In Conversation with Shangri-La Hotel
Posted November 27, 2012 in Customer Experience, In Conversation with...We recently had an opportunity to engage colleagues from the Shangri-La Hotel in a thoughtful dialogue about customer experience. The newly opened Shangri-La Hotel is the latest addition to the luxury hotel segment in Toronto and hosted the recent 2nd Annual Customer Experience Strategies Summit. We thought it would be only fitting to get this five star brand’s perspective on customer experience.
Fifth P (5P): I’d like to begin by asking about your definition of customer experience.
Shangri-La Hotel (SH): The customer experience for Shangri-La is best defined by our advertising campaign “It’s in our nature.” We characterize hospitality as “To treat a stranger as one of our own.” It is about taking care of our guests, providing genuine care and hospitality. This kind of hospitality from the heart creates brand familiarity and loyalty. We want to welcome our guests back time and again.
5P: So, where does the Shangri-La customer (guest) experience begin and end?
SH: The Shangri-La customer guest experience begins the moment we first connect with the customer, whether that’s a telephone conversation, an in-person interaction, or via the internet through our website, reservations or Facebook. We want to make a genuine, sincere connection at every opportunity. In terms of it ending, we hope that it does not. There might be a finish point to a particular stay or a service experience, but we hope that memories of our service lingers and the guest returns.
5P: What part of your organization is accountable for customer experience?
SH: All parts of the organization are accountable for the customer experience. We all play a role, whether it is directly or indirectly – direct guest contact, or behind-the scenes supporting our colleagues who engage customers directly. The guest experience is the sum of many moving parts that move together.
Click here to read the full interview.