How hotels can elevate customer experience through innovative lighting solutions
Building on McKinsey’s research into luxury hotel service excellence, this article explores how innovative lighting solutions can enhance the guest experience and foster the culture of personalized service that folks crave today.
Earlier this year, McKinsey explored how the world’s best hotels deliver exceptional customer experiences by focusing on cultivating a “culture of excellence.” The study highlighted that while luxury begins with a beautifully designed property, it is the service, led by staff with dedication and passion, that truly defines a stellar experience. As one general manager (GM) described it, “Our facility is our stage, and guests are paying for a performance.”
With the luxury hotel segment expected to grow by 6% annually through 2025, competition is fierce. While tangible features like luxury mattresses and rainfall showers have become common, the true differentiator is an exceptional service culture. McKinsey interviewed GMs from top-tier hotels, including Aman, Four Seasons, InterContinental, Jumeirah, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, Shangri-La, and Six Senses. These leaders shared strategies on how to create service environments that prioritize customer delight and loyalty.
Above all else, leadership as ‘Chief Culture Officers’ wins. The most successful luxury hotel GMs shape a culture of excellence by leading visibly, hiring for personality over skills, and empowering staff to meet guest needs without constant approval. They prioritize engaging with employees, fostering a supportive environment, and celebrating staff achievements, which motivates teams to deliver exceptional, personalized service.
Personalization of the guest experience is also key.
GMs also described the importance of tailoring services to individual guests, from welcoming Mrs. Jones to her favorite table to researching preferences beforehand. Personalized service is particularly valued by younger generations, with McKinsey data showing that Gen Z places 2.5 times more importance on it than baby boomers.
Constantly refreshing the guest experience is essential to avoid stagnation. GMs noted how guest preferences shift between weekdays and weekends, necessitating different atmospheres or services. Asking departments to propose quarterly reinvention ideas keeps staff engaged and the guest experience vibrant.
Going above and beyond to surprise guests with personalized touches makes for unforgettable stays. Examples include a GM who returned a lost wedding ring at dinner, a concierge who lent his shoes to a guest closing a major deal, and a hotel that dressed a horse as a unicorn to fulfill a little girl’s dream.
The research revealed that true luxury is not about lavish finishes or lofty prices but about attentive, thoughtful service. Hospitality professionals excel at creating memorable experiences by carefully curating the ambiance for different occasions, whether it’s a romantic stay or a lively celebration.
Lighting helps deliver exceptional experiences.
Lighting plays a critical role in setting these moods, and by combining decorative and functional luminaires with a smart lighting control system, hotel staff can fine-tune illuminance, brightness, and color temperature to perfectly suit the occasion. The ability to adjust lighting enhances the overall guest experience, making every moment feel personalized and meaningful.
Casambi offers an ideal solution for luxury hotels looking to elevate this experience. Its wireless and scalable system integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure, allowing hotels to upgrade without costly rewiring, making it especially suited for older buildings. The app-based interface empowers hotel staff to customize lighting settings for individual rooms or larger spaces. Features such as Casambi’s keycard integration[Hyperlink] automatically adjust lighting when guests enter or leave their bedrooms, creating a welcoming and energy-efficient atmosphere. Additionally, Casambi’s long-range capabilities extend lighting control to outdoor spaces, ensuring that areas like building facades, terraces and gardens are as thoughtfully lit as the interiors, enhancing both aesthetics and safety throughout the property.
The Santa Marina Hotel, a prestigious 5-star luxury destination in Greece, utilized Casambi’s innovative wireless lighting control system to create a captivating lighting experience in its main entrance tunnel, seamlessly transitioning between the dynamic outdoor environment and the constant interior ambiance while meeting the high expectations of discerning guests. The solution provided elegant illumination that enhanced retail displays, required minimal maintenance, and allowed for real-time adjustments to light conditions, ensuring a welcoming and memorable first impression for visitors.
The Ole-Sereni Hotel in Nairobi implemented Ansell’s OCTO lighting control solution, powered by Casambi, to create a versatile and easily adjustable lighting environment, allowing for tailored lighting scenes throughout the hotel’s communal spaces, dining areas, and guest rooms, enhancing both ambiance and functionality.
The Amadore Hotel & Restaurant de Kamperduinen in Kamperland, Netherlands, adopted Casambi’s wireless lighting control system to enhance its sustainable design by allowing for fine-tuned lighting adjustments that create the desired mood and ambiance in various dining and wellness spaces, enabling flexible programming and control as the hotel was developed.
The Greenhouse Hotel in Iceland implemented Casambi’s wireless lighting control system to simplify installation, enable easy customization of vintage luminaires, and create automated lighting scenes that enhance the guest experience, while offering cost savings and user-friendly control.
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