luxury Hotel Association is the luxury hospitality's preeminent association promoting, unifying and advancing the industry through insight, opinion and research.

ILHA reaches an audience of more than 500,000 hotel professionals in 90+ countries and produces LUXURY HOTELIERS Magazine, the ILHA Webinar Series and the INSPIRE SUMMITS in Europe and North America. They also run LinkedIn's largest hospitality and travel group which ranks in the top 100 of the more than 10 million professional groups on LinkedIn. Connect with us on theilha.com, hospitality and travel forum, ILHA Facebook, ILHA Instagram, ILHA Twitter, ILHA YouTube

SOURCE International Luxury Hotel Association