“No.”
It’s one of many dirtiest phrases in hospitality — and travelers could also be listening to it more these days.
The journey company Discover Africa needed to say it when potential purchasers requested if their younger son might ride a lion whereas on safari.
“When we said no to riding a lion, the guest asked what other wild animals he could ride,” stated Susan Swanepoel, a senior journey advisor at Discover Africa. “I reminded them that they were wild animals, and there was no possibility of this happening.”
In the tip, she stated, the travelers determined to not journey with the corporate, saying “they were going to go to India where their son would be able to ride a tiger.”
That’s one of many strangest requests that Swanepoel and her colleagues have fielded through the years. But there are loads more.
There was the Japanese firm that needed Japanese meals, ready with Japanese substances by Japanese cooks, for some 6,000 visitors for six weeks surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. (Swanepoel stated the corporate she was working for on the time efficiently pulled this one off.)
And the visitor who needed a new, unopened jar of crunchy peanut butter current at each meal throughout an 18-day safari within the Kalahari Desert and Botswana.
Other asks are more maddening than logistically troublesome. Like the time a couple touring with Discover Africa — who requested a feather pillow on the left facet of the mattress, and a foam pillow on the fitting — referred to as at 10 p.m. to say the pillows had been combined up.
“I asked if they could swap the pillows themselves as it was late, and the housekeeping staff had already gone to bed,” stated Swanepoel. “The answer was no. They wanted me to get hold of the camp manager to go to their tent to change the pillows around for them.”
An uptick in uncommon requests
Andre Van Kets, director and cofounder of Discover Africa, stated there’s been an uptick in such requests, particularly amongst individuals who are new to safari holidays.
“First-timers often have the most unusual requests,” he stated. “But that’s ok. It’s our job to help them understand what is possible and what’s not.”
Social media additionally performs a position in ‘hyping up’ something uncommon.
Andre Van Kets
director and cofounder of Discover Africa
But inexperience is not the one motive some travelers have unrealistic expectations, he stated.
“Social media also plays a role in ‘hyping up’ anything unusual,” he stated, including that viral posts usually lack context explaining what they depict. “As a travel operator, it’s vital to create realistic expectations. And sometimes that does mean saying ‘no.'”
Over-the-top requests — just like the Discover Africa consumer who requested to assist breed a white rhino — might, partially, be an unlucky facet impact of the journey business’s success in offering flawless, end-to-end experiences. Ironically, glorious service might have worsened a rising sense of traveler entitlement.
The end result could be cyclical: The more travelers are given, the more they need.
The ‘outdated code of conduct’
Yngvar Stray, the final supervisor of the posh lodge Capella Singapore informed CNBC that within the luxurious lodge business, the “old concierge code of conduct” is to say sure even earlier than understanding the query.
“As long as it’s legal and morally correct,” he added.
“As a travel operator, it’s vital to create realistic expectations. And sometimes that does mean saying ‘no,'” stated Discover Africa’s Andre Van Kets.
Source: Discover Africa
When requests violate legal guidelines or firm security guidelines, they’re simpler to reject. Plus, there could also be different methods to succeed in the specified end result, stated Van Kets.
“For example, if a traveler wants to see a wild rhino up-close. We simply can’t offer that to anyone in every safari destination. It’s just too dangerous,” he stated.
“But in certain parks, at certain times of year, we can arrange for guests to join a wildlife vet in a helicopter-based rhino-darting conservation exercise.”
Other causes companies are saying ‘no’
Changes made within the identify of progress — sustainability, security, well being, animal welfare and more — additionally garner pushback from travelers who lament the “new way” of doing issues.
From an eco-resort knocked for not having air conditioning in the bathroom to banning single-use plastics in airports and motels, some travelers complain in regards to the very modifications that others demand, leaving the hospitality business in a seemingly no-win scenario.
Van Kets stated his firm encountered resistance after it restricted its safaris to “authentic wildlife settings,” which it defines as areas the place predator and prey roam freely with out fences separating them. That meant safari parks and animal sanctuaries, which he stated “are really just glamorized, large-scale zoos,” had been out, he stated.
“If guests have limited time or budgets, and insist on visiting these facilities, then it’s their choice to do so,” he stated. But “keeping the ‘real thing’ alive and well for future generations, is what we’re all about.”
Cities are spurning travelers too — in some situations, a whole bunch of 1000’s of them. In arguably one of many largest “no’s” of the yr, authorities in Amsterdam launched a “discouragement campaign” in March with a message aimed largely at younger male travelers coming to the town to celebration: “Stay Away.”
Fewer providers, increased charges
Some travelers are studying requests, as soon as considered normal, are being lower resulting from ongoing staffing shortages within the business.
Kristen Graff stated housekeeping did not clear her room as soon as throughout a three-day keep in a Los Angeles lodge this January. She stated she later discovered cleansing was out there, if she booked it.
She stated she understood the issue to a diploma, however “it’s not like I’m paying cheaper rates.”
In different situations, travelers are revisiting motels they stayed in earlier than the pandemic, solely to understand perks that after got here normal with bookings have now vanished.
According to Expedia Group’s Traveler Value Index 2023, about 82% of the business suppose customers are understanding of limitations like these. However, it is seemingly that buyer loyalty is taking a hit, stated Cheryl Miller, the chief advertising and marketing officer for Expedia for Business.
“Ultimately, it comes down to the individual traveler and their expectations,” she stated. “However, it’s important to remember that customer service is not just about meeting expectations. It’s also about exceeding them.”