It’s no secret that brand storytelling is a vital part of marketing in the hospitality industry. Some hotels, like the NoMad Hotel in New York, have taken storytelling to the next level by carefully crafting a story and implementing it across all parts of the hotel. The NoMad Hotel is “a transporting fantasy that takes you 100 years back and across the planet”, according to the hotel’s designer, principal, and VP of design for Stonehill & Taylor.
That kind of story sets the NoMad Hotel apart from its competition, which is why many other brands in the hospitality industry are striving to tell their stories – and why your properties should too. But while the focus on storytelling tends to inhabit the marketing department, there’s another voice of the property that brings stories to life – your hotel staff. Here are three ways you can take your property’s storytelling to the next level:
HR Stories: Connect Marketing with Guest-Facing Staff.
From the front desk to housekeeping, employees are your storytellers. They’re the boots on the ground interacting with your guests on a daily basis. All the marketing dollars in the world can’t replicate the power of your front line staff bringing your brand to life. Giving your marketing department the tools to regularly communicating the intricate details of your brand story with every employee is the best way to ensure your guests are fully immersed in your property’s unique experience and HR stories.
Make storytelling inherent to the training process.
To be good storytellers, hotel staff must be trained properly. No company nails the storytelling experience and employee training better than Disney. Their employees are taught that consistent and exceptional guest service is of the utmost importance, and it shows. Perhaps the reason they’re so successful is because they use storytelling in their training.
Jeff Williford, the senior facilitator in charge of hiring and training at the Disney Institute, ensures employees understand they’re a part of the Disney story with carefully crafted messaging and education about the company’s unique history. That understanding creates employees who believe in the Disney story – and are excited to share that story with guests.
Storytelling Starts with HR.
Clinical psychologist Murray Nossel works with hospitality companies – including Disney – to teach them how to utilize storytelling. He views storytelling as an essential part of a company’s DNA, instead of something marketing and PR handles. According to Nossel, HR benefits from storytelling because it is “the key to bringing together a disparate workforce, especially one from around the globe.”
In today’s globalized economy, it’s harder than ever to foster a sense of community among teams working over the world. By developing stories that transcend borders and cultures, your employees can provide a consistent guest experience that spans the globe.
