What is Expitality?
When Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was released in 1974, that string of words rapidly became an internationally recognized brand — a brand that inspired countless similar titles, all of which sought to connect philosophy with practicality, spirituality with the material pursuits of human life.
One reason I myself chose From A - Zen, Practicing the Art of Experiential Outdoor Hospitality as the title of my book, is that it brings to mind Pirsig’s monumental title, and this, in turn, illustrates the impact and power of branding.
When the words, logos, colors and tagline of your business are recognized and carry value and meaning that your guests, customers or clients understand, you have set the stage upon which your business can perform at its best. Your values, both personally and in business, are expressed as your brand, and the more self-awareness you have about what’s important to you, the clearer your message will be. The gap that remains, then, is to listen to your guests and understand how they’re receiving your message, how it makes them feel and how well it meets their need for transformation.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’ve embarked on the journey of building an Experiential, Outdoor Hospitality business. From the moment of ideation, you’ll find there are a myriad of elements involved in moving your dream from imagination to form. The details involved at each stage and process can consume your attention and energy and pull you away from the vision, the passion, the reason you started in the first place.
My intention is to inspire you, so that you’re forever aware of the power contained in what you’re creating and the impact it can have — so that you can not only create a business that will transform your guest’s lives, but facilitate your own conscious personal growth and spiritual transformation. With this mindset, the actions involved in growing your business will allow you to embrace an expansive perspective that transcends the mundane. From the moment of conception forward, your business will likely develop into several versions of itself as it adjusts, expands, and responds to the demands put upon it. What you begin with is simply that: what you begin with.
Expitality was founded initially on the simple observation that regardless of how much money, time, energy, and effort was focused on the hundreds of details involved in building an experiential hospitality business, the end result often left the gap I mentioned above: listening to your guests, understanding how they are receiving your brand message, truly perceiving how it makes them feel, how well it meets their need for transformation and then taking the necessary actions to deliver more effectively.
But how do you gather this information in a way that truly engages your guests, makes it safe for them to tell you the truth and makes it worth their time to share their experiences with you?
Typically, customer experience is measured by asking guests to fill out surveys. These surveys aim to gather feedback from customers regarding their satisfaction levels, preferences, and areas of improvement. This approach, however, often falls short — for several reasons. First, guests may not fill out surveys due to a lack of incentive or motivation. Many guests, as well as customers, are busy and may not see the immediate value in investing their time and effort in providing feedback. Consequently, the response rate for surveys tends to be low, limiting the pool of data and potentially skewing the results thereby.
Second, the traditional survey method rarely captures the true sentiments and experiences of guests, with the possible exception of a highly disgruntled guest whose complaints usually reflect an uncommon, negative experience, which is recorded in the “comments” section. The comments section then becomes an effective venting platform, but does nothing to facilitate a system of accurate feedback from which an owner can make effective improvements. Surveys typically consist of predetermined questions and structured checkmark-or-emoji response options which may not allow customers to express their opinions fully. This can lead to generic and limited feedback that fails to provide in-depth insights into the customer experience. Additionally, customers may not remember their specific interactions or may struggle to recall the details necessary to complete the survey accurately. As a result, the data collected through surveys is not comprehensive enough to be entirely reliable or reflective of the true customer experience, undermining its effectiveness as a feedback mechanism.
Among other things, Expitality offers a solution wherein we’re hired by a hospitality property as an objective third-party to come onsite once per quarter and conduct in-person interviews with guests in real-time. All the while, these guests are immersed in the activities which their stay provides. Guest feedback sessions are sometimes 1:1 interviews and sometimes offered as group experiences. During group sessions, guests gather around a campfire, or other communal space, and engage in structured “transformational coaching and sharing” conversations. These gatherings provide a supportive environment and opportunity for authentic sharing. The feedback that’s gathered is called Experiential Intelligence, because it’s intelligence gathered through the process of interpersonal experience, not the cold, sterile surveys we’ve all come to expect.
Creating an environment where guests are invited to share their deeper reasons for being at a particular location can be a powerful way to foster meaningful connections and a transformative experience. By providing opportunities for guests to express their intentions, desires, and hopes, a business can tap into their guests’ inner motivations and in so doing create a more personalized and fulfilling stay. By encouraging guests to share what they hope to experience and discover about themselves and their families, the property can curate tailored experiences, amenities, and services that align with their guests’ needs and aspirations.
Experiential Intelligence sessions facilitate a transformational process that guests remember. Why? Because these sessions leave a lasting impact, and guests forge strong emotional connections to the property.
When guests feel seen, heard, and understood, they are more likely to form a deep bond with the property, leading to long-lasting loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations. This transformational process can take various forms, such as personalized interactions, thoughtful gestures, or tailored experiences which facilitate personal growth and self-discovery.
It's important to acknowledge that not all guests will be equally open to sharing their deeper motivations. However, by creating a welcoming and non-judgmental environment, properties can encourage guests to open up and express themselves more freely. This is accomplished by training the staff properly, creating communication channels and implementing Experiential Intelligence sessions.
The third-party aspect is, in short, significant. It also offers several other advantages:
Objectivity: A third-party interview can provide unbiased and impartial feedback, since we are not directly associated with the business.
Honest Feedback: Guests may feel more comfortable sharing their honest opinions and experiences with an independent interviewer, leading to more authentic feedback.
Improved Guest Relations: By outsourcing interviews, businesses can maintain positive relationships with guests, even if there are areas that need improvement. This enhances the overall guest experience.
Professionalism: We know how to conduct interviews and navigate conversations professionally, ensuring thereby that the process is standardized and consistent, while also adhering to ethical guidelines and privacy regulations when collecting and handling guest information.
Time and Resource Efficiency: Businesses can save time and resources by outsourcing the feedback process, allowing them to focus on other aspects of operations.
Insights for Improvement: The feedback collected by third-party interviewers can provides valuable insights into areas that may need improvement, which helps businesses enhance their services.
Benchmarking: Comparing feedback across different properties or businesses within the industry enables benchmarking and performance evaluation.
As Expitality grew beyond this initial offering, it simultaneously expanded in ways I didn’t initially imagine possible — ways that have astonished me in how much they’ve impacted people and businesses — and I’ve as a result become increasingly more aware of the responsibility we have: the responsibility to not only help our clients build solid business foundations, but also to grow and develop the individuals behind these businesses. It’s become progressively more evident to me that the success of a business is intricately tied to the growth and wellbeing of the people running it. By investing in the professional and personal development of our clients, we unlock their potential. This, in turn, creates a ripple effect that positively impacts their entire organization.
In the realm of outdoor hospitality, where guests seek unique and immersive experiences, the key to success lies in fostering collaboration and alliances with experts in various other fields.
The same principle holds true for the owners of the business.
Although Expitality no longer engages directly in consulting, we still provide coaching. We open doors for our clients to partner with individuals who possess specialized knowledge and skills that provide a wealth of opportunities for innovation, improvement, and exceptional guest experiences. As experts in the field, we offer insights into every aspect of building the business — from property acquisition, financing, site development and operations, to branding, staff training, adding the right amenities, design, sustainability, adventure activities, culinary arts, and more. All of which elevates the overall quality of the outdoor hospitality offering.
Yet we know also that our knowledge is always complimented by our colleagues‘ experience. Collaborating with other experts allows us to tap into their expertise. We learn from their experiences. We’re thus able to infuse fresh perspectives into our own practices, and at the same time enhance the experience of our clients at every stage of growth.
Furthermore, when we prioritize the growth and development of the people within our organization and when we form collaborative alliances with experts, we create a dynamic ecosystem where knowledge, creativity, and innovation thrive.
Growing people means investing in their training, supporting their personal growth goals, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
As individuals evolve and expand their skills, they create newfound expertise and developfresh ideas. This not only enhances the guest experience but also boosts employee satisfaction and retention, as individuals feel valued, challenged, and fulfilled within their roles. In the realm of experiential outdoor hospitality, the ultimate formula for success hinges on the astute recognition of the symbiotic bond between nurturing individuals and fostering business growth, all while harnessing the power of collaborative alliances to unlock the maximum potential of both.
