Losing sight of your guests

When I became Managing Director and pre-opening GM of the first Paradise hotel, I did something very simple.

Before setting standards, before finalizing services, before opening the doors…I asked the future guests.

Most owners build hotels around what they think customers need.

That’s the mistake.

I organized focus groups with returning resort guests. I asked them what they liked, what they disliked, and what they wished competing hotels would change.

Then we built the hotel around their answers. Three months after opening we were doing great, and we made a profit in our first year, almost unheard of!

Later, competitors accused us of undercutting rates. In reality, we simply listened to what guests wanted: clarity, value, and innovation.

We introduced products the market had never seen.

We were not geniuses. We just asked.

If you want to lead your market, stop assuming.

Start listening. We did, and we took off!