Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

David Burke

It's been years since we last spoke...but I never thought that last time would be.

David Burke, the long-time GM of the Breakers Palm Beach died unexpectedly last week. In a world of hospitality professionals who are generally nicer than the general population, David was one of a handful of tourism executives that stood out among a crowded field. I always looked forward to our time together when our careers connected us...and I'll now, once again, not be able to tell someone how much they meant to me.

And to so many others. To whit...this quote from his obit in Smart Meetings: 

“The first day on the job here...in your orientation class, first thing is you do a half-day of community service,” he said. “It’s all about ingratiating yourself into the community and doing what’s right. It’s so much fun working for a company that can do the right thing all the time.”

Yeah...we lost a huge heart.

Rest, David. And, we are all better for the way you lived your life.

Not Quite Midwest Express...But Closer

We all have our favorite airlines. Mine is Delta.

It starts with having the most flights out of MSN on the largest planes. That means I get upgraded more often because I fly them the most.

But, it goes beyond that. Delta gate agents are, hands down, less likely to lie to customers when something goes wrong than any other airline in this country. I've only caught them in one lie in the past five years and, though it resulted in me driving home from Atlanta rather than Roanoke (which would have been closer), I get that it was a weird day (the ATC fire in Chicago) and they were probably doing the best they could. Yeah...bless their heart.

But, now comes word that they are ordering a bunch of new jets with a 2x3 configuration to eliminate the number of middle seats on key business-travel routes. Oh, hell yeah. That's like almost affirming that Midwest Express was right. 

Wanna double down, Delta? Bring back the Cookie.

LOL.

On Tipping

The evolving debate over the custom of tipping often plays out in major cities facing $15/hour pay mandates. So, it's refreshing to see a restaurant in tiny Delta WI get international exposure through a Skift piece on the evolution of the practice.

Realizing that servers could, on a great weekend, walk away with $400/night during peak season (while line cookies wouldn't break $100), Delta Diner's Todd Bucher said no mas. And, he added the tip to the bill.

There was no discernable push back from customers because, in the end, they didn't feel a financial hit on the final bill.

Bucher expects a 30 to 40 percent growth in revenues within five years after eliminating tipping. He says staff turnover is down dramatically and he expects his once 5 percent profit margin will eventually hit 13 to 15 percent with this new operational structure.

So worth a read.

 

The Thought Process Behind Placement

Don't get me wrong...I think that making condoms available for sale in hotels is a good idea. It was just the way that such a service was offered during a recent stay that made me chuckle.

If you click on the image and look on the sixth line down of the very colorful products board, you'll see "Condoms" nestled between "Soda" and "Hoodie."

Though I'm giggling, I'm not sure I can suggest a better location. It probably doesn't fit next to "Pop-Tarts." Does it match up more effectively with "Batteries," "Shotglass" or "Bath Bomb?" I don't know.

I do know that I love how random this sign is...and would love to know the thought process that went into an obviously carefully considered piece of chalk art.

Don't Blame Amazon

Just as Video didn't kill the Radio Star, at least one analyst maintains that Amazon and the internet didn't kill Toys "R" Us.

In a fascinating piece on eMarketer Retail, Krista Garcia crunches the numbers and finds that Toys "R" Us wasn't hurt by Amazon as much as they were by Target and Wal-Mart: "Toys "R" Us buyers were less likely to purchase on Amazon than toy buyers in general and more likely to buy on both Walmart and Target (46.8% vs 38.6%)."

Her analysis holds that there is still room for specialty big-box retailers (like Best Buy)...but that the debt Toys "R" Us had accumulated prevented them from transitioning to a Best Buy strategy of becoming a "showroom" for product.

Double Duty

You gotta love the innovation that Brandon Rounds brings to his job at Madison's HotelRED. 

By day, he is the hotel sales and events manager. On select nights, he becomes Bianca Lynn Breeze and presides over the hotel's Drag Queen Bingo, drawing over 100 each night.

It's the perfect combination of visitor and local activation of a hotel...and a blast, to boot.

Very cool.

Image Credit: Jenny Peek / Isthmus

Where's the FCKn Chicken?

That's what UK fans of Kentucky Fried Chicken were saying most of last week as 800 of the country's 900 KFC restaurants were forced to close because they were out of...you guessed it, chicken.

While it appears the snafu was caused by a supply-chain switch to a new carrier, it still was up to KFC to apologize to its customers. And, I can't think of a more hilarious way of saying they FCKd up (click on the image to read the full-page ad they ran last week).

Brilliant.

On the Precipice of the Great App Purge

When Apps hit the consciousness of Destination Marketers, the mad dash to score one was completely understandable. The Mobile Web was yet to realize its promise and Apps made perfect sense...in a temporal way.

Fast forward to a time when responsive design and more robust download speeds are de rigueur...and Apps have all but been relegated to satisfying requests from stakeholders and investors who think the technology is the "latest and greatest."

In a fascinating post, Mike Cooper suggests that the great App Purge is upon us...and that Bots will soon drive brand engagement.

It's worth your read.

And, thanks to our friend Joe Buhler for the catch.

The United States of Amazon

It's their world...we just pay to live in it.

While almost everyone I know winks and says "Amazon Prime, baby," from time to time...I never stopped to count just how many people fork over $99/year for free shipping and streaming services.

Sitting down? New research indicates that 45% of American households are Amazon Prime subscribers. Which equals over $5.5 Billion spent each year with Amazon for a service that most of us may use...but certainly don't need.

I'll just let that sink in...

An Air Law (starting to be) Enforced

Years ago, we initiated a series of blog posts we called "Air Laws" (in the Miller Beer "Man Laws" vein) to suggest a more graceful way of flying.

Out of the 21 Laws that were ultimately established, Air Law 1 is the most important. Reclining sucks.

So, it's cool to see that British Airways is ordering a bunch of planes with seats that don't.

It's a start! Finally!