It s about exploring how your guests might react to the messages, people and environment on their experiential journey to your site or property.

　　Tangible tasks, creative designers, innovative architects, accurate measurements and efficient operations lead to getting the physical dimensions of a hospitality environment right. Though physical, these elements have the power to evoke emotions, set the stage, and greatly impact the guest experience.

　　Intangible behaviors, effective leadership, thoughtful training, soft service skills and perceptual insight lead to getting the emotional dimensions of the role that the people have in creating the guest experience.

　　Exploring the many dimensions of service, both physical and emotional, and how to tap into a variety of experiential moments leading to the most meaningful guest experiences is about taking a deeper dive into what happens in service touchpoints and interactions. It's about exploring how your guests might react to the messages, people and environment on their experiential journey to your site or property. It's about discovering how guest emotions and senses will be tapped or untapped by what you perceive to be a connection. Exploring these dimensions is also about evaluating and managing the results when the venue misses the opportunity to proactively construct the experience itself beyond the mere physical environment and what actually may or does happen from the guest's point of view. And, when opportunities are missed, follow up with the guest to explore restoring faith in the properties ultimate goal of great guest experiences.

　　Getting all of the physical and emotional dimensions integrated and focused into one overall strategy and performance will yield the most desired and memorable guest experiences. Hoteliers must recognize they and their teams are the ones who must get dimensional about discovering and delivering those experiences. Otherwise, guests are left to take a stronger, more proactive (and often more frustrating) role in securing those experiences to meet their expectations when they were expecting the resort and employees to do that for them.

　　Top rated reviews, customer loyalty and powerful referrals are the results of getting those experiences right. Those experiences are triggered by emotions which run the gamut of positive, negative and indifferent reactions by guests. Those emotions and feelings are what the guest will take with them, even beyond the photos they take, the journey they made and the events that took place.

　　A recent guest experience showcases the dilemma created when the stage is set to create powerfully positive guest expectations, and yet the team and property's performance virtually misses the opportunity and requirement to guide and meet those expectations at a level, a dimension, below the surface.

　　"Sometimes getting good experiences and service can be so exhausting!" This comment from a recent 'über' traveler to a new luxury brand hotel in Asia revealed missed opportunities to secure not only guest loyalty but additional income and positive referrals. Several dimensions of delivering an experience that was not only expected but promised in hotel messages were missed.

　　This guest and her family are savvy travelers and make international excursions to luxury properties 2-3 times a year. In her professional role, her colleagues and clients value and seek out her recommendations and reviews of the international experiences she has. She researches each trip meticulously and communicates extensively with each property in advance to ensure her expectations are clear. She was exhausted trying to achieve this goal before even arriving and after a less than satisfying experience upon her return, reached out to me to ask, "is it my responsibility to create my own memorable moments, to make sure everything at the resort is in 'working order' and to expect a top level experience for a resort of this stature?"

　　This was a beach-pool resort in a remote yet beautiful location. Cultural activities were almost 2 hours away so her focus was primarily the resort experience, with only a few excursions due to the distance. For this particular guest, the beach and pool were key priorities for her family's style of enjoyment and relaxation in this resort's exquisite setting. The pools were beautifully designed and landscaped (physical dimension). The beach was enticing and alluring. She noted that the resort was exquisite and that the staff was lovely, but that was the case in many resorts she could have chosen all over the world. With that in mind, she went on to share her pre and post impressions and after great anticipation and expectations, what actually happened. She asked, how much of this is/was her responsibility and were her expectations out of line? Take a look at her specific issues and how a more "dimensional" approach to each situation could have changed the experience. Consider similar situations that have occurred or might occur at your property and how a deeper focus might change the outcomes and how to respond to guest perceptions that may be different than what your property delivers.

　　Issue One: Hotel Website, prior to arrival

　　At the time she made her reservations, well in advance of her visit, key information she normally secures in her preliminary research such as menus, prices, special events, tours, schedules, was difficult to source and understand and required extensive email communication in advance. When speaking with the reservations team, they could not find the information either and had to send her PDF documents of the information she desired. She shared she felt "exhausted to discover information herself and then get the detail." And though she found reservations agents to be attentive, thoughtful and responsive to her questions, she had to take on the responsibility of uncovering the guest experience. Although this may be due to the resort being a newer property, this guest had to work extra hard to get what she needed in advance.

　　Dimensional Insight - Hoteliers and their teams need to have that extra dimension of what guests are researching and looking for when they begin their quest. For many, the website is the initial contact and first part of their journey. For a guest, it's the beginning of their excitement and their emotions start to kick into gear. They are thinking about the new tastes, fragrances, sights and sounds that will be part of being in a new place, new land, new setting. Think about what a guest might be feeling as they consider an experience at your resort and how that feeling may begin on and through your website. How much does your website communicate about the actual experiences of staying at your property and all the ways they might be more personalized? Does the website evoke emotion, get them excited and encourage them with the possibilities? The website may be the first impression point so what should it do and convey that makes the guest experience come alive before they even set foot on the property and encourage the guest's dimension of thought? How thorough should information be so that guests can navigate easily to get the information they desire? Consider how to prepare for guest expectations, potential interests and in turn greater income with your website window to your property in a deeper way than you might previously have considered. Invite employees not related to the website, marketing or advertising efforts to review the site and see if they believe the resort experience is fully presented to guests online. Adding more perspectives adds more dimension to what guests may perceive.