Last night I was talking with the founder of a hospitality group in Barcelona, and we were thinking how to WOW guests.

(Which I always write in uppercase, because it's a concept more than an emotion. It's the constant pursuit of going above and beyond the average.)

There is basically two ways doing this: expected WOW and personalized WOW.

Expected WOW is something you'd use in your marketing. It's what people read on your website and hear from others online.

Whether it's the design of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the amenities at a Kimpton property, or the service at a Four Seasons – people arrive expecting an extraordinary experience. (And failure to consistently meet these expectations would cause disappointment.)

Unexpected WOW is usually the result of attentive staff thinking quickly and creatively. Chip Conley writes in Peak about how Joie De Vivre encouraged bellhops and other front-line staff to listen for clues about the purpose of a guests' visit, then provide unexpected service based on that.

The advantage to this is that even the tiniest gestures can surprise and delight your guests.

We're seeing more and more experience designers pursuing WOW through various ways like this, but Ritz Carlton was one of the pioneers.

Every staff member at every Ritz Carlton in the world gets together each morning to share a story of when a member of the team went out of their way to create a WOW experience.

How do you design and encourage WOW service?

www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/types-of-wow-service

About the author
This blog is written by Josiah Mackenzie, who enjoys exploring the relationship between emerging technology and the hospitality industry. 

www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com