The first challenge is to transform staff personnel into brand ambassadors in\u00a0order to develop a reliable community of loyal followers. An ambassador is\u00a0effectively someone who is engaged, influential, and passionate about the brand.\u00a0In other words, he or she promotes the brand on his\/her own initiative or as a\u00a0way of giving back. The latter category includes brand employees and, more\u00a0specifically, the individuals who are put in direct contact with the clientele: the\u00a0hotel staff.<\/p>\n
Hotel staff teams hold an important role in the image of the hotel brand because\u00a0they serve as its glass window display. This status is even more decisive for the\u00a0value of the brand since it directly involves a service activity\u2014and therefore the\u00a0actual experience of such a service-based industry as luxury hotels.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s attempt to identify the structure that encourages the formation of a\u00a0community of loyal followers.<\/p>\n
A brand\u2019s method of communication can be divided along the two following axes:<\/p>\n
\u2022 External communication via media channels (billboards, television, press,\u00a0internet) to reach current and prospective clients.
\n\u2022 Internal communication via training; internal communication support via\u00a0intranet, email, and among employees.<\/p>\n
In this two-pronged communication strategy, the franchise occupies a complex\u00a0position. It is considered a representative of the brand, but it is not the intended\u00a0target of the principal internal communication. This complicates the reception and\u00a0interpretation of the information. This is why network leaders often come in at this\u00a0stage to play an intermediary role between the franchise and its constituents in\u00a0order to secure the brand image and the transmission of expertise across the\u00a0collection of brands within the group.<\/p>\n
To assure the promise of excellence and personalized service, a 4* or 5*\u00a0franchised hotel needs a useful support system that integrates the codes of the\u00a0luxury hotel. It must rely on a network leader who remains dedicated solely to the\u00a0group brands positioned under the luxury label. The target result: support from a\u00a0group that is coherent with the represented brand image and therefore more\u00a0efficient.<\/p>\n
In order to create a strong and well-known brand, it must be liked, admired, and\u00a0understood, but it must also create a connection between the people supporting\u00a0it. The principal challenge of the franchise network in the luxury hotel industry is\u00a0thus the relationship maintained with the brand proprietor, which must be\u00a0rigorous and unifying so that a community of brand ambassadors can form in\u00a0solidarity among the representatives.<\/p>\n
According to Michaela Merk, author of the book Luxury Sales Force\u00a0Management, persons in managerial functions often have a tendency to\u00a0underestimate the influence of \u2018shopkeepers\u2019 on a brand (she is primarily\u00a0interested in stores, hence the term \u2018shopkeepers,\u2019 but a hotel could be thought\u00a0of as a store in which the \u2018shopkeepers\u2019 are the ensemble of the personnel). She\u00a0notices the following tendency: managers consider the marketing team as\u00a0cultivating the image, since the \u2018shopkeepers\u2019 largely receive the result of the\u00a0media strategy.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true that a client\u2019s visit to a store\/hotel is the result of a successful publicity\u00a0campaign and an effective management of the brand image. But once inside the\u00a0hotel, the client is placed in the hands of the personnel, who become the human\u00a0incarnation of the brand. This is where the role of the ambassador becomes a\u00a0determining force for the brand.<\/p>\n
Today, clients are growing increasingly demanding towards the new luxury\u00a0experience, in which the hotel sector occupies a part. They expect recognition,\u00a0careful attention, and immediate assistance. Hence Michaela Merk\u2019s strategy to\u00a0place \u2018field-workers\u2019 at the top of priorities for management. The smallest\u00a0confrontation with a client, after all, can generate heavy repercussions.<\/p>\n
In his book Luxury Management and Marketing, Michel Chevalier says: \u201cwhat\u00a0makes the difference between one hotel and another is the quality of the\u00a0execution of daily tasks, as well as the stability and lasting quality of excellence.\u201d\u00a0Each member of personnel of a hotel must have a knowledge and deep mastery\u00a0of the brand he represents and of the missions that he must accomplish in order\u00a0to offer a service that remains consistent, coordinated, and genuine.<\/p>\n
From the luggage porter to the receptionist all the way to the maid, each member\u00a0of a high-end hotel has a point of interaction with the client. A preparation\u00a0adapted to each service in a hotel is therefore essential.<\/p>\n
The objective, therefore, is to generate a positive effect that is twofold:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Interaction with the employees of the brand
\n\u2022 Inspiring a feeling of being part of the group<\/p>\n
Two channels could be put in place to encourage the integration of franchised\u00a0personnel within the brand:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The creation of an internal social network: this would integrate the ensemble of\u00a0personnel working for the same hotel chain across the world. This would\u00a0present itself in the form of a site with a Linkedin-style format in which\u00a0each member would have their own page with ratings from managers,\u00a0achieved objectives, and validated training certifications. This directory\u00a0would serve as a quality-controlled database for recruiters of the chain.
\n\u2022 The direct transmission of expertise: a variation of a mentorship system for\u00a0franchised personnel, through a counterpart working in a nearby hotel in\u00a0the same family.<\/p>\n
This article was edited by Judith Tricon Russo, whom I recently met as part\u00a0of her work on her dissertation on \u201cNetworks of Franchises in the Luxury\u00a0Hotel Trade.\u201d I thought it might be worthwhile for her to present you with\u00a0some of her reflections on the subject. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How to transform staff personnel into\u00a0brand ambassadors? The first challenge is to transform staff personnel into brand ambassadors in\u00a0order to develop a reliable community of loyal followers. An ambassador is\u00a0effectively someone who is engaged, influential, and passionate about the brand.\u00a0In other words, he or she promotes the brand on his\/her own initiative or as a\u00a0way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training-coaching"],"yoast_head":"\n