I cannot seem to find the sense of it: The hotel chain Marriott has announced it will remove all desks from its 500 hotels worldwide. No, it is not April Fools Day, and Marriott would still like to continue welcoming business travelers.
So, what do you do? You ask your favorite search engine and learn that this is an idea of Marriott Design Labs. The reason is because the "Millennials" do not like desks, but would rather "hang out" in their room than sit at a table.
I enjoy "hanging out", but dont these "Millennials" (who were born somewhere between 1990 and 2000) have to work on business trips? Or possibly set down their laptop to recharge? No, says Marriott, because "Generation Y" only uses smartphones and tablets, preferably while hanging out" on the sofa. Printed seminar documents, files or something of the like is so 80s. If you take a moment to look around the room, you will see that there is still a minimalistic "coffee table" in front of the sofa, too low to work on it or to eat. So does that mean that room service food can only go on the bed? Sitting on the sofa would not work with me, since my laptop, iPad and iPhone are charging there, in addition to my briefcase, because I might secretly want to pull out a file (which I now do find embarrassing, because that's obviously completely old-fashioned). If you are not alone in the room, the problem multiplies.
I think Marriott is shooting itself in the foot and simply followed the design people who were already of the opinion that a bathroom can be separated in a hotel room only by a pane of glass, and that the tub should stand beside the bed in front of the window. This is certainly very great on a honeymoon, but when two colleagues are sharing a room, does that mean that one has to wait in the hallway when the other bathes? I imagine it is also interesting when a spouse has to get up early and the other tries to go back to sleep and relax in the harsh bathroom light, with hairdryer noises in the background.
Suits are also out" now, nobody needs a landline anymore, and instead of television there is YouTube. Accordingly, wardrobes, ironing boards, telephones and televisions may also disappear from the rooms. Instead of a coffee maker I suggest caffeine pills, and, because light bulbs are obsolete (thanks to the lighting provided by the tablet), the entire electrical installation is rendered unnecessary. Windows are a waste, since they only interfere when reading the small screens.
Should the number of bookings decline, I say it's the fault of the guests who are just not cool enough.
The road to success: do we really have to get worse at everything?
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless....
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless. Our sales department asked me to speak to a customer on the phone who doesn’t buy from us because we supposedly supply end customers.
No problem, I thought. I called and explained that this is exactly what we don’t do, and that this is a key promise to our dealers. There are extremely rare exceptions, – only if a vendor forces us to, or a retailer explicitly asks us to. But that almost never happens.
Then it turned out that there was a misunderstanding: the customer said that we also supply small retailers. My answer: »Yes, we do and we have to, based on our contracts with the vendors. Our competitors do that too.«
»All correct«, I hear, but then it got exciting: »Your large competitors are not interested in small customers, so they are poorly served. At Jarltech, the small dealers feel comfortable because you provide a great service.«
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ... A customer doesn’t buy from us because our service is too good? I hadn’t expected that.
But don't worry, contrary to the headline: We will continue to endeavour to offer every customer the best service we can!
Why is good service so important again?
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important....
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important. If you want a customer to pay more than elsewhere, then you have to make the difference! You have to know what they like and anticipate their wishes.
Here in Shenzhen is the Grand Hyatt Hotel – I was here at least six times a year before Corona – and even stored some luggage in Shenzhen, so that I only had to fly with hand luggage. Liquids and such ... that was difficult on the plane.
It’s been over three years since I was last here, and I arrived to be greeted by an armada of hotel staff. My beloved Coke Zero was waiting for me in the car outside the airport. My luggage, which I hadn’t expected to see again, had been stored for three years and completely cleaned for my new stay. Everything was hanging in the wardrobe and the bathroom was neat and tidy. My razor was charged and my chargers stood on the desk. Of course, the fridge was full of Coke Zero and the white wine I had last drunk three years ago. Even the room service knew what I liked to eat.
That’s what hospitality really is. And we have to do the same at Jarltech. Always write down what our customers want and like. And when I go out to dine with a customer, I need to know whether they are vegan or if they don’t like pork, for example. Some customers want to be called and courted on a weekly basis, whereas others find this rather annoying. Some still prefer paper catalogues, others believe it’s environmental pollution. And all the better if a customer returns after three years, and I still have it all written down somewhere. Jarltech may not be a hotel, but we are a service provider that has to differentiate itself The difference is always in the details.
The world's smallest chef gives a guest performance in Usingen
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October...
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October 2023 to the 30th of April 2024. Personally, I always have fun enjoying delicious food with a bit of a show. Come by sometime – it's also great for Christmas parties with up to 20 people. And if you're a customer of ours, why not have your sales contact invite you next time you visit Jarltech? 😊
Have fun with the little chef!
Use our know-how power for yourself – free of charge!
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location....
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location. If you like, we will be happy to train your new employees or your customers’ employees here. You will find an overview and a virtual tour of the showroom on our website. We built these facilities for you – but apparently this is not sufficiently known yet. We can work together to make your staff better, or we can make our facilities available to you, and you can organise your own training for your staff or customers. Just as you wish. We are also happy to take care of airport or train station transfers. Just get in touch with your sales representative and we will do something for you!