Recently I stumbled upon a Brand Development jewel. While perusing through Netflix looking for shows to watch i found the Travel Channel show “Hotel Impossible”.
I am a huge HGTV and home DIY Network type fan but nothing could have adequately prepared me for the delight I would get from watching this show. Anthony Melchiorri is the star of this show who brings his expertise to struggling hotel businesses to give them a “Face Lift”.
Seeing the Unseen
What’s awesome about the show is that Anthony believes in these businesses even when they no longer believe in themselves and sees the vision and potential of what they can be apart from any remarkable business performance they may or may not have. He looks right through the problems to discover and advise solutions and a way into business profitability.
Below is a brief clip of one of the shows:
The Show Synopsis
A short synopsis of the show from the actual website describes the show as follows:
Competition is fierce in the hotel business. Online review sites can kill a business’ reputation with one bad review. Staffs are untrained, surly or apathetic in a profession that lives or dies on service. So what’s a struggling hotel operator to do? Bring in Anthony Melchiorri, a hotel “fixer,” who can turn any establishment around in weeks … and he does just that in Hotel Impossible.
Melchiorri’s tough-love style can be hard to swallow and overhauling a business is a painful and often emotional task, but the potential reward of a fully booked hotel with excellent customer reviews makes it all worth it.
Each episode features a hotel that is having problems or is not living up to it’s potential. Melchiorri secretly scouts the property and identifies its biggest problems. He then meets with the staff from front desk receptionists to housekeeping to the owners themselves to determine the key operation issues. Some owners could risk losing their hotels if Melchiorri’s renovations do not work. After coming up with a plan and prescribing the changes that need to be made, Melchiorri revamps and re-motivates the staff and transforms the hotel. Whether it is demonstrating the proper way to pour a glass of wine or gutting and redecorating a lobby, Melchiorri knows how to turn a struggling hotel into a bustling tourist destination.
Take Aways From the Show
Why would i call this a boon for Brand Development understanding?
Because this show brings together many aspects of what makes a brand and looks at the issues of failing brands in order to turn them around and bring about true solutions.
After watching a few episodes I recognize issues being dealt with such as:
- Brand Impression
- Brand Loyalty
- Brand Identity
- Brand Marketing – Offline as well as Online
- Brand Reputation
- And more…
The “Big” Brand Lesson
The amazing thing that it boils down to in each show is the fact that in order for these business to be turned around the owners must take on a different mindset about themselves and their business. Brand is Mindset. There is no getting around this fact, for the brands that are addressed to see an uptick they must take on a new mind about how they relate to their business brand and how others relate to it.
Share Your Thoughts
If you have seen this show and have seen the above parallels what lessons have you taken away that will help businesses? Please leave comments below. If you have not seen this show, view a few episodes of the show and let me know your thoughts here in the comments as well. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
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