{"id":10024893,"date":"2021-04-10T11:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T10:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/familiar-stranger\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:10:49","slug":"culture-personalization-in-luxury-hospitality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/culture-personalization-in-luxury-hospitality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Familiar Stranger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Text Andres DAMM<\/p>\n

The customer is king, and nowhere is this more true than in the luxury hospitality industry. Yet alongside the time-honored elements that have always defined a five-star hotel, an increasing number of properties are embracing innovative technologies to forge a closer relationship with their guests, create distinctive and highly personalized stays, and build long-term loyalty. In an age when data privacy is a constant source of concern, however, anticipating guests\u2019 wishes before they have even been expressed is not always a straightforward undertaking.<\/p>\n

International luxury hospitality is defined by continually setting new benchmarks. The last decade in particular has illustrated, through a number of impressive projects, the scale on which investors and hoteliers are willing to think and act in order to be right at the forefront in the race for the most discerning clientele. And it\u2019s not only the finest fittings and seemingly unlimited space that define luxury travel today. Service standards in the five-star deluxe category have also reached a level never seen before.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 PR Park Hyatt Bangkok<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PARK HYATT Bangkok, The hotel lobby is a futuristic Gesamtkunstwerk and intelligently reflects the property\u2019s forward-looking spirit in architectural terms\u2014something also evident in the hotel\u2019s technical refinements. Soft indirect lighting creates a warm overall atmosphere despite the modern design. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It almost sounds too good to be true: you enter a hotel you\u2019ve never been to before, are greeted by name and with your favourite drink, the pillow on the bed in your room has exactly the firmness you find most comfortable, and the flat-screen knows which episode of your currently preferred Netflix series you watched last. What sounds like a futuristic ideal is, in some hotels, already a reality today\u2014at least in parts.<\/p>\n

But to offer precisely this kind of special, individually tailored luxury, it\u2019s essential to have certain data about the (future) guest at hand and to rely on technological tools. And in fact, there is software and search engines that enable hoteliers to research guests online in advance and, as if by magic, cater to habits and preferences. Thanks to access to social media platforms and their profile pictures, a name-based greeting at check-in is then possible, virtually via facial recognition.<\/p>\n

Legally, this form of guest research sits in something of a grey area: while a hotel, as a temporary accommodation provider, is even obliged to collect certain data, under the applicable General Data Protection Regulation personal data may only be processed if it is necessary for the performance of the accommodation contract. What exactly falls under this necessity is, to a certain extent, open to interpretation. Collecting and archiving guest data during a stay is generally legitimate, and creating a guest profile with eating and sleeping habits is quite common.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 PR Andaz 5th Avenue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ANDAZ 5TH AVENUE, New York, This luxury property plays a pioneering role within the Hyatt Group when it comes to innovation. Alongside technical refinements, service ideas such as the \u00bbAndaz Host\u00ab\u2014a hotel employee who serves as the guest\u2019s personal point of contact while also acting as concierge, bellboy and doorman\u2014were developed here.<\/p>\n

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Far more elegant than searching the vast expanses of the World Wide Web for guest information on your own initiative is, in any case, working together with the guest\u2014and thus with their explicit consent\u2014to increase comfort and simplify certain processes during the stay. A hugely helpful tool for this is the hotel\u2019s own app, as some of the major chains now use. The Hyatt Group<\/i>, for example, only just fundamentally revamped and expanded its app\u2019s functions in August this year, allowing guests to personalise their stay to the maximum. In some of the group\u2019s hotels, your phone can replace the key card on request, while also letting you order breakfast or an iron to your room at the push of a button. In addition, special preferences can be entered before arrival, and even check-out is possible via the app. Particularly appealing for frequent travellers is the option to stream personalised content on the TV in the hotel room. If you have to sleep in a different bed every night for work, at least switching on the flat-screen gives you a little sense of homely familiarity.<\/p>\n

All functions at Hyatt <\/i>are, of course, optional\u2014after all, the definition of luxury when travelling is highly subjective. One person wants maximum personal interaction and a digital detox far from home; another doesn\u2019t want to make small talk at check-out with the receptionist before a long flight or a business appointment.<\/p>\n

The response to the hi-tech individualisation of one\u2019s own stay is extremely positive, which is why not only various hotel chains such as Starwood <\/i>and Hilton<\/i>, but also hotel alliances like The Leading Hotels of the World<\/i><\/a> now give their customers the option of personalising their trips with a swipe via an app. In the travel industry, an app can also conveniently be an important tool before check-in and after check-out to strengthen customer loyalty\u2014on the one hand by offering various goodies such as upgrades and free nights through affiliated loyalty programmes, and on the other simply by maintaining communication via newsletters and offers through push notifications.<\/p>\n

A pleasant side effect of the data collected to increase comfort is its usefulness in optimising business processes. If, for example, a hotel is fully booked, it can sell paid late check-outs risk-free if it is known that a certain number of guests will check in after a certain time.<\/p>\n

But of course, it would be absurd in an industry that is still first and foremost shaped by the idea of service\u2014and thus by human interaction\u2014to rely on technology alone to increase customers\u2019 wellbeing. An at least equally important, albeit somewhat less clearly controllable, component in the process of optimising the guest experience is still very much the staff and their perfect training.<\/p>\n

A particularly sensual example of this approach is the Aman Resorts<\/i><\/a>, where comfort is still only very limitedly created through technology, and often even through its absence. In times of sensory overload from ubiquitous hi-tech gimmicks, you\u2019ll search in vain in an Aman<\/i> room\u2014despite prices sometimes exceeding \u20ac1,000 per night\u2014for tablets that can both heat the toilet seat and dim the window front. At Aman<\/i>, luxury instead means a pleasant reduction to the essentials\u2014or at least the option of it. In return, however, they go all in on personal guest care, trying to fulfil wishes and adjust preferences in a highly individual way.<\/p>\n

The staff in the resorts also seem strikingly relaxed and equipped with the necessary time to have a longer conversation with a guest now and then, conveying a very special sense of hospitality. The result? There is probably hardly any other hotel chain with a similarly loyal base of regulars. There are Aman<\/i> fans who proudly call themselves \u00bbAmanjunkies\u00ab and are on a mission to have visited every property in the group at least once. The hotel is no longer merely accommodation, but becomes the destination itself. As a hotelier, you can hardly wish for more.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Baglioni Hotels & Resorts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BAGLIONI HOTEL REGINA, Venice In the suites and rooms of the 5-star hotel, the focus is on traditional elegance paired with subtle nods to the company\u2019s Italian roots. The main star of this room, however, is the view.<\/p>\n

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Guido Polito, the CEO and son of the founder of the still privately run Italian hotel group Baglioni <\/i><\/a>, also emphasises that the single most important tool for customer loyalty is personal contact between staff and guests. \u00bbOur regular guests have their own habits and preferences, and our strength lies in the fact that our employees know them exactly. Who likes which cocktail or which newspaper, which room type is preferred by whom. The typical Baglioni<\/i> guest is an international globetrotter who wants to feel at home when they come to us.\u00ab<\/p>\n

To care for guests as tailor-made as possible, the hotel\u2019s quality assurance department sends every guest a questionnaire after their stay, giving them the opportunity to share criticism and suggestions. The properties at the various locations have access to the personalised guest profile, so that the same guest-personalised service is possible in every Baglioni<\/i> hotel\u2014even if a hotel is being visited for the first time.<\/p>\n

At Baglioni <\/i>, placing emphasis on Italian roots is also particularly important. To do justice to this, various properties in the group offer guests tailor-made experience packages on request, suited to the respective surroundings. Cruising on a yacht off Venice\u2019s Lido, or tasting wines and collecting truffles outside Florence? At Baglioni <\/i>, all of this can be booked online directly with the overnight stay. A practical side effect: not only are special moments created, but a framework is also established for an otherwise rather unusual intimacy between the guest and the hotel. After all, during a wine tasting or truffle hunt, you automatically open up more than you ever would at the concierge desk.<\/p>\n

We ask Polito whether the hotel employee would pass on to the hotel\u2019s database the things they learn about a guest on such an intimate excursion. \u00bbIf it serves to intensify the personal connection with our guest and thus enables an even better experience with us\u2014of course.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s hope that the increasingly \u00bbtransparent guest\u00ab sees it just as pragmatically.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Baglioni Hotels & Resorts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Text Andres DAMM The customer is king, and nowhere is this more true than in the luxury hospitality industry. Yet alongside the time-honored elements that have always defined a five-star hotel, an increasing number of properties are embracing innovative technologies to forge a closer relationship with their guests, create distinctive and highly personalized stays, and build long-term loyalty. In an age when data privacy is a constant source of concern, however, anticipating guests\u2019 wishes before they have even been expressed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10013316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[351,348],"tags":[365],"class_list":["post-10024893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-latest","tag-reise-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10024893"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10024897,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024893\/revisions\/10024897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10013316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10024893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10024893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10024893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}