Eddy Brosse
Passionate hotelier by vocation, in the business for over 26 yrs and still learning
Location Between Thailand and France
Activity
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
Thank you, Doctor Czyzewska, for this free sample. It brought fond memories of my time online with Glion, and it is always a pleasure to share insights and experiences with fellow students around the world.
This course put structure, a back bone, to my thoughts and past experiences, and triggered some interesting realisations. I also came up with quite a...
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
(Week 1) ''As for "niche luxury and discreet experiences", I would totally agree that once the growing middle classes (in growing markets like India, ME, Brazil, China...) will reach maturity, we may see a less flamboyant exhibition of luxury and turn more to proper experiences. For already mature economies, I would think that trends would be seen into more...
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The good old Golden Rule, right? Yet, isn't that lovely when people dealing with you are just 'real'; opposite to some sort of robots, or even monsters sometimes.
Yet as you said, it all starts from the top
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
However sad it is to admit, only bad experiences spring to mind. Or is it a sign?
Soft skills are extremely hard to embed, and emotional intelligence might be the hardest as it is part of a personal journey of an individual, not something we could take our teams through; we can only support their personal development.
So, the most strongest adverse...
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Also, I forgot that I see very little 'passion' going around.
I am a registered 'mentor' of some sorts on myjobglasses and actually did some catch up with messages this afternoon. Now, I see a lot of 'I want to work in the luxury industry', but nowhere do I see, read or feel an obvious drive behind that, let alone a passion.
Am I too old school?
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Thank you, Celian! So spot on
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@Anne-ChristineProcope Interesting, thank you. However now, does it work in all national cultures?
Since I returned to France to work because of covid, I found a highly disengaged workforce. The individuality has grown exponentially I feel in the past 10 years I had been away. There seems to be no trust in the organisation, the manager or any 'employer...
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What about self development opportunities? I have convinced for a while that if one is not feeling personally secure in our people intensive industries, one cannot perform at one's best or even succeed.
And maybe this is one key way to touch younger generation when offering that possibility; I feel 'insecurity' has grown so bad (covid also helping) and...
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
The only alternative (yet obvious) example I could think of is: plastic surgery.
There, customers are both the brand and the product. They are trying to better the product to enhance their brand. And this now starts from an early age (teens) and goes up to much later in life, then trying to extend the value of the brand when the product is nearing its...
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
From what we've read and learnt thus far, customers will appreciate whatever we do to help them change, better themselves, transform their life. So, any brand who gets it right, through intense personalisation, active listening and collection of data, will attract more loyalty I would believe.
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Eddy Brosse replied to Catarina Faria
True Catarina. Now how could the brand offer a consistent experience, and relevant to each particular customer, if that brand doesn't collect enough data to have a full profile of the-said customer?
Four Seasons hotels for example had amazing data collection capabilities, however they could not share between all properties. So the service could be...
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Eddy Brosse replied to Athina Antonopoulou
I agree, yet this could only be supported by a healthy data collection, which is typically a major issue in hotels for example (even nationalities, relevant market segment etc.)
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I do agree, a strong loyalty program that is easy to use and generate instant gratification will also be key to increased customer loyalty.
What does keep Booking.com customers in, despite appalling customer service by the platform teams (except in Asia, I have to say)? A good array of loyalty tiers, with instant rewards, and which covers all brands, all...
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I will go back to my days commuting on the Eurostar, between London and Paris. I could not be happier when they automated the check-in process. Now, don't tell me you are ALWAYS greeted by someone warm and/or smiling, as well as competent.
So I was such a regular (nearly every weekend at some point!) that I knew where I was going etc. and was a Frequent...
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Exactly, no matter what box or label customers have been assigned to (gen X, Y or Z), we all want similar things: personal attention, being listened to, taking part in the process and being allowed to enjoy 'moments'.
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@CelianSkandrani and service recovery is such a powerful way to connect, build or enhance relationships! In busy properties, it has sometimes been the only way actually (and sadly).
I am talking from experience, even booking out membership card holders to the competition allowed me to build personal relationships to regular customers. But I think it also...
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I like your idea, as I personally don't like being sold something I don't need, or that will not work for me.
Now attitude and listening skills could help to keep the experience consistent and relevant to each customer, thus supporting a healthy relationship.
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Eddy Brosse replied to Lyssandra De La Cerda
Indeed, Lyssandra, now it is all about 'breaking boxes', whether for customers or for team members, allowing both to be themselves, comfortable, and allow great moments to be delivered for both.
Personally, I never liked 'stuffy', pretentious 5* hotels in Europe; I never felt comfortable or relevant. Now, I did enjoy similar settings in Egypt as there was...
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Eddy Brosse replied to Alexandra Ferro
Thank you Alexandra, for bringing the most comprehensive points I feel.
As you rightly said, we all need guidelines on stage so the team's behaviour is consistent, always, and coherent with the brand's values and vision. Whether we call that a ''script'', or 'SOPs', or whatever else, teams need a roadmap, whether they're new starters (need even more) or...
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Agreed, Nelson. And this is where, some (mostly US) brands push it too far and the experience is entirely 'coded', dictated, which is bound to reflect on CX
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@DamienLamy That's First class experience, through and through. Yet, as you said, this could so easily been rolled out
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@Anne-ChristineProcope excellent staging! And this is something Thai tend to do easily and naturally, nothing forced or superficial. I love your example
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Eddy Brosse replied to Maria H
@MariaH Thank you for raising such a valid and crucial point. TQM mostly monitor processes and compliance to them, not so much the output (whose process is supposed to have been tested).
I agree with need solid organisational culture and SOPs to ensure there is a backbone to whatever we endeavour to achieve. However, I feel TQMs tend to turn employees'...
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
I would share here the reflection and ideas raised after reading this short text: in my new hotel, I will create an even-stronger customer centric culture, encouraging team members to listen to each and every one of our customers to define specially tailored moments, that will not be marketed on our brochure.
It is all about surprising by the unexpected,...
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The first brand that comes to mind for me on this subject is: Abercrombie & Fitch. How interesting that in order to market expensive clothing, they used to have half naked models on their doorstep, have loud music in their very dark stores... .
Talk about staging, this is one of the most obvious example, although did this have the best impact on their...
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Very much agree, Nelson. I would then also add the 'memories of the experience' (''what a customer remembers...'') into CX too: I believe strongly that CX starts even when customer considers or search for the brand / good / experience, all the way through and after the experience has typically / physically ended
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
The first example that comes to mind felt for me like a true luxury experience. While my once-a-year flight home was paid by my company, I upgraded myself to Business with my own money (I had been so wowed by the first time, an experience I shared earlier in the course). This was my first holiday in 2 years and I wanted really to experience again the same than...
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
From this interesting interview, I noted down the following main take-aways:
- Wellness industry has moved from providing mere relaxation space and time, to a more holistic approach of people's wellbeing (body and mental health, live longer)
- key attributes of the Wellness industry transformational epxeriences are: personalisation, communication with each... -
A simple but very interesting example, Augusto. Love the simplicity of it, and yet for you it is a luxury. Thank you for sharing
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
Fascinating to see the evolution in the concept of 'luxury experiences': who would I thought that co-creating your own (luxury) automobile would become a luxury?
Maybe the concept is also stretched further by modern circumstances: the need for peaceful time, away from the crazy work pace, family duties, constant noise (whether surrounding noise or online...
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Peace, quietness, no parent duties to keep up and no having to actually 'be a parent' for a while? I could sympathise (although I have no kid).
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DO I read well, Steve, if I say that the fact this was the ''maiden voyage'' made the moment even more special, luxurious then?
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Similar example to Agostina's and maybe relating to mine too (although I was not staying at 5* hotels). Would you say that the fact you were a little girl emphasized the perception of luxury in your experience?
In my first Business class flight, maybe I actually felt like a little kid again: eyes wide open, letting it all sink in, trying to take as much in...
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Was there such a noticeable difference between Business and First, Rana? Apart from the tangible elements like more privacy, more space.
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Interesting how things could trigger emotions, which then turn an experience into something totally different.
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I think my first luxury experiences were when we were travelling as a family, along my father who was then working. Then we regularly stayed at Novotel hotels.
For me then, they were the epitome of luxury: the surroundings, quietness, the pool ... for a little boy, that was it! Even though they were rather average at the time and barely owning up to their...
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Clearly, Agostina, the emotional element was key to print that moment in your memory. What a wow! Great example and illustration for our course, thank you
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
I cannot help but challenge the ideas that luxury is a media for people ''to express individualism, personality''; would this not be a perception of 'individualism' and 'personality'? Fashion trends typically put a uniform over fashionistas, to confirm their feeling of belonging to the 'in crowd', however I would dispute that any individualism or expression of...
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Interesting, Natalia. Then it is not about creating 'needs' and 'wants', since customers were perfectly happy and alive before discovering there is something new, better, bolder, brighter, to buy or experience?
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
So the video is telling us that it is about 'needs' versus 'wants'. However, aren't they both interconnected? Especially with the influence of good marketing (or a strong sales person), a 'want' could easily become a 'need'; the whole point of marketing.
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Great to see I am not alone in the 'more senior' batch!
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
This poll typically illustrates what we started to touch upon at the very beginning of this journey (our first discussion): what is 'luxury'? What is our perception of it, how do each of us define it?
I gather answers vary greatly according to our culture, experience and what point we reached in life / maturity. For example, I would have answered YES! to...
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Eddy Brosse replied to Eddy Brosse
This simple article for me exemplifies a return to simpler, more fulfilling experiences as part of a 'luxury experience'. This does match what we learned in the history of 'luxury' here: with the democratisation of access to luxury goods and experiences, the negative taint has been fading.
There are a few words which stroke me in the article:
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Eddy Brosse made a comment
Now as far as marketing is concern, I see the future still in integrated marketing campaigns (mixed medias). I guess the 'in your face' advertising will remain for sometime still, just to entice the larger numbers into a 'better, more luxurious life'.
However, as we already mentioned ''tailor-made'' and ''niche'' / ''understated'', there might be a growing...
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Also it would be interesting to define 'luxury'. Maybe yesterday it could have been about owning and displaying an expensive Hermes leather handbag around, but tomorrow it could just mean 'access to food and water'. The concept might also be a very personal thing, a perception: for me, 'luxury' means having time for myself and my family, and enjoying a...
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How interesting, Guillaume. Thank you.
In what way do you see "luxury is now the norm" please?
As for "niche luxury and discreet experiences", I would totally agree that once the growing middle classes (in growing markets like India, ME, Brazil, China...) will reach maturity, we may see a less flamboyant exhibition of luxury and turn more to proper...
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Eddy Brosse replied to Maria H
Hello Maria,
Pleased to eMeet you.
I guess I feel similarly. So I am looking forward to learning alongside and clarifying it all.
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Hello Guillaume,
Great eMeeting you.
I wish you a great learning journey with your MBA. I completed this one in 2013 online and it was one of the best times in my life, also allowed me to step up to the next level really.
Have fun
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@KarinaG hello Karina,
My name is Eddy. My passport says I'm French but I have lived out of the country for half of my life already (and I am old!). I am already a Glion alumna, for I did the online MBA in International Hospitality Mgt 2010-13, which I tremendously enjoyed and developed from. I so enjoyed it that I am very happy to be studying online again... -
@TseyentsetsegDemberel hello and nice to see you again online. Pleasure studying along!
