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Hotels spend a lot of energy trying to keep guests on property. The most memorable ones, it turns out, do the opposite. This past month, our writer Jennifer Glatt spoke with Julie Jimenez Ramey, director of sales and marketing at Chaminade Resort & Spa, about turning a hotel into the gateway to its destination. She also spoke with Kassandra McLaren, head of North America at Monty Reviews, about catching guest problems while they're still fixable (and before they become one-star history).
— Bianca Prieto, editor
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The most memorable hotels send their guests out the front door
Expert: Julie Jimenez Ramey, Director of Sales & Marketing, Chaminade Resort & Spa
Ramey's guests aren't looking for a place to sleep. They're looking to leave changed, and Chaminade built its programming around that shift: guided forest therapy, beekeeping, partnerships with local farmers, artisans and musicians that pull Santa Cruz into the property instead of walling it out. The logic is simple. A guest who connects with the destination credits the hotel that made it happen. Keep guests captive and you're one stay. Send them out well and you're the reason they come back.
Your guests go quiet at the front desk and loud on Google
Expert: Kassandra McLaren, Head of North America, Monty Reviews
McLaren says the most expensive silence in hospitality is the three days between a guest's bad moment and their public review. Guests have stopped complaining in person (it feels confrontational) and started reviewing after checkout, when nothing can be fixed. Worse, the person with the leaky faucet often isn't even in your PMS, because they didn't make the booking. During-the-stay recovery is where independents can actually beat the big brands, but only if guests have a channel to reach the right person in the moment. GMs currently spend nine to 12 hours a week on damage control that a live feedback loop would have prevented.
The silence that's costing you future bookings (and how to break it) →
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YOU'RE ALL CAUGHT UP
We hope you enjoyed this month's roundup. And hey, if you've been reading Mint Pillow for a while and think your story is worth telling, we'd love to hear from you. Jennifer is always looking for hotel owners and operators who are doing things a little differently. Send us a note.
