Most four and five star hotels, and many Michelin rated restaurants, have a floral design budget as part of their investment in providing an exceptional customer experience. In the hospitality industry, customer experience is defined as the combination of all the touchpoints a given guest undergoes throughout their engagement with a brand. Brands that truly exceed in customer experience have loyal, repeat customers and enthusiastic brand advocates.
Floral designs are visual interpretations of the brand —like art and decor — that create an emotional connection with guests at critical touchpoints throughout their stay. But how do you know you are getting the most value from your floral design investment?
Here are a few questions to consider:
Do the floral designs consistently meet brand standards?
A brand standard defines how guests should feel when they interact with your brand—from the positioning statement to key messages, color palette and style. Florals should always be on brand and held to the same standards as the rest of your interior. Discerning guests can pick up if flowers are treated as an afterthought. “One of these things is definitely not like the others” and, most often, it is the floral designs. The exciting thing about floral installations is that the design options within a set of strong brand standards are virtually endless and the designs change every week. Leverage that flexible design element to your advantage! Finally, don’t forget the vessels. Like any piece of interior decor, they are an integral part of the brand story and should enhance the arrangements as well as the interior space.
Do the floral designs age well?
If your floral arrangements are on-brand, then the next consideration is how the arrangements are aging. The visual interpretation of a brand typically does not envision dying or spent flowers. Botanical selection is key and should be top of mind for the hotel or restaurant floral designer. There are florals that maintain a longer shelf-life. If botanicals are used with a shorter shelf-life in order to meet a design objective, then the hotel floral designer should have an opportunity to refresh the flowers more frequently.
Do guests provide unsolicited feedback on the floral designs?
How often is the interior aesthetic cited as a positive contribution to the customer experience? As we discussed earlier, there are virtually no other design elements in a hotel or restaurant that change weekly. Floral installations provide a fresh look and a new perspective on the brand story each week. They have the potential to delight both new customers as well as your loyal, repeat guests. Florals done well add an extra dimension to a well curated interior. You should see the impact of your floral designs reflected in customer comments.
Are the floral designs showing up on social media posts?
Part of a great customer experience is brand advocacy (and eventual brand loyalty). Free promotion via social media is an organic way of building a prospective customer base. Anytime someone tags a floral arrangement in your hotel or restaurant, you are reaching people that you may not be accessing through normal marketing channels. How often are your arrangements — and consequently the hotel or restaurant — showing up in your guest’s posts?
There is significant upside to a floral subscription service when it comes to communicating your brand story to guests. If you have already made that investment, it is worth checking in to make sure you are experiencing its full potential.
Nourish specializes in nature-inspired botanical design to communicate a brand story. We work with the hospitality industry, event planners and marketing/advertising agencies in Southern California.