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15 seconds are usually all hotel staff have to make a first impression on our guests. Taking an order, giving directions, serving a meal or a drink… they are all mini-dialogues that should be packed with enthusiasm and a willingness to help.

Good impression is a key factor when it comes to recommendation-based sales. This is what a hotel manager, a friend of mine, recently commented.

Driving World of Mouth

Word of mouth is really important in hospitality in today’s connected world because it brings leads that easily convert into deals. And these days hoteliers can make an impression not only on-site but long before anyone steps inside their business. I am talking about the online, mobile world of hotel apps.

So, for hoteliers it is a strategic decision to be present on mobile to engage positive impressions out there. It is as important as keeping good, well-trained staff on the spot to maintain the guest experience during interactions.

Mini-Dialogue Interactions

If you were to count the number of interactions in a hotel experience, eye contact and smiles should far outweigh the number of times you swiped your card to access your room. Yes, a hotel is a wifi hot-spot these days plus bed and breakfast, but more and more hoteliers are taking up the challenge of delivering excellent personal service as well as clean bed linen.

For example, while walking into a Novotel lobby recently, someone well-dressed and polite approached me even before I reached the queue for the front desk.

He found my meeting contact and put us together at a cafe table within about 3 minutes of arriving. Serving the front AND back of the line kept fewer people waiting and reception working on things they could really help with.

This kind of service requires initiative, and proactivity – and not just from the gentleman who saw me walk in, but also from the management in seeking mobile products that enhance guest experience and candidates like this for their jobs.

Proactive Towards Customers

StartMonday is helping create a new hotel experience through better hiring. We connect proactive employees with hotel brands that can utilize their skills to improve guest experience.

We do it online, in a modern way – StartMonday is a new breed of mobile job app that focuses on personal skills and shortcuts the selection process by using mobile video. Thousands of candidates have filmed their 15-second introduction videos through their iPhones and Android devices without the need for forms or CVs.

With fast cuts and planning, 15 seconds is long enough for candidates to express enthusiasm, trustworthiness, creativity, self-confidence and many other personal qualities.

Managers get hooked on the experience of swiping through real people presenting to them on their phones and never want to go back to their document-driven process. General managers have noted the improved quality of hires in their hotels, and have also noted fewer rejected job offers and “no-shows.”

In closing – remember that guests will see see your brand’s personality in the personalities of your staff.

Guests will form a first impression of the hotel from the first 15-second dialogue with the first staff-member they meet – so it’s important that they are impressed or even positively surprised.

With a healthy overlap in clients, PressPad Lounge and StartMonday are sharing resources to bring a better experience to hotel lobbies, bars and restaurants – everywhere.

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, what was your 15-second encounter that made a remarkable impression on you?