is there a difference between product vs service industry?
I hear this a lot: “Well, of course you could afford to pull those tricks at an expensive restaurant.” And I always think: Are you sure you can afford not to? It’s true—these gifts cost money, in labor if nothing else. But I’m my dad’s son, and I reviewed the Dreamweaver line item in the P&L every month with an eagle eye. There was never any... See more
Notes & Highlights for Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Too many businesses don’t really understand that the core of their business is making people feel good. Whether it’s walking into a store or a restaurant, or being on an airplane, most people go through life hoping that good things will happen to them, and they return to businesses that make those things happen.
Alison Beard • Life’s Work: An Interview with Ruth Reichl
Imagine, though, that instead of resorting to one of these fallback positions, you asked yourself: What is the hospitality solution? What if you forced yourself to be creative, to develop a solution that worked because of—not in spite of—your dedication to generosity and extraordinary service? These are almost always harder to execute, and coming... See more
Notes & Highlights for Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Brian Chesky’s 6 star to 10 star approach.
Create the spectrum so you know the entire playing field.
Reach for the most doable extra star service possible.
Break that down into it's components.
Scale them up.
This is a hospitality solution: a problem that we solved not by sneakily chipping away at the service we were offering but by blowing it out in the opposite direction—by giving more, not less.
Notes & Highlights for Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Gifts, to me, are deeply meaningful, which is why I get so mad when a business gives me a cheap tote with a branded USB drive. Try harder! Do better! Gifts are a way to tell people you saw, heard, and recognized them—that you cared enough to listen, and to do something with what you heard. A gift transforms an interaction, taking it from... See more
Notes & Highlights for Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
My time working at Amazon made me sick when I would get their “goodies” for special occasions. The corporate gifting is horrible. My best gifts, though were the soundbar and the headphones, very bland, basic but have served me well for 3+ years. No branding, no gimmicks and cheap shit. Just good products that work because they were made for people to buy and use. It might not be personal but it served my basic needs and I'm grateful for that.