Blub: sleepover party instead of just another guest

When booking the finally chosen hotel in Maastricht, the pictures on Booking.com immediately gave me a cheerful feeling. That first sentiment of 'Yes, that's where I want to sleep' is a crucial one for me, whether it's an overnight stay for work or private purposes. The pictures alone set the positive tone, and the reviews of other guests (or shall I say guests, but more about that later) were also very enthusiastic. The hotel in question scored an 8.4 and customers praised the breakfast, the clean rooms and the free cup of welcome soup. While reading further in the reviews I also came across the 'Sleeping Cap'. This made me - especially as a customer experience professional - very curious. What are they doing there so cleverly?

During a short exploration on the hotel's own website, I came across this sentence: 'You come and stay with us, not spend the night'. That's where the penny fell for me: that's the distinguishing feature of this accommodation. Not a 13-in-a-dozen hotel, but a hotel with its own identity. They don't have hotel rooms, but guest rooms. With us, hospitality becomes as real as at home or with friends. You get 4 stars and you pay for 3 stars. The fourth star is free, with compliments of the business.' Isn't that cool?! That's what you want as a customer, isn't it? At least, if you're the customer in their target group, which happens to be me. So, I booked this hotel and was looking forward to my stay.

When I arrived in the hotel lobby, which is not called lobby but living room here, I felt right at home. Nice couches and chairs, but again just not too chic. Lots of wood, flowers and friendly receptionists, and of course that cup of welcome soup: mustard soup tonight. At 9 p.m. we were also allowed to take the nightcap, let's call it a 'sip of the house'. It made me happy. I walked around the living room and my eye fell on an aquarium full of goldfish. There was a sign saying 'A fish as a guest in your room? That's possible! For € 3.50 our goldfish will join you.' My smile got bigger and bigger. How very clever of this hotel. They've converted the concept of guest accommodation into a cross-sell opportunity. And also one that makes me feel good.

A moment in my customer journey, not to be forgotten. Thank you dear Blub, it was an unforgettable sleepover. I'll be back soon!

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 25 April 2018

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