Background

I had been sent on an overnight business trip to London, so as ever, I planned my travel and accommodation well in advance. I was looking for a place to stay for just one night; I needed something easy and comfortable, just on the outskirts of the city and that of course, above all, wouldn’t break the bank. A Best Western hotel was the first response in my Google search, and the hotel I had chosen fitted all of my criteria. I had seen the unmistakable crown logo countless times up and down the country, I was familiar with the hotel group, and I expected a good, clean and comfortable stay. After learning that Hotels With Personality is how they position themselves, I was looking forward to experiencing some charisma and charm. I booked online and packed my case.

The Experience

I arrived by cab after a long, hard day and checked in. The first thing that struck me was the décor; the lobby was decorated fuchsia pink, it was modern and contemporary, and was nothing like what I had expected after seeing the ever-so-slightly-dated signage outside. The lady behind the counter was personable and polite, if a little bland as she paled away against the hot blush tones of her surroundings. I asked about recommendations for a nice restaurant to eat in that evening in the area (I asked for Italian to satisfy my Penne all’ Arrabbiata cravings.) She said she couldn’t think of one from the top of her head and showed me the menu for the restaurant in the hotel. I passed, and went straight up to my room.

The bedroom was less than I expected after my bright and modern welcome. The room was just as any other, in any other hotel. I found myself lying awake looking up at a beige ceiling, surrounded by four beige walls, beige curtains and a beige carpet. I felt disappointed and cheated out of charm.

I thought about this for a little while, and it occurred to me that as far as good standard, mid-ranged hotel chains go, does it really get any better than this? Comfortable, clean and reasonably priced is all you ever need from one night in a hotel, right? So am I asking too much for wanting more? For wanting what they Best Western are all about?
I wanted personality where there was none.

On leaving, I asked the lady who checked me out, about the cost of hiring a meeting room here, perhaps for the next workshop I’ll be running in the area. She went into a back room and resurfaced some time later with some papers and the business card of the person ‘who is not here at the moment but knows about this stuff’. A conversation completely devoid of any personality. The Frushia Pink really was nice though.

Alignment

As far as I am concerned, the mid range hotel market is static and I would love to see it be shaken up a bit. As the world’s largest hotel company, Best Western is in the perfect position to take this lead.

Each Best Western hotel is a franchise, and therefore, independently owned. To them, this independence automatically delivers an experience that will be different to the next Best Western hotel. But isn’t there something greater to help these hotels stand out in a stagnant market, than the hotelier’s taste in hot pink wallpaper? What else can give a franchised hotel group the edge over its mass, cookie -cutter approach competitors?

Are Best Western hotels missing a trick to make their hotel experience more memorable and become the go-to hotel to stay in for holidaymakers and business travellers alike?

Each hotel’s personality can be brought to life through each hotel’s unique knowledge, not their soft furnishings. The hotels are independently owned, and therefore, the hoteliers and people who work there, go to work there everyday, they live there, they will know the area like the back of their hand and they will have so much knowledge and experience in that area that they should share; a strength, I don’t think Best Western are capitalising on. No hotel is. So here, is an opportunity to break away from a cluttered, unchanging marketplace.

The fundamental ingredient to achieving this is already there for Best Western to reach out and grasp. By choosing to run a hotel in a particular town or city, by default, gives them the wealth of knowledge to make this possible. Now what they require are the tools and techniques to galvanise this knowledge through their businesses.

Imagine a hotel that is a real life tour guide, a bank of knowledge that is the go-to place for any traveller who needs help, guidance and inspiration for the city they are in. Imagine a hotel that shares information and knowledge generously to help anyone who visits, and imagine a hotel that ultimately delivers a truly helpful travel experience every time. Imagine a hotel whose people are put through an inspiring training programme so they will be continuously excited and educated about the area they live and work, a hotel company that cultivates people who can’t help but share their knowledge with fellow colleagues and guests.

Employing the right people, putting them through training programmes, and injecting them with a constant flow of enthusiasm, and ensuring they are always the people in the know will be imperative to success. The hotels need to become the beating heart of the community, so being proactively involved and constantly innovating to find ways to being on the cusp of the newest happenings will be essential. Next, creating processes that are flexible enough to be rolled out across the world, yet taking into account the idiosyncrasies of different places will be key to success. All this, whilst ensuring customers always have the same brilliant, knowledge-soaked experience, and get a sense of the hotel’s real personality. Every time.

In the future, Best Western can capitalise on their ‘personality’, their expertise and knowledge of the city they are in and become a world wide hotel group that delivers an informative experience that no guidebook, tour guide or Trip Advisor can compete with.

Pumping up their people to be excited about where they live and work will be the first step of many. Then, re-think the wallpaper.