January 30, 2015 was a big day for Shake Shack as they began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. What is at the core of the success of Danny Meyer and his restaurant empire including Shake Shack? According to an article published in the New York Times on the same day, hospitality has been his calling card from the very beginning.
"The thing I learned growing up in St. Louis," he told St Louis magazine in 2007, "was the power of hospitality. The enormously warm feelings of loyalty that come from feeling welcome and being recognized and have the sense that the restaurant is happy to see you." Duplicate that sentiment but substitute the word "hotel" for "restaurant" and we share in the reason we have been in the interior design and purchasing services business specializing in hospitality for over twenty years.
There are many components that are part of creating the welcoming feeling that is so important to a hotel guest experience. It is our job at Alternate Resources to focus on and deliver the design that creates that feeling and it is hard to beat the feeling of being in a space that you have helped create that welcomes people from around the world. Hotel design and purchasing done well working hand in hand with the people who have the goal of creating a welcoming experience for their guests is what keeps loyal guests returning.
So whether it's the smiling faces at the Westport, CT Shake Shack, the speedy delivery of my food at their Grand Central Station location so I can make the train hot food in hand or the staff at the Nashville Vanderbilt Marriott who hustled out with an umbrella to protect me and my cup of coffee from the rain just last week...these experiences all make me feel welcome.
We strive to have our design be a part of the power of hospitality and would love to see and hear what makes you feel welcome. We would love to hear from you! Tweet us @alternateres with your welcoming design moments at a hotel.