Carina Chorengel

Carina Chorengel, who’s taken on the new role of vice president branding for Asia Pacific, told WIT that branding champions had been set up in the different regions to lead this initiative to more clearly differentiate each brand by their customer experience promise.

So for instance, Park Hyatt would stand for “Enriching, Sophisticated” and Grand Hyatt “Dramatic, Exciting”. The group also has Hyatt Regency, Andaz, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. (The latter two brands are not yet in Asia.)

“At the heart is, Authentic Hospitality, as this is what our brand, Hyatt, stands for. As such, through our interactions with our guests, we endeavor to create distinct experiences for them, while always keeping in mind local culture and each guest’s individual needs.  Glocalization, empathy and observation are all important in order to cater relevantly to their needs,” said Chorengel.

She said that branding had changed with digital and social, and the ability for customers to review hotels and share opinions means there’s more emphasis on experiences rather than products and features.

Budgets were also shifting towards digital, she said. While the current share of traditional and digital spend is 50/50, digital’s share was growing very fast. Hyatt has hired a new VP for Digital Strategy, Karen Dawson, and in Hong Kong, Andy Chang is the new director of digital marketing Asia Pacific.

The challenge of course in branding around customer experiences means that service delivery has to be consistent to the promise and Chorengel said that an extensive training programme was underway to train associates to deliver a more empathetic and intuitive style of service across the group.

“We want them to understand guests not by what they say but what they’re doing. So training is now more about empathetic listening.”

Customer experience though can be very subjective and dependent on culture. Take for example the check-in experience. In the US, self-service may work well but in Asia, people are more used to full service.

“There’s got to be glocalisation. In China, for example, you must get passports from everyone – so there’s another step to go through. But the key is to deliver a customer experience that is specific to the brand and to the market.”

She cited Apple Stores as an example of a brand that manages to deliver a similar experience wherever it is, ditto with Starbucks.

The new “Hyatt Has It” programme, for instance, is an attempt to deliver a consistent customer experience for women on the road. While the service is aimed at all guests, a particular focus is women business travellers who “are often much more reluctant than men to seek assistance” when they forget things – this, according to an 18-month effort by the group to create solutions to the issues that women face on the road.

According to the chain’s research, women want:

• Assurances that their guest rooms have been cleaned and an ongoing dialogue with the hotel to provide feedback.

• An easy way to obtain items forgotten at home without breaking stride.

• To maintain their health and well-being on the road – new menu offerings that include fresh juices and smoothies, balanced portions and “create your own” options.

As a frequent traveller herself, Chorengel appreciates if room service is delivered by a woman or if her room is cleaned by a woman and “when I am at a conference, I don’t want to have to go down to a gym where I might meet other speakers and delegates, so a yoga mat or weights or a step machine delivered to my room would be great”.

She also believes that “if you make it right for the woman, you make it right for everyone else”.