I recently happened to watch the WestJet Christmas Miracle video on YouTube and I was impressed by how simple yet powerful this idea was in building an emotional connection between an airline and its customers. The video went viral, has over 26 million views on YouTube, and the cost for the Christmas presents is nothing compared to the return on investment this campaign will have for WestJet.

What concerns me is that the hotel industry who claims to be all about its guests and their well-being didn’t come up with this first. It feels like that we keep holding on to our glamorous past by thinking that we can still impress our guests by sending up a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries to their rooms, while other industries figured out a way to move on and to connect deeply to their customers.

The exact same thing that the airline did for its customers any hotel could be doing for its guests staying over during the holidays by asking them prior to arrival what they want for Christmas and delivering these gifts on the 25th.

Can you imagine the positive word of mouth and advertising this would create for your hotel. All that it takes is a good idea, and a leadership team that is willing to think outside of the box and help executing it. Understanding emotional intelligence and being able to put yourself in your customers’ shoes is more important than ever, and a must if you want to stay competitive. It means that we need to let go of what we did in the past, not be afraid of change, and listen again to our customers. It’s really that simple… in theory.

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