Comments on: Hans Pfister: How Small Hotels Can Use Repeatable Systems http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/hans-pfister-management-interview/ Internet Marketing Ideas for Your Hotel Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:48:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: hhotelconsult http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/hans-pfister-management-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-867 hhotelconsult Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:40:13 +0000 http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/?p=2643#comment-867 Great article... thanks! It is nice to actually read another hotelier's thoughts... there aren't that many left. So many boutique properties are owned by investors, philanthropists, etc.... and so few of the owners making decisions have ever actually worked in a hotel. It astonishes me how much our industry has changed in the last 40 years or so, but the hallmark of hotels is that they aren't dynamic.... typically they are consistent and constant which is the opposite of dynamic. Hotels are suffering greatly because of their lack of dynamicism, and it is really neat to see someone talking about standardizing SOPS, creating efficiency through consistency, etc..... but also have the bird's eye approach that things are constantly changing and remarkably fluid compared to the old days. Not only can you not control the consumer, their fickle attitude towards brand can change within the blink of an eye. Hotels really will need to understand this in the future... and that is PRECISELY where marketing and operations coincide. Because all the commentary and hubbub about your property *IS* marketing, even if it is awful. You need someone to be on top of that, operationally.... marketing *IS* part of operations now. It isn't that they just coincide. The other thing that was quite neat to read was the complexity of branding boutique properties. You can't standardize too much because the flavour and feel of a property rests so much in it's location, individual charm, etc. I find this a conundrum for some of the brands I work with: You want to create efficiency without altering the individual brands, and create meaningful systems to organize and standardize things without overshadowing the individual properties with a looming flag. So many boutique hoteliers operate by the seat of their pants.... and threaten properties while trying to build brand of the parent management group. Frankly.... the hotels will always be what matters. It is vital to create systems of efficiency in hospitality - but only to improve processes of the property and not to celebrate the larger brand of the management company. It's a tight rope to walk and it sounds like Mr. Pfister is doing quite well. Please keep finding hoteliers. I am very interested in hearing their thoughts compared to another social media "guru" or "expert". =) Great article… thanks!

It is nice to actually read another hotelier’s thoughts… there aren’t that many left. So many boutique properties are owned by investors, philanthropists, etc…. and so few of the owners making decisions have ever actually worked in a hotel. It astonishes me how much our industry has changed in the last 40 years or so, but the hallmark of hotels is that they aren’t dynamic…. typically they are consistent and constant which is the opposite of dynamic. Hotels are suffering greatly because of their lack of dynamicism, and it is really neat to see someone talking about standardizing SOPS, creating efficiency through consistency, etc….. but also have the bird’s eye approach that things are constantly changing and remarkably fluid compared to the old days. Not only can you not control the consumer, their fickle attitude towards brand can change within the blink of an eye. Hotels really will need to understand this in the future… and that is PRECISELY where marketing and operations coincide. Because all the commentary and hubbub about your property *IS* marketing, even if it is awful. You need someone to be on top of that, operationally…. marketing *IS* part of operations now. It isn’t that they just coincide.

The other thing that was quite neat to read was the complexity of branding boutique properties. You can’t standardize too much because the flavour and feel of a property rests so much in it’s location, individual charm, etc. I find this a conundrum for some of the brands I work with:

You want to create efficiency without altering the individual brands, and create meaningful systems to organize and standardize things without overshadowing the individual properties with a looming flag. So many boutique hoteliers operate by the seat of their pants…. and threaten properties while trying to build brand of the parent management group.

Frankly…. the hotels will always be what matters. It is vital to create systems of efficiency in hospitality – but only to improve processes of the property and not to celebrate the larger brand of the management company. It’s a tight rope to walk and it sounds like Mr. Pfister is doing quite well.

Please keep finding hoteliers. I am very interested in hearing their thoughts compared to another social media “guru” or “expert”. =)

]]>