Emotionally intelligent signage in a Texas hotel
Last week, I stayed at the newly-opened W Hotel in Austin. All in all, it was a first-rate experience. But what struck me most â natch â were two of the hotelâs signs.
The first I encountered when I entered my room and walked into the bathroom. There, affixed to the mirror, was this:
In most hotels, youâd see a serious, sturdy, and largely forgettable sign declaring âNo Smoking.â But the Post-it delivers a surprise and the wording a sense of urgency. As the Heath brothers would say, this is a sticky idea. Truly.
Later, I walked through the hallway and passed by a locked door next to which the hotel would typically affix an âEmployees Onlyâ sign. Instead, I saw this:
Whoa. The folks here arenât employees. Theyâre talent. That subtly changes guest encounters and probably gives the staff a sense that theyâre being taken seriously.
Small touches, of course. But both are, er, signs that this was a hotel that didnât do business as usual.
I love what the W hotels call their concierge desk â itâs called âWhatever, Wheneverâ⊠whatever you need, whenever you need it⊠brilliant and VERY welcoming! âConciergeâ can sound very intimidating and snobbish!
I love the No Smoking note, but something about âTalent Onlyâ doesnât seem right to me. Maybe because it implies that the guest isnât talented?
haha! The smoking one is so great. Very clever. Is that purple ink?
This reminds me of Disney calling everyone who works at the theme parks âCast Membersâ, meaning that everyone from those who sweep up litter to the people who play characters are âon stageâ whenever they exit the back alleys. It sets a certain tone that can both challenge and inspire staff.
Some nice out of the box thinking â definitely a differentiator. People make the emotional connection and remember this kind of thing.
The no smoking sign is surely a great message and humorous too, much better than the dry âNo Smokingâ signs with a picture of a cigarette and a cross across it.
âTalent onlyâ â that shows the staff is very valued and as a guest I would find it very humorous and good for laugh, but also appreciate the staff even more.
Thanks for the share Dan.
I like the cleaver no smoking sine. I just whish those lessins about conntrackshuns had stuck.
Welcome to Austin, Dan. Had I known you were coming I would have baked a cake! Both signs worked because they surprised Brocaâs Area, the gatekeeper to your prefrontal cortex located in the left hemisphere of your brain. This is what creative people unconsciously and experts do precisely. My wife and I love the W Hotel chain since we landed in Times Square in 2000. Who else but wizards of the customer experience could re-invent, then run-down, small sized hotel rooms into a hotel empire? The question I have for you is what took you to Austin?
As previously noted, the talent is a knock-off of the Disney âCast members.â
But where Disney cast members match their titles with attitude and aplomb, I generally find the W staff to act like hourly-wage help.
I wonder if (and how) Starwood instills a talent mindset in their staff as it doesnât seem to be permeating the culture in my experience at W properties. Thatâs why I tend to give them a pass in most cities.
Perhaps the âtalent onlyâ sign is in reference to the talent that plays at the new Austin City Limits studios which are housed in the hotelâŠ?
Great article. Little things like those go a really long way. There are plenty of nice hotels out there, but itâs the ones that do the little bit extra that really stand out. Iâve never been to Austin, but if I do, Iâll certainly remeber this article. Whatâs the old saying, Youâll tell 10 people, then those 10 people will 10 more each and so onâŠ
love the âtalent onlyâ. if your employees are valued and happy then your customers will be taken care of. think the zappos approach.
I use another great photo from a hotel stay of a door leading to the âTermination RoomââŠ.Iâm not sure what happens in there, but Iâm guessing it isnât good! Thanks for the pics, Dan!
Has anyone seen an emotionally intelligent âno solicitingâ sign? Something evoking empathy for the wish for peace/undisturbed home time? No soliciting signs certainly convey the point but are oppositional and unkind. Or maybe a way for people to leave written materials?