Hotels & Tourism trends ~ customer service & iPods

Joseph R. Kane (President/CEO Days Inn Worldwide Inc.) told area hoteliers and tourism businesses that the key to success is customer service, planning and training. A University of Michigan study that tracked 39 industries found that the customer satisfaction for lodging dropped 3 percent, he said.

Fast food restaurants had a higher customer approval. “Service in our industry has become a lost art,” Kane told his peers. “If service isn’t there, people will leave. We must see ourselves as our customers see us.”

Q: “What are some of the hotel trends emerging nationally - new gadgets or must-have items?”

Kane | I think in the future you’ll see iPods that connect to speakers in the room and more flat screen TVs. They make the room look more residential. You’ll see more energy-efficient building - like window insulation to save on energy costs. The sleep experience is important. There will continue to be high-quality mattresses. The standard is 600 coils. You can have anything above that, but not under that.

They should be focused on the return of that customer. We spend billions in bringing customers in and it costs almost nothing to retain a customer.

Source: Jenny Burns, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC