How emotions dictate traveler choice

We like to think of ourselves as logical, rational creatures. It would be nice to believe that when faced with a decision, we take our time to weigh up the pros and the cons, and make the most pragmatic choice based on relative costs and benefits.

Science, however, has made it clear that this is simply not the case.

Humans are primarily emotion-driven. In fact, according to one Harvard professor, 95% of our decisions are subconscious.

If you’ve ever developed loyalty to a brand, this may not surprise you. Or, if you’ve ever tried to build brand loyalty yourself, then you know the effectiveness of an emotion-driven campaign. Dior isn’t selling you a handbag–they’re selling the dream of a luxury lifestyle. Jeep isn’t selling you a car–they’re promising you an adventure.

The case is the same in hospitality.

Why emotion matters for hotel guests

If emotions play a role in nearly every purchase decision, that’s especially true of hospitality. Travel is a time when emotions run high–whether it’s a long anticipated romantic getaway, a reunion with old friends, or a high-stakes business meeting, guests are experiencing a range of emotions outside the norm of their regular routine, and appreciate when service professionals are respectful of that.

That’s why it’s so important your staff have the soft skills necessary to give every guest the experience they may need, whatever the circumstances of their stay. Understanding how to read a guest’s emotions, respond in kind, and find the right words to say is not just an intuition. It’s social skills. The best hospitality professionals can tell you they have spent a career honing these skills over time in an effort to make every guest feel comfortable.

When your guests feel empathy and warmth from your hospitality staff, they can feel the difference. They may not be able to put exactly into words what they appreciate about your particular property or brand, but they look forward to staying because they trust in the soft skills of your staff.‍

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

It’s not easy to master the people skills needed to inspire guest loyalty, but it’s absolutely necessary to build a world-class hospitality brand. Tenured hoteliers can tell you it takes years of practice, experience, and the right resources to detect a guest’s emotions and respond accordingly.

Leaders in the hospitality industry are using behavioral change technology to enable this transformation for their staff faster, in just a few minutes a day. Send us a note at hello@atiom.app to see how your staff can start honing their soft skills, too.