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. Continue reading Is The Hotel Industry Losing Its Hospitality? →