The Hitchhiker's Guide to Happy Customers
What do modern travellers really want? Find out with an anecdote from our Managing Director, Alex. And meet us at the Independent Hotel Show London: Pedro’s on a panel talk! All the details are below.
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A word from Alex
Learning lessons from the past to improve our future
I’ve worked in the travel industry for nearly 15 years so I’ve had my fair share of adventure. People often ask me what stood out most while seeing the world, and one anecdote instantly comes to mind.
It’s 2016. My partner and I are staying in an Airbnb in Naha, Japan. A large aquarium in Nago is high on our must-see list. As life would have it, this aquarium sits on the arse-end of the island (90 km away). Our only option is to take a bus or an expensive taxi – so a bus is it! After our visit, we take shelter from an unexpected downpour at a sushi izakaya (stay-drink-place) recommended by a taxi driver earlier that week. The sushi is incredible. The saki too! We’re so caught up in the evening we forget to check the bus times. It’s now 9.00 PM and we’re stranded. The buses back to Naha stop running at 7.00 PM. Taxi prices are extortionate and so are hotels for the night. Our only option is to hitchhike.
It’s dark now – and even though the downpour let up, it’s still drizzling. Our thumbs have been skyward for only 10 minutes before a car stops. The first car we see! The driver doesn’t speak a word of English but we hop in anyway. It’s either that or we freeze.
The driver drops a K7 (yes, still in 2017) at a local bar then heads to a restaurant where his sister works. His sister speaks some English, so with the help of Google translate, we explain our mishap which she translates to her brother before we hit the road again. After a few turns, stops and starts, we see a sign for Naha. The driver finally drops us at Kanehide Kise Beach Palace – somewhere a dozen kilometres from our Airbnb. Inside, he and the Palace hotel team helps us negotiate a taxi back to our Airbnb. As we pull up, an elderly woman (our host) is waiting at the front door. She looks as relieved to see us as we are to see her.
When asked about my travels, this story always comes to mind. Not because of where it took place or the sights we saw along the way. it’s the people I remember most, the relationships we made that night.
In particular, one brand is great at helping customers build connections while revolutionising their products – Apple, and they continue to do so through the ages. First, they did with mainframe computing – something I barely touched 20 years ago. Then, they did with enterprise computing and desktop computing (hello, Macintosh), followed by mobile computing (the iPhone), and soon, spatial computing (Apple Ski Googles). Can’t we do the same in the travel industry?
For the longest time, hotels and transportation were booked based on availability: travellers needed to get from A to B and stay at B. Where possible, travellers would decide where they stay and how they travel based on features e.g. room size or which class (first or second) they travel in. This era (70s and 80s) is what I call the transactional travel period.
Things changed after two things. First, the liberalisation of the economy. Suddenly, state-backed carriers faced competition from private entities. Real estate needed to be diversified which opened the door for building more hotels. Second, the Internet. These changes led to what I call the ‘experiential travel period’ – personally, I think we’re still in it. In this era, travellers make decisions based on inspiration rather than features. Travel is now an experience, not just about getting from A to B. Guest reviews and ratings matter to these experience-hungry nomads. They’re willing to spend more on quality and travel less, than travel more and stay in a bad hotel.
The problem is this, the hotel industry isn’t reinventing itself. It thinks it is by adding (unnecessary) extras to an experience. In reality, they’re missing the key thing this period of travellers is looking for – meaningful connections.
Co-living concepts are a hit for this reason. Companies like Selina actively promote human interaction over hotel features. It’s burgeoning – but how do we scale it? During my travels, I know I want to build relationships, so I want hotels that make this happen – and I can’t be the only one thinking this way.
Top picks of the month
🗝️ History was made this month with the first World’s 50 Best Hotels – see who made the list here. Among the top rankings is the film-set worthy, Passalacqua and our favorite hotel in the Alps, Badrutt’s Palace.
🌶️ Team Aphy has favourite eateries in every city we frequent. In East London, it’s Dishoom Shoreditch – a 1930s Irani-style cafe (think: sturdy antique furniture, natural light seeping through windows and crystal tumbles) serving the best Bombay dishes.
Events: where to catch us
Independent Hotel Show London: 16 – 17 October
🎙️ On the 17 October, Pedro (our Head of Commercial) and a panel of industry experts will be on the Hotel Business Stage. Join ‘Looking to improve your efficiency? AI could be the answer…’ session for tips and tricks on improving your hotel operations.
Automation clinic: 4, 11 and 19 October
🩺 Tired of Zoom meetings? Us too! On the 4 and 11 October, Pedro will host ‘Automation clinic’ in sunny Barcelona at the Seventy hotel from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
On the 19 October, Alex will be in Amsterdam at citizenM Amstel from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. See you there?
Tourism Innovation Summit Sevilla: 19-20 October
💃 Aphy is landing in Sevilla, following our nomination for the Touristech Startup Fest. Meet us at the Tourism Innovation Theatre on the 20 October.
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