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I was recently in New York City, to deliver the SimpliFlying-Skift MasterClass, and I stayed at the Marriott Downtown in Manhattan. It’s a great property, and I had an enjoyable stay. Though, on the drive back to Canada, I kept thinking about a conversation I had with the concierge…
When I hit Platinum level in the Marriott Rewards program last month, they sent me a beautiful kit detailing all my privileges. One of them was that I would be given a welcome gift whenever I checked-in to a Marriott property. I didn’t ask for it, but it was a nice to have. And I was looking forward to it. While checking in, I forgot about it, so asked the concierge the next day, to which he said, “You’ll receive 500 bonus points as a gift after your stay.” While I didn’t say anything to him, I kept wondering how that was a “welcome gift”, as that’s to be given to a guest upon arrival, not a week after staying at the property.
So I went up to my room and Googled, “Marriott Rewards welcome gift”, and the results surprised me. It turns out lots of Platinum members were concerned about the lack of a welcome gift, despite Marriott promising it. And there were lessons for airlines to learn here.
Lessons for airline brands
While Marriott is not an airline, airlines can clearly see that a welcome gift, which was created to make their most loyal guests feel special, was instead a source of grief. And there are a few lessons to take from this.
- Don’t over promise, and under deliver. Airline (and hotel) brands often promise the world to the travellers, but can fall short in the delivery. Hence, create only expectations you can beat. For example, many frequent travellers know that Turkish Airlines has a great new lounge in Istanbul. But only when they enter do they see the pool table, the library and the good food, and they cherish it!
- Instant gratification is much more valuable than “post-love”. Travellers today are tired of the same old rituals of the journey. They are craving to be surprised and impressed. And they will tell the world about it. If Marriott had indeed sent me a wine and cheese platter in my room as a welcome gift, I’d have Tweeted or instagrammed about it. But putting points in my account on a later date doesn’t really “wow” me. Just look at how well KLM did with their surprises initiative, and how WestJet took over Christmas last year with their instant gratification.
The power of Now is understated. Airlines should learn from one another in this regard. In Marriott’s case, they should perhaps remove the “welcome gift” benefit from their collateral, and replace it with a Platinum bonus points, where each stay is rewarded with 500 points.
What do you think? Is instant gratification still important for an airline brand? Let’s discuss on Twitter (@simpliFlying) and in the comments section.