I was supposed to go to the opening of the new convention center in Hartford, Conn., today. Then I was felled by a dastardly stomach bug (you don’t want to know, trust me!). I rescheduled for Monday, so by next week I should have something to say about the Connecticut Convention Center, which has 140,000 square feet of exhibit space; a 40,000-square-foot ballroom; 25,000 square feet of meeting space; and 30,000 square feet of function space. I hope to also get a glimpse of the new Marriott and the Hilton Hartford, which is rumored to have a Chinese/Jewish deli restaurant that’s pretty good. I’m just bummed I missed all the pomp and circumstance of the official opening today. At least my stomach is starting to settle down, finally–I may have lost six pounds in a day, but this is one diet method I definitely do not recommend!

I just read what I think is a great idea in a bit on Hotel-Online. It’s about how, in the attempt to keep the personal touch in an era of increasing commoditization, hotels are trying to find innovative ways to make you feel welcomed, even when they can’t actually provide the personal touch. The author shows us a lovely poem–almost a blessing, really–that he found on his pillow on a recent trip. A snip:

To Our Guests

“The Stranger within our gates”

Because this hotel is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a for profit organization. We strive to ensure you will experience peace and rest while you are here.

May this room and this hotel be your “second” home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though we may not get to know you, we hope that you will be conformable and happy as if you were In your own house.

and it goes on to wish guests well in various aspects of life. He then asks three questions:

1. What would your guests think of this kind of message expressed at your hotel?
2. What do you do at your hotel to make each guest feel welcome?
3. Are there any additional suggestions you could share at your hotel or with readers of this column on how to reduce the potential of our hotels becoming commodities?

I can only answer for myself that
1. I would appreciate that at least they are trying, but it wouldn’t really make me feel personally welcomed. For that, it really does need to be personal, or at least have a human being involved.
2. The hotels I have felt most welcomed at are the ones where the front desk person acted as if they cared about my experience, not that I was just yet another hassle to be gotten through before their shift ends. They don’t have to call me by my name or remember that I like a certain amenity (though that’s spectacular when it happens), but just act like you’re glad to see me. Better yet, actually be glad to see me.
3. It’s really all about attitude, not “stuff.” The hotels that stand out in my mind aren’t always those that were the biggest, most beautiful, or most lavish (though I like that too, don’t get me wrong!). Even though the beds give me a backache, there’s a place in Stowe, Vermont, where we continue to go back to for our family ski weekends because they remember us (not from any database–more like, “Hey, weren’t you guys here last January when it was -15 degrees?”), and when we had to cancel at the last minute, they hustled to fill the rooms so we wouldn’t get stuck paying, even though we totally should have. They care about their customers. It’s not about a little note on the pillow; it’s about showing that you care about each customer, as a person. I guess I think it’s about looking at your customers as people instead of commodities–just as you want them to look at you as what you are, not just your rates and dates.

Anyway, the author is looking for input (I already gave him mine). E-mail your answers to john.hogan@bestwestern.com–and copy me at spelletier@charter.net. I’d be curious to know what you think.

Betsy Bair, editorial director of The Meetings Group, wrote an interesting editorial in this week’s MeetingsNet Extra e-newsletter about how strange it is that she, and I, and other industry magazine editors are getting so much air time on MeetingsRadio.com lately, instead of meeting planners.

Then I read Editors as Experts on the B or Not 2B blog, and I began to think, well, maybe editors should be pundits, at least in the business-to-business world. Does our talking on panels at industry shows, gabbing on the radio about issues you all face, or getting quoted in the newspaper do you guys justice? Should they go straight to the source, or should other media who don’t know meetings from a hole in the wall come to us to give them an interpretation and analysis of what’s going on in the business? I can argue both ways: On one hand, because we talk to so many people and do so much research, we might have a bigger picture view, and we might be able to communicate it in a way that other media types can understand. On the other, we’re not in the trenches every day, doing what you do, so our knowledge is all pretty much second hand.

Any opinions?

Betsy Bair, editorial director of The Meetings Group, wrote an interesting editorial in this week’s MeetingsNet Extra e-newsletter about how strange it is that she, and I, and other industry magazine editors are getting so much air time on MeetingsRadio.com lately, instead of meeting planners.

Then I read Editors as Experts on the B or Not 2B blog, and I began to think, well, maybe editors should be pundits, at least in the business-to-business world. Does our talking on panels at industry shows, gabbing on the radio about issues you all face, or getting quoted in the newspaper do you guys justice? Should they go straight to the source, or should other media who don’t know meetings from a hole in the wall come to us to give them an interpretation and analysis of what’s going on in the business? I can argue both ways: On one hand, because we talk to so many people and do so much research, we might have a bigger picture view, and we might be able to communicate it in a way that other media types can understand. On the other, we’re not in the trenches every day, doing what you do, so our knowledge is all pretty much second hand.

Any opinions?

This article from eTurbo News gives me the willies: Air Travelers Stripped Bare with X-ray Machines. A snip:

The agency in charge of the nation’s air security expects later this year to
begin using a controversial X-ray machine that will show airport screeners a
clear picture of what’s under passengers’ clothes — whether weapons or just bare
skin.

And, to go along with a glimpse of your birthday suit, they might soon get a glimpse at the date you started wearing it. The Transportation Security Administration is trying to roll out its Secure Flight computerized screening system, which would require you to give your full name and birthdate when you get your ticket. This idea seems to bother Congress more than the X-ray thing, though, so it may not get approved any time soon.

And all this makes us safer how?

Web strategy expert Philippa Gamse has written a proposal for a manifest on ChangeThis.com that could change the frustration level so many of us have when looking for info on the Web: Sites that just don’t work the way people think. She has proposed to write a manifesto on how sites can be more “emotionally connected” by actually being designed to accommodate the mindsets and meet the needs of their visitors.

How ChangeThis works is that someone proposes a manifesto, and those that get the most votes get to write the full manifesto and have it available for everyone to download. There’s no money involved; it’s just another way to get attention for ideas that can make life better.

Click here to vote on Philippa’s manifesto, then, if you like it and want to know more, click on “Write this Manifesto.” While you’re there, check out some of the other proposals, and the published manifestos that have made it through the process. There are many thought-provoking ideas out there that we all could take advantage of.

B U Z Z W O R D   O F   T H E   D A Y

chatterati: The talking heads,
pundits, columnists, talk show hosts, etc., who have
something "expert"
to say on every issue — whether it’s meaningful or not.

Courtesy of BuzzWhack.com. This seems particularly appropriate given yesterday’s editors as pundits post. But chatterati sounds so much more glamorous–not!

Joyce Landry and Josephine
Kling have just announced that they have reaquired Landry & Kling, the cruise agency they launched in 1982 and later sold. National Leisure Group was the latest owner. From a press release:

Landry will serve as CEO, and Kling, who
recently rejoined the company to partner with Landry in the buy-back, will
serve as President. The two partners purchased 100% of the stock in Landry
& Kling, Inc. and all of its assets from NLG.

“We’re extremely positive about the ever-expanding
opportunities that are available in the cruise industry for corporate meetings
and incentives,” Landry said, “and the
timing is right for cruises to capture a larger share of that market.”

I interviewed Ms. Landry for a cruise meeting article way back when I first started writing about this industry and knew zip about cruising, and she was both gracious about my ignorance and incredibly informative. Glad to see her and her partner back at the helm.