Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The End of Tourism as We Know It

Observers of the Destination Marketing sector watched in disbelief as forces within Sedona mounted a full-goose frontal assault on the local DMO in 2018. It's one thing to challenge community policies and strategies...but this got personally ugly.

Which is why, 18 months later, it is so cool to see an article in the Sedona Red Rock News showcasing how the DMO there has heard the complaints and moved rapidly to develop a long-term sustainability plan for the region.

This is what it means to be a Destination Marketing Organization in the third decade of this century. And, to hear the back story, check out the DMOU Podcast with Jennifer Wesselhoff. It's powerful stuff.

The End of Tourism as We Know It? Yeah...it will be Tourism as we redefine our approach to it. And, that will be different for each one of us.

Is it Me?

Or, is it increasingly impossible to find housekeepers to work their magic in America's hotels (don't answer...I know it's the latter).

I've been on the road on this merry-go-round of a gig for over 20 years. And, I've never experienced what I encountered in two of my recent business trips. Ever.

In the first episode, I came back to my room after a day of stakeholder interviews and Focus Groups to find my hotel room door propped wide open with a wooden wedge. One could only imagine how long that situation had gone on...but, certainly, by 6pm, it had been hours. I called the front desk to ask WTF? The operator lazily asked if anything was missing from my room. When I responded that I didn't think so, he said, "well, we're good then," and hung up. Really.

Then, the other day, I returned from another set of stakeholder interviews in another town to find that my room hadn't been made up. Hey, it happens. But, what was strange was that the towel, which I had purposefully hung on the shower curtain bar to do my part in saving the planet, was gone. So, not only was the room not made up, but housekeeping entered my room and ignored my request to save the environment in what appears was the only attempt they made to refresh my room. Odd, to say the least.

Here's hoping these mysterious occurrences don't come in threes...and that 2020 sees no more of these peculiar vexings.

You Can Check in Anytime You Like

Alas, the Night Man in the Eagles' classic "Hotel California" said that to a guest over 40 years ago...and it's just becoming a thing.

We've all been there, especially those of us that red-eye or fly internationally. But, even those of us that hit town at Noon have had to wait until the obligatory 3pm check-in time at most hotels. And, of course, short-staffed hotels are increasingly missing that mark.

But a movement has begun in the smaller, upscale, independent hotel groups around the world to allow customers, upon room availability, to check-in at any time of the day or night. While it could become an additional revenue stream, several of the hotels interviewed for a recent Skift article maintain the move is an opportunity to build loyalty among clients that have many choices in where they lay their head.

And, implementation is deceptively simple. Rather than having a morning and an afternoon crew to clean and prep rooms, these ingenious hotels are scheduling housekeepers on an hourly-rotating schedule.

Brilliant...and it only took 40 years.

Room Service

You'd think that with the advent of fairly ubiquitous food delivery services (at least in tier one and two cities) that hotels would respond by reducing their pricing and fees to stay competitive. Apparently, one hotel in Chicago doesn't think so.

Giving some air to a recent Facebook rant from our friend Peter Greenberg:

 I was at the W in Chicago and ordered a small 10-inch pizza from room service. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I expected to pay more for room service. That’s not surprising. I know what a pizza on the street costs. And a pizza delivered to my room should cost more. I get it.

Now let’s look at the bill that arrived with the pizza 38 minutes after the order was placed.

The 10-inch pizza was already a whopping $27. But we’re just getting started.

The hotel then charges me a $7 delivery charge, and then… a nearly 22% “in room delivery,” $6 charge.

This is followed by… sales tax, not just on the overpriced pizza itself, but on the service charges, and that came to $4.59.

And now…not the total, but the SUBTOTAL! It’s $44.53 for a small 10-inch pizza!

But we’re still not done…there was a space left (in case we were totally delusional and wanted to add more to our bill) for GRATUITY.

A GRATUITY? They wanted a tip? Ok…here’s MY tip — not for them, but for YOU.

First, insist on full disclosure from any hotel for ALL the charges it will attempt to hit you with before you order room service.

And second, my advice for hotels: it’s bad enough that this receipt represents a total gouge on guests, but if you still want to blatantly overcharge guests for room service, then at the very least don’t add to the insult by leaving an open space for “gratuity.”

By comparison, a phone order to Dominos for a larger 14-inch, SIX cheese pizza, WITH delivery, costs less than $20. And it got here two minutes faster!

 

What Have We Wrought?

Amtrak has announced that its classic dining car will soon be phased out, another vestige lost from a more refined era of transportation. Interestingly, according to Eater, they are publicly blaming Millennials.

Peter Wilander, Amtrak’s VP of product development and customer experience, told the Post, “Some people, especially our new millennial customers, don’t like (dining cars) so much. They want more privacy, they don’t want to feel uncomfortable sitting next to people.” They are the new generation of riders who just want to look at their phones in private all day.

What in the world have we done?

Broadening Our Sensitivity

Air Travel is a pain in the ass. One of the moments that lifts my spirits is the subterranean passage between concourses at DTW.  Especially when the light show is pumping Motown.

Recently, I noticed an option that has been added at the entrances to the passage (click image to enlarge). It had never dawned on me that the light show I so love could be so uncomfortable to those with sensory issues. The ability to shut down the cacophony for a few minutes is a wonderful add to making the DTW experience work for everyone.

And, for more on designing a sensory sensitive destination, check out our DMOU conversation with Julie Pingston from the Greater Lansing CVB.

 

Horses on a Plane

Don't get me wrong...I completely understand that some travelers need Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) in order to fly without distress.

But, let's be real clear here. The rules governing ESAs are being abused and taken advantage of by the self-absorbed among us. As Jeffrey Younggren, a clinical professor in the University of New Mexico's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences said recently, "ESAs (are) a well-intended, valuable concept that has now developed into something that is frequently nonsensical."

Like being able to bring a miniature horse on a plane?

It's allowed...and it happened just the other day.

Between dimwitted bureaucrats and people who think the rules don't apply to them (like paying an online firm $49 to get a letter from a "licensed thearapist" to circumvent the rules), it's always the malakas that screw it up for those who truly need it.

Sigh.

 

Thank You

When I think Labor Day, my first thought is to Unions. Maybe it's the annual LaborFest here in Madison that is put on by local unions. Maybe it's the image of people laboring hard to produce the products we need and love. And, part of it is the image of those workers who were taken advantage of over the years that collectively stood up and said, "no more."

That's what Labor Day is...and today is the 125th celebration of the American Worker, a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Maybe it's just me...but when I think Labor Day, I think brawn and sweat. But, on this Labor Day, I also think of the millions of people in the Hospitality Industry that are in service to millions of other people, often too self-absorbed to appreciate their dedication to their craft and the hours of dealing with thoughtless or condescending malakas. 

On this Labor Day, let's all say "thank you" to those in the Hospitality Industry who serve us and clean-up after us. We owe you a debt of gratitude that tips simply can't convey.

Here's to you all.

There Was a Plan B, After All

A few weeks ago, the City of Solvang abruptly severed its contract with its Destination Marketing Organization without an apparent Plan B. Realizing its error (shutting down its Visitor Center and festival and event support in the middle of high season), the City then hurriedly extended enough funding for a skeleton crew for the next couple months.

Then, this past Monday, the Council reversed itself completely, restored the contract and pledged to continue discussions and negotiations with the Chamber and its DMO. The City is still not happy with the situation and, at least from afar, it appears that the influence that Chamber membership has on its DMO's marketing is at least partially to blame.

It's why so many DMOs have ditched the "membership model" that restricts visibility to only those businesses that pay a fee. As Chambers have fewer available revenue streams, it's harder for them to operate inclusively. Thus, they are often criticized for favoring only members if the DMO resides within the Chamber.  

Clearly, members of the business community had a lot to do with opening the Council's eyes to their mistake. As one Lyft driver said, “Please, let’s be adults about this. Let’s not get personal. Without marketing we will be Ghost Town USA. We will not be Tourist Central."

True 'dat. Here's hoping cooler heads prevail in the weeks ahead.

What DMOs Do

Those of us in Destination Marketing often chuckle with each other that our families simply have no idea of what we do. Destinations International's Jack Johnson is on a mission to ensure that what we do is a shared community value (see yesterday's Z-News).

In the meantime, we refer anyone that doesn't understand what DMOs do to a recent article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal where the writer really went deep. And, let's be clear...that's a rarity these days.

For those of us in the Destination Marketing world, it's nothing we don't understand. For my friends from the outside, this article is a pretty sensational view of the work that DMOs do on your behalf.