Shake Me, Wake Me, When It’s Over
Will hospitality ever be the same?
“Like millions of people, I wish someone could tap me and say DREAM over. You can get up now, carry on with your life as usual.”
Hospitality is about people — face to face. Without a mask, at least not the kind that protects you from disease or not. I can’t fathom how hospitality will return to normal for me. I’m not a fan of the “new normal” if there is such a thing.
The very activities that bring me joy in this industry are turning into a virtual world of zoom meetings — Brady Bunch style. I enjoy popping in on my long-time clients, reminding them I’m here for them whenever they need me. Not having to always ask for business because we’ve been partners so long, we can skip the sales pitch.
Talking about actual life, the things we all have in common. I’m more of a conversationalist. I’ve always believed one must sell themselves before selling a product. People will tell you what they need if you listen, including we’re not buying from you ever. In my humble opinion, you’re not selling if they’re not buying. Period.
Talking to your colleagues standing six feet apart? How can you whisper and tell them the latest?
Dressing in costume on holidays, especially Halloween. Delivering treats is a favorite. Seeing a client’s face light up in surprise. Laughing with our mouths wide open, unphased by what is now a life-threatening mist emission.
The guided site tour where a staff member shows off the hotel including value packed amenities. Meandering into the restaurant on property without worrying about the number of people inside. Staff from each department welcoming a prospective client.
Contactless site tours — really? Now, keys left at the front desk for the customer to pick up and walk the property alone with a map is the norm? Talking to your colleagues standing six feet apart? How can you whisper and tell them the latest? Everybody knows; hotel people talk, that’s what they do. I call it the biggest, littlest industry in the world.
The hotel business has a way of seeping into your blood, squirming its way into your heart. Before you realize it, you’ve become a card-carrying member of a tribe — a global handshaking network. One with the ability to keep you close to home or send you all over the world. The choice is yours — you can work anywhere. You meet the most interesting people. Some will remain close to your heart forever.
You can’t get any more social than working in hospitality — it’s social media on steroids. Enter a room full of hotel salespeople and you’re immersed in a sea of endless chatter. You’ll ask yourself — do these people breathe? They’re all dressed in suits, dresses, smiling — their mouths moving a mile a minute.
Oh, and the stories they will tell. We’re the accidental curators of the oddities of human behavior, up close and personal. A few gems come to mind — like the time I attended an event with a sales manager about airline safety and protocol after 911. She coveted my job as director — you know the type. One afternoon, I returned from lunch to find her in my office rummaging through my desk drawers. But I digress.
After the presentation, during Q&A, she raised her hand to ask the first question. The VP of Aviation appeared delighted to answer as the topic was less than arousing, as evidenced by empty wine bottles. He stepped to the podium. “Yes, the lady in the back, please stand up,” he said. She stood up and gave me the side eye from a few tables over.
“My husband and I travel to the Midwest during hunting season; how can I legally get past TSA with my rifle?” After the collective gasp, you could hear a rat piss on cotton. Those who knew me shot me a disturbing glance. My friend leaned over and whispered in my ear, “you better watch your back.” There were at least 150 witnesses in the ballroom set in rounds. Bring it.
Or the time when a well-dressed guest approached the front desk. Cheerful and eager to help, the front desk agent said, “how can I help you today, sir?”
With both arms extended like branches on a snowman, he said, “I have a rather enormous birthday gift for my wife, and I’d like to wrap it. Do you have any large cardboard and packaging tape?”
“I’m not sure, sir, but I can check.” She smiled and immediately called the concierge desk for help. “Give us a few minutes, sir, I think we have some packaging materials in the back left over from our renovation.”
“Thank you so much, my wife will be ecstatic,” he said. “The hotel looks fantastic.”
A few moments passed when the concierge and a bellman appeared with the materials under each arm. “Will this work, sir?” They stood tall, proud for being able to assist. Surely, they’d get brownie points from the General Manager and maybe an outstanding Yelp review. Sales pitched in a big red bow — we always have the finishing touch.
“We can help you wrap it if you like,” said the bellman. “Perhaps we can offer a luggage cart to make it easier to carry?”
“This is perfect, yes, I’ll take the cart — you’ve done more than enough. I can handle it from here,” the guest said. When he finished wrapping the gift, he called the valet to have his car brought around to the hotel entrance. The moment he reappeared in the lobby; the bellman rushed to help him pack the monstrosity of a gift into his car. The front desk agent smiled, waved goodbye and wished his wife a happy birthday. She looked goo-goo eyed, lost in the romanticism of if all.
Later, when housekeeping entered to clean the departed guest’s room — the brand-new television was missing. Engineering hadn’t attached it to the stand yet.
Networking events, traveling to different cities for sales calls and training is a blast. Too much fun. Where some (you know who you are) can’t wake up the next morning and go MIA. When we were in Boston, a team member disappeared altogether. The corporate office expressed concern. Turns out, she met someone at the real “Cheers” bar (the one popularized by the television adaptation) and apparently felt more welcomed in “the place where everybody knows your name.”
Fast forward, some salespeople are scratching their heads. How do you prospect for business in a pandemic? “Hello, how are you today — got business?” I’m sorry, this is an unusual circumstance Sales101 nor “Advanced Sales for Dummies,” covered. Other than essential workers, medical personnel and a few stragglers on the weekend, business is scarily non existent.
I’ve lived long enough to know change is constant, I’ll embrace it, but I don’t have to like it.
According to Hotel News Now, continuous communication with your clients, scheduling time for appointments, focusing on fundamentals is key. “Sales professionals should be reliable advisors to their clients — as in consultative selling.” In theory, yes, these are all noble concepts — not sure how they’re different from what we do under “normal circumstances.”
However, most clients are working remotely like everyone else trying to get a hold on how their companies are responding and restructuring for the future. There are no straightforward answers. It’s like taking a step and trying to build a staircase at the same time.
For me, it’s the death of hospitality as I know it. I realize the new protocols are all in the name of safety and I’m on board. I’ve lived long enough to know change is constant, I’ll embrace it, but I don’t have to like it. Restructure, reinvent, reshape, recalibrate. I get it. I don’t mind my cheese being moved. If you haven’t read the book, “Who Moved My Cheese,” all about change and how we react to it — now would be a good time.
I will miss the good ole days.
