Unlocking the Power of Storytelling in Hospitality - Regitse Rosenvinge

Speaker 1: Storytelling makes the world go around. Think about it Whether you're raising capital for a project, recruiting a talented person to join your organization, inspiring your teams or trying to increase demand for your hotel, it all comes back to storytelling. Well, today we're learning from an expert storyteller on how you can put the power of storytelling to work. This is Hospitality Dealy the show that helps you stay informed and inspired each day by the most interesting people in hospitality. My name is Josiah McKenzie and my goal is to help you reconnect with why you work in this industry and get fired up to go out there, delight others and reach your goals. Let's get started.

Speaker 1: Today we're learning from Rajitse Rosenvange, a brand storyteller and communication consultant for hotels and hospitality brands. She's worked internationally for years with clients like Accor and the Social Hub, and in today's episode we're going to cover why storytelling matters storytelling and digital environments and the process for developing stories. I was excited to talk with you because I've heard consistently across the people I've interviewed for the show how important story is and that could be food and beverage leaders talking about. You can't just put something on the menu. There needs to be something to talk about. I've heard marketing leaders say the same thing. I've heard experience design leaders say the same thing. You can't just have this experience, it needs to be framed through a story. I wanted to hear from you, because you do this full time In your view, why does storytelling matter today?

Speaker 2: Well, i think you have to turn it around and say that we wouldn't be anywhere today, we wouldn't be anyone or anything without stories, because, as human beings, our brains are wired for storytelling, we are prepped for storytelling, we see stories, we live stories every single day And this is essentially how we survive through times passing on stories. This is how we connect with each other. This is how we understand the world, basically. So I think that if you are running a business, any type of business, today, and you're not tapping into storytelling, you're not telling the story about your brand DNA and why it's different from other businesses, and why your hotel is so specific, based on its heritage and its history and its employees and everything, you're missing out a great deal. You're really not connecting to your target audience. So storytelling is basically the backbone of everything And it should definitely be implemented in every single strategy that a hotel or restaurant ever put out there. It's basically what connects a business to the consumer. It tells the story about not only the brand itself, but why the consumer should care. In a world with so much noise and so many distractions that if you tell your unique story, that's like to the point that, something people understand immediately. That's something for them to attach to And that's just super, super important.

Speaker 2: We have storytelling in all sorts of industries and all sorts of businesses Use it. As you mentioned yourself F&B what comes on the plate, what is served to the guests. It needs a certain story for people to care What's in it. For me, why should I care about this specific hotel or this specific restaurant? There's so many businesses to choose from today. There are so many options that it's like very confusing for the average consumer. And I get it. Personally, i also only attached to those companies and remember those companies with a good story to tell, and there are like numerous ways to do this. But to answer your question in short, yeah, storytelling is everything, because we literally we understand stories more than anything else. We read them, we connect through them and we remember things and episodes and anecdotes and everything. Memories is also a form of storytelling, right? So it imbues everything.

Speaker 1: So that's fascinating to me, how it is something that's just wired in us to resonate with stories. I'm curious to get your thoughts on the importance of storytelling, especially in this moment, because a lot of people are thinking about the implications of artificial intelligence and those of us that are telling stories in a digital environment. Sometimes it's categorized as content creation, which maybe diminishes the value of digital storytelling, but in this moment, where AI can generate a lot of stuff, does story become more important?

Speaker 2: You know, so many people are actually asking me about the whole aspect around artificial intelligence. You know, will storytelling be gone forever, and do we need it and do we need content creators after that? And of course we do, because we are still humans and we are today and we will still be humans in 1500, 150 years from now. Our brains won't change as such. What we do outside may change, but the way we understand the world and the way we communicate with each other, that won't change. That's like on a basic level. So there will always be a need for storytelling. There will always be a need for emotional intelligence, and emotional intelligence and storytelling as kind of two sides of the same coin. You know what I mean. It's like it's very closely connected and artificial intelligence will never be able to replace that.

Speaker 2: I really truly believe that we can use artificial intelligence for something good. We can do good with it. It could be very valuable, but it will never replace the human aspect of hospitality, which service storytelling. Hospitality, in its very essence, is about humans. It's about connections. And even though I greatly admire artificial intelligence and the people behind it, i think it can also be a beautiful thing. I don't think it will take over anything anytime soon. I don't think so.

Speaker 1: Yeah, and then, before we get into some of the tactics of storytelling, i guess I'd be curious to get your thoughts or anything that you're thinking about now in terms of the current media landscape and whether it's an app or different formats of storytelling that you're seeing now. You mentioned blogging having a big moment. I actually started my career in blogging and it did kind of have a moment, and now the media landscape may look a little bit different, but how are you thinking about the channels or formats for telling stories now and how that impacts how you think about storytelling?

Speaker 2: Yeah. So the interesting thing about storytelling is there are no limits. You know you can't put it in a box and say you can only tell stories like that or like this For a hotel or a restaurant specifically, since we're talking about hospitality today. I think you know the sky's the limit. Today You have so many different media outlets that you can use. Of course, your website should tell the story of your property. You have your social media Instagram, LinkedIn. Those are two of the biggest social media platforms that I use, also for my clients. You have blogs, which is also good for SEO. You have podcasts.

Speaker 2: It's also a growing format for hospitality brands because it's sort of it's a mix between the visual and the audio and so many different formats that you can use And if you use them wisely, I think that that is the best way to do it, because then you appeal to more people as well, throughout more generations, The younger people and the older crowd as well. So I think you know the sky's the limit. As long as you pick a format that fits you and your property and your brand DNA, I don't think it's a problem to use podcasts or blogs. Or, of course, your website needs to be in place And, as I said, you have to utilize social media. Today It's super important as well, So this thing keeps developing all the time, but storytelling can be used as like an overall strategy to like in all your different channels and media platforms, and it should be.

Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, that's great. Wonder if we can maybe talk a little bit about the process of developing story and we can take this however you'd like it could be. You know, when you first sit down with a new client, i think about defining stories. But I guess what I'm hoping to give our listeners is a bit of a framework on helping them develop story and yeah, that's a great question, is a big question as well.

Speaker 2: i'll do my best to kind of answer it here. Of course, there's a framework and there's also a specific framework for hotels i work with, because storytelling for hotels is somehow a little bit different than storytelling for other brands because it's such a specific Industry, is a specific niche and it caters to a specific segment of people, of consumers. the first thing you have to consider when, like stating, okay, i want to do storytelling for my property, how do i approach it? The first thing is that you need to get to know your property like as if it was a very good friend, a close friend of yours. make it like as personal as possible. You know, how would you describe your property if it was a human being? what kind of attributes and values would you put on this property of this person? How would the property look like if it was an actual person? like it might seem a little bit silly, but it's a really good exercise to get as a close and personal with your own brand as possible, really get to know it like it was a good friend.

Speaker 1: How do you do that? because there's many listeners who maybe working in corporate office are not physically on property, so how do you get to know it that well?

Speaker 2: Well, you sit down and you basically just get it, and i would suggest you more than one person doing this, because it's usually a team effort trying to find a brand boys. we're talking about a brand for a hotel, for example. You know you tap into the history and the heritage of the property. if it has a history and heritage, is it part of a chain or is it a single family boutique property? there's a big difference. do you have to follow Set of guidelines and rules or do you have more like free creativity? can you do whatever you want? basically, then you look at the interior. what kind of vibe do you want to convey? you know what kind of traveler are you appealing to, and this is also where you get to know your target audience very well, because you can say a hotel welcomes everyone short. but if you're trying to find your unique brand boys, you really have to get a specific as possible. you have to niche down, and the more you need down, the more you appeal to the right people. It's like with any other business the more you try to appeal to everyone the words gets, because you know people like stories, they like specific things, they like niches and then they attached to things that they feel are talking to them. It's the same thing with a hotel or restaurant. So, of course, as a framework, you have to basically, as I said, put a lot of words. it's a branding process, get to know the property.

Speaker 2: is it What? what kind of traveler are you attracting? is it a male? is it a female? the couple, is it older people? is it is a Gen C? What kind of language do they use? what kind of interest do they have?

Speaker 2: Is your property located on the countryside? is it located in the city? is your kind of brand language sort of like frisky, but, you know, like outgoing and relaxed, like we have moxie, and it's very, you know, young and hip and appealing to younger travelers, whereas you have Fairmont, definitely also chain, you know it's much more old fashioned and traditional and you have to cater to a different kind of segment. So, to compare the two properties or the two brands, they have very different brand voices and very different styles And if you imagine them to be two different persons or two different people, they'd be super, super different the way they talk, the way they their opinions, the way they dress. Again, it may sound like a silly exercise, but it is actually quite fun to sit down and find the unique brand voice for a property kind of person and make a persona of the property or the brand usually helps a lot And I think the best thing I know, the best thing you can do when trying to put together a story telling strategy is, you know, get a little bit personal never private, but become a little bit personal again under the skin of your property.

Speaker 2: talk to your employees, who are they. can they tell any fun stories and anecdotes about your property? That's a personal aspect that I really love, because sometimes you have a conchage who's been there for 30 years and he knows your property better than anyone else. Once I created a guide for a newly opened hotels in Berlin hotel in Berlin here in Europe and it was a it was sort of a brand manual for the hotel where I would interview People from all the different departments of the hotel housekeeping and the bar manager and the FNB manager and people on the floor and people in the back. I would ask them what is your favorite spot in the city and why. I would ask the chef where do you go to buy your groceries? why do you do that? why can you recommend that and like that, i Created a city guide based on the preferences and the recommendations of the hotel staff and it was a huge success because people connected to the property through the staff members right.

Speaker 2: So that's also a way to do it. include your staff, include your the people working in your hotel, and tab into your location, of course, what kind of Where you located. is it a big city, is it a small town? connect to the local environment. it's not only a good idea, it's also tapping into this whole idea of sustainability and And so on and so forth. so there are many ways to do it. yeah.

Speaker 1: I love that idea of talking to people and getting a sense of what their favorite thing to do is in an area, and going back to our conversation about Artificial intelligence and the implications there. Yes, google today and I in the future will be able to provide highly personal or highly specific recommendations, but it's just not the same as having Somebody at a property, and there's something distinctly human of having someone at a property explain. Here's what I do on the weekend or when I have a friend visiting from out of town, here's where I take them. It just is a whole different approach and I feel like it To your earlier point. This is a way to stand out and be different.

Speaker 2: I think so because you also have to consider, as I said before, people don't change. Things around around us might change. Technology is changing rapidly, but the human, our perception of things, our brain, you know it hasn't changed for thousands of years And we stay the same. We still want familiarity, we still want things that talk to us, that appeal to us, and that's why I know storytelling and human connection will never die, because we crave it. Also, when we travel, we need to feel some kind of belonging or a sense of community. Community is huge as well. Also, the way that hotels are changing from being merely hotels, the places you stay at, to social and cultural institutions where people actually meet and create bonds and and relations with one another. So this whole community aspect is a really big thing.

Speaker 1: Have you kind of found anything useful over time for collecting stories from the property?

Speaker 2: Of course, there are like a gazillion things you can tap into right, and it also goes into the different departments. I think you should to make it less overwhelming. You should look into the F&B, you should look into if you have a spine wellness area and find good stories in each department that you can tell to your guests. Right, And keep them updated, of course, on the development of your property, but also on a day to day level. What's going on in our house, right? What are we working on right now? What is the chef working on? Where does the chef get his fish this week, right? How? like I think during COVID, we saw so many interesting creative projects of hotel people and hospitality people in general.

Speaker 2: We would have like live meditation and wellness classes from wellness hotels. We would have live mixology sessions from hotel bars in London, and so on and so forth, and I think that's really something that people should utilize more. We have the power of Instagram live and LinkedIn live and all these things and all these platforms. Why not use them? We have the power of a podcast. Not many hotels still are using the podcast medium, but I definitely think there's so much potential for hotels and restaurants to use podcasts.

Speaker 1: We heard it here. That's where we're talking.

Speaker 2: Exactly. You heard it here first. I really think so, and this is just the beginning. but of course there's so many things that can connect you as a hotel or restaurant to your guest And it shouldn't be with a sale in mind. It should never be with a sale in mind, because that comes afterwards. You should always be about building connection, building a relation, and then the sale comes naturally.

Speaker 2: But really tap into your property's unique value proposition, whether it's your heritage and history. If it's your F and B, you have a Michelin star. of course you grow your own vegetable in your own little garden. You have a conchasse who's been working with you for 30, 40 years. My God, what a goldmine, right. Talk to the guy, make him talk or at least interview him about something. So it's your moral obligation as a hotel or hospitality brand today to dive deeper. dive into your property, kind of unveil all the good things that people would actually find really interesting, because it is so much more than just a room with a bed and a flat screen television today. It's a cultural institution and it holds massive potential. So if you're creative, you have the power to change the way people travel and perceive hospitality. And if you're not hire a team to do it? there are so many options there.