Fabrice Burtin on encouraging brand innovation (Or, Why the Opposite House in Beijing recruits staff from clubs)

I’ve come to appreciate the insight of Fabrice Burtin in comments on this blog, on Twitter, and through articles written on his own website.

In this telephone interview, we discussed many topics around brand innovation in hospitality, including –

• Why it’s valuable to hire staff from outside the hospitality business, and why bringing in people from the luxury goods business can be especially good.
• How and why the Opposite House in Beijing recruits staff from clubs (I’ve never heard this before!).
• Important factors for designing an experience based on guest feedback.
• First impressions may be important, but many hotels focus on these. Instead, think through how to leave a great last impression, and guests will remember you positively. (Fabrice has some great suggestions here).
• Creating a good last impression is always about the gesture (and it doesn’t have to be expensive)
• Some outdated hotel traditions you may want to challenge.
• Is “hotel check-in 2.0” applicable for all hotel segments… or will it only work for luxury hotels?
• An action step for you after listening to this interview.

Listen to the call here:

[Insider's Circle members: login to download the MP3]

Thanks, Fabrice for joining us!