Today’s market is saturated with hotels, brands and accommodation offerings of every kind. Moreover, in such an extraordinarily complex distribution and intermediary landscape, it is hardly surprising that guests are confused by the range of options available to them when making a choice. As guest expectations are also changing, is it any surprise that many hotels are struggling to maintain their competitive edge? With so many options, how can guests decide what suits them best? And how can hospitality businesses stand out in order to attract them? I have mentioned several times in these pages that focusing solely on the product—room types, facilities and so on—is not enough. These are aspects that do not leave a lasting impression on guests’ minds. Experience is everything, which is why the brand once again plays a pivotal role for hotels.

What Are We? A Hotel or a Brand?

If we were to ask ourselves what our brand differentiator is, we would most likely offer a detailed explanation of operational and service-related aspects, yet we would struggle to explain what makes our hotel truly unique and distinctive. The question is: are we a hotel or a brand? Many hotels, regardless of their size or category, offer very similar products. They also often lack a distinctive personality of their own. When a guest’s choice depends solely on products that can be instantly compared in terms of price and features, hotels are left in a highly vulnerable position. A brand, however, endures over time. A brand can weather market storms. In short, creating a brand personality means defining what you offer. Naturally, there is the tangible offering: the quality of the rooms, the spa, the restaurants and so on. And, of course, there is service quality and the way guests perceive it, which is why hotel managers stress its importance to their teams. Yet the best hotels—the ones succeeding today—extend their definition beyond these two elements to embrace the concept of hospitality. Hotels, and luxury hotels in particular, are in the business of caring for people. This goes beyond service. Luxury hospitality must be a transformative experience. It should change something in each person. It should create cherished memories, enrich their experience and become part of their life story. Guests from all over the world arrive at a hotel. It is vital to look beyond cultural differences and provide the care they deserve, even before guests themselves are aware of their needs. Service is action-oriented and focused on caring for people; when care is offered, it evokes a feeling. Feelings are passed from person to person. Genuine care changes emotions. And its impact spreads. This is hospitality. True hotel brands develop and nurture hospitality, integrating it into their brand DNA. The rest are simply hotels. We can see that the concept of hospitality takes many forms depending on the type and category of hotel. However, it is founded on care, passion, anticipating guests’ needs and the pleasure of making people happy.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence.

A hotel offers hospitality and has a compelling, memorable brand story. How, then, can it turn seemingly intangible elements into a tangible business transaction? One way is through emotional intelligence, which Daniel Goleman defined as "understanding one’s own feelings, empathy for the feelings of others, and the regulation of emotions in a way that enhances life." The link between emotional intelligence and hospitality is clear: caring for someone and anticipating their needs requires sensitivity to their emotions and the ability to respond to them, as well as awareness and management of one’s own emotions. If you can harness the emotional intelligence of your people and channel it into the brand, you will make your brand unique. Your brand will become irreplaceable, ensuring that guests keep coming back for more. However, putting this into practice in a hotel is challenging. Very few hotels invest in genuine emotional intelligence. Those that do look beyond a guest’s stay at the hotel itself. Hotels need to work to identify and anticipate guests’ needs before they arrive, establish an emotional connection with them during their stay, and continue those guest relationships after they leave the hotel. Ultimately, the intangible becomes tangible in the form of guest loyalty, translating into repeat business and long-term revenue. Hotels should consider applying Goleman’s attributes of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills to their training programmes. In doing so, they can monitor and measure these elements, enabling team members to focus on this self-awareness and allowing the process to flow naturally. Hospitality comes from the heart, but realistically, different people have different levels of emotional intelligence. Ultimately, hoteliers must treat emotional intelligence as a brand asset. They need to invest in developing social skills and emotional management skills. The aim is not to teach hospitality to the team, but to foster it from a personal and emotional perspective. A hospitality-led brand is unique, authentic and resilient. For guests, that brand becomes the basis for their choice, thereby reducing the hotel’s exposure to market whims and fleeting trends. The brand enables the business to remain sustainable through market shifts and the entry of new players.