Sarah Dandashy: [00:00:00] The hospitality industry is an emotional experience industry. And that's what we're doing is that we are delivering emotional experiences in travel. And when people come to a destination, it’s like, how are they feeling? These are the memory, we're in the business of creating memories. Like how cool is that?
Adam Stoker: [00:00:20] Hello, everyone and welcome to another episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, Adam Stoker. We've got a fun episode for you today. It's somebody that I actually kind of stumbled upon her content and found it really, really valuable. And I thought, man, I've got to get her on the show.
So her name is Sarah Dandashy. She and Sarah is a travel experts and authors and I know she's a podcast host as well among a variety of other things. So Sarah, I really appreciate you coming on the show. It'll be fun to chat with you today.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:00:50] Yeah, thanks so much for having me.
Adam Stoker: [00:00:52] For sure. Now, people probably can already tell by your voice that you have a lot of experience hosting and communicating and you've even done TV news, and we'll definitely get into that. But you do have an incredible audio voice. And I noticed that when I started consuming your content. So yeah, I'm excited to have you on.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:01:12] Thanks. As they say, I was born with it.
Adam Stoker: [00:01:18] Even better. Well, Sarah, I have a couple of questions I like to ask everybody when they come on the show.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:01:25] Sure.
Adam Stoker: [00:01:26] And it's a tradition that I'd like to continue. So first tell me your dream destination. If you could go anywhere in the world, Sarah, where would it be?
Sarah Dandashy [00:01:33] I love that you asked this question because seriously, just yesterday, I was texting a girlfriend of mine and I'm like, okay, Jordan or Japan, we got to choose and we're going to sit there and we're going to book it. I travel a lot for work and one of my goals for myself this year was to do more personal trips. And so those two are high on my list for this year. So I'm just going to try and figure out when to make one of them or maybe both of them happen.
Adam Stoker: [00:02:00] Now, what it sounds like is that you're doing alphabetical travel, right?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:02:03] It does sound like that by chance. I know it was funny. I was like, choose your own adventure, J. So.
Adam Stoker: [00:02:12] Well, what is it about those two destinations?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:02:15.] Well, I mean, obviously I've heard so many incredible things about Japan. And it's just, it's been after last year when it finally kind of like reopened, a lot of people have been going and I'm like, okay, it's time I should go.
And Jordan, I just always wanted to go to Jordan. It’s just as far as like Petra, all the other things that you can, you can see there. And it's a different part of, I've spent quite a bit of time in the Middle East but it's a different part of the Middle East that I've spent time in. So I was like, oh, well, that would be cool to go to and then I can pop around and visit family as I need to. But yeah, so those are, that's kind of the reason why I'm looking at both of those places.
Adam Stoker: [00:02:56] Yeah, Sarah, so Japan has been a really popular answer on the show, Jordan not near as frequent. And so it's interesting that, and those two sound like very different destinations.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:02:56] Oh absolutely.
Adam Stoker: [00:02:57] And so, yeah, I'm kind of curious, what about your, basically your travel habits? Is it that, that ties those two destinations together where you would have a great time in Japan, but also a very different experience in Jordan, but would still be something that really appeals to you?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:03:25] I mean, they're both culturally different and I don't think, I mean, one doesn't necessarily have to do with the other. It's just more of like, oh, I haven't been to Japan and that would be interesting to explore. And I'm sure we'll get into it. But I am half Lebanese and so I have a lot of family in the Middle East, and that's also another reason why I have a lot of strong ties to the Middle East. And that's why Jordan has just been on the list. So, they're obviously both very different travel experiences but I think both very enriching for anybody that would get to experience either.
Adam Stoker: [00:04:02] Yeah, it sounds to me like you're not necessarily a comfort traveler where you just go to the same place over and over again. You want to go experience new things and see new places.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:04:12] Well, considering that I am among many things, a travel influencer, the point is for me to go to many different places. So yeah, I mean, but also it's a, to me travel is not about comfort, travels about experiences. And so, I mean, I was in Sri Lanka just two years ago and that was phenomenal, and it was such a great thing because that's not a big destination for a lot of Americans. But it is a far more popular destination for Europeans, for example.
And it was great to be there experience something completely different than what we experience at home. And I think that's, there are different ways to travel. Sometimes you just need to travel to go to a beach and just unplug and drool on a sun chair by the water, and there's nothing wrong with that. And sometimes you travel to just eat, smell, and experience something completely different so that you come home a little bit more rejuvenated and appreciate where you live. So.
Adam Stoker: [00:05:13] Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned Sri Lanka. My next question is, you know, a favorite travel memory or travel experience that you've had. That's for somebody that, you know, is as involved in travel as you are. That's like picking a favorite child, right?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:05:28] Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Adam Stoker: [00:05:29] So it's difficult to do, but I'd be curious, you've had so many travel experiences. What's one that stands out to you?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:05:35] Well, as far as like a destination, one of my favorite destinations is Malta. Again, it's another one of these spots that more popular for Europeans than it is for Americans. All Americans want to do is like go to Italy, nothing wrong with that. But it's like go a step further.
But Malta is so cool because it's right there in the Mediterranean. It's this combination of so many different cultures and the history of the island. I mean, imagine it's this like perfectly situated island in the middle of the Mediterranean and over centuries have been, you know, taken over by different cultures and has had different. So that's why it's like there's a little bit of a mix of Arabic, there's a little bit of a mix of Italian.
There are all these wild cultural influences there and it's pretty special. I mean, if you do cruises in the Mediterranean, you will definitely be stopping there. But not a lot of people necessarily think to put it on their list as an actual destination to go to, but highly recommend it. Amazing.
Adam Stoker: [00:06:38] It sounds incredible. It's definitely one I'll have to add to my list.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:06:39] Yeah.
Adam Stoker: [00:06:40] Sarah, I wanted to have you on because I watched a lot of your content and you definitely have become, you described yourself as a travel expert. And I know we were trying to like, simplify your title when we describe you that way. But tell me about your background. Why travel was so important to you and how it kind of turned into a career instead of a hobby.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:07:06] Yeah. Well, I always say that travels in my DNA. So I'm half Lebanese. My dad and everybody on my father's side of the family, they don't live in the States, they live in Europe and the Middle East. And so if you see family, you go and you travel. I was also born in Pennsylvania and I lived the first six years of my life in Saudi Arabia. Then I lived in London before moving to Atlanta and then going to school as well as DC, New York. And then I live now in Los Angeles.
So travel was never, it was never like an unusual thing. It was like what you did to see family because that is where people are located in the world. You know, it wasn't like they were located down the street. It was like, okay, okay, we got to fly to go see so and so. So I mean, travel has always been a natural part of my upbringing.
And for those that probably know me, they might know me from my brand called Ask a Concierge, and that I built over the past 12, 14 years. I was a hotel concierge, Les Clefs d’Or, the gold keys of concierge for those that are, aren’t familiar with hospitality. And I did that for 15 years. I have over 18 years of hotel experience. Yes, I started at 12. And so I, you know, I was working in hospitality for so long, I started creating travel videos back in the day, 2012.
And the brand really kind of took off pretty, pretty quickly. So I did a primary focus on Los Angeles at the beginning because that's where I was. And then I started working with some pretty, pretty big brands fairly quickly. And start traveling to different destinations, whether it's hotel brands, destinations, travel brands from cruises, you name it and have had a chance to kind of experience the world and kind of document it. But all of it really through the lens of, as I like to say, the original travel influencer, which is the concierge. I've been giving professional recommendations of what people should eat, see, and do for a very long time.
And so to be able to take that from working behind the desk at a luxury five-star property to online, it's been, it's been fun. And so, so yeah, so there's obviously, you know, creative element there creating beautiful travel content, but I also cover a lot of travel trends on TV. So do regular segments all year in regards to that. My spokesperson works now, just because I understand how brands talk. And then I host two podcasts as well, so kind of in the travel space. Well, definitely in the travel space.
Adam Stoker: [00:09:35] Yeah.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:09:36] So it's been a wild ride, but it's totally a great example of how if you do the work and you put it out there and you're adding value to the sort of speak, the noise that's out there in the social media world, the internet. You can make a difference and you can kind of carve out a niche for yourself. So it's been a wild ride.
Adam Stoker: [00:09:59] Great. And man, you're involved in so many different things. I want to ask you a question about your background because it seems like there was sort of a tipping point where you decided I'm not just going to work for a hotel as a concierge or whatever role you were in at the time. You said I'm going to now go out on my own and provide this information and create content. What was that, that kind of caused you to convert from an employee of a hospitality organization to, I'm going to try this thing on my own.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:10:31] So I have a background in film and TV. So I live and have worked in Los Angeles for quite some time. So the day job in essence was me working at a hotel. Meanwhile, I was doing a lot of other work on, you know, again TV, films, you name it.
And I was taking a writing course because we were about to film a new series. And the instructor basically was like, oh, everybody should do a vlog, talk about something you're an expert in. And I was like, this is the most ridiculous assignment ever, like whatever. I'll just talk about the stuff I talk about every day at work. Nobody's going to want to watch this, but I'm just going to do it for the assignment, whatever. I guess I'll call it, Ask a Concierge.
And it was literally a happy accident, but it was one of those melding of my two worlds that I have been working in for so long. And so that's what sort of when the brand kind of was birthed, so to speak. But I mean, to be clear, it wasn't like, oh, I have this idea, I'm quitting my job and going out like, no, I was I very much was building my brand for like seven years before I ended up leaving the hotel.
I had really wonderful partnership with the hotel. They would let me film there at times. And I was very lucky to be in a supportive environment like that. But it was definitely not something that was, I'm leaving this and starting on my own. It was just, it was a gradual growth. And then it's like, okay, I'm leaving money on the table by still staying at my day job. I need to leave this because I need to be available to fly here, speak at this, go here, film here, et cetera. So that's it is an evolution. And I always like to stress that for people because I get it.
It's part of the dream. So many people want to work for themselves. Also remember if you work for yourself, you do work more than you would. If you were working for somebody else, you do work Friday and Saturday sometimes, but then you can also have off in the middle of the day.
So, but it's been a lot of hard work, but that's kind of how it was like a gradual sort of transition. And just as it became more obvious that there were a lot of links to this and oh, this can be its own business and one element of business. Yeah, that's kind of how it happened. But to be an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart and it's not necessarily for everybody.
Adam Stoker: [00:12:52] Yeah.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:12:53] There's a lot of grinding. There's a lot of, but it's good and it's worth it if that's, you know, if that's important to you.
Adam Stoker: [00:13:02] Yeah. No, I actually think that it's really good that you illustrate the way it kind of happens slowly over time as opposed to, hey, I'll start an Instagram account. Next thing, you know, I've got tons of followers and I can make this a full-time thing, but you had to build over time, you had to refine. You probably had to recognize things that, that weren't working and things that were working, and continue to build that until it was time to go full-time. Right?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:13:26] Totally. Yeah. Well, and it's, you know, anytime that you've got like an online voice that's part of you and that's, you know, your brand is constantly being refined, you change as a human, you know, and it's like you and it's how can you, the land, the social media landscape changes, you know, the content that I was creating, for example, in the middle of the pandemic, very different than before as it had to be. And so you just, you have to be flexible in what you're doing and then always find ways to find it, keep it interesting for yourself.
Adam Stoker: [00:13:58] Yeah. Yeah, I like that. I think about, you know, you started out with the Ask a Concierge account, and kind of started relatively small and then grew over time. When you went full-time, did you know you were going to want to be a podcast host and expand it beyond the account that you were doing and now do the variety of things that you were doing or is that also kind of built over time where you've added one thing here, another opportunity pops up. And now you've got these multiple channels that you're managing content for.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:14:28] A very much a mix of opportunity. And then also, good question, by the way. You know, when I was going to school, I also interned and then was assistant producer of a morning show when I was at school at Georgetown in DC, and I was part of the morning show at Hot 99.5, which is their top 40 station. So one of their biggest stations there. So as far as moving into the audio space, wasn't necessarily a goal of mine. It just happened to be the right opportunities presented themselves.
And yeah, and so again, it was a different way of kind of playing into that. But any time I've done anything content-related, my whole thing is, is how can I add value in a little bit of a different way and it's not being different for different sake. It's not that it's specifically like, what's my unique take on this, whether it's through the conversations I have with somebody or whatever it is. Because as we know, you know, the landscape is so full and that's great.
But like, again, if you're trying to cut through the noise, what are you doing? That's just going to be, you know, a bit more unique to yourself. I always say it's like you, it's good to have you have a road map 5 years, 10 years. But then you're also open and flexible to other things that might come your way.
And I think that that's where the cool stuff happens because you might not even be thinking about, oh wow. I want to do XYZ but then somebody brings up this idea and you're like, oh, I could do that. That could be interesting. And next thing, you know, you're exploring that. So, and then that leads to more opportunities. I call it the say yes of the land of opportunities.
Adam Stoker: [00:16:10] I like that. I think, you know, one thing that would help our listeners is if we just talk about each of the brands, I guess that you're a part of, you've got Ask a Concierge, you've got the two different podcasts that you're a part of. Can we talk about each one of those and what they are?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:16:24] Yeah, sure. So, I mean, Ask a Concierge is definitely, I would say it's definitely more B to C, so creating content for travelers, social media content. So everything from the blog post to videos to all of that. And I do get hired by brands to come and film at their property. And there's also an element of spokesperson work with that as well too. So I do work with a lot of big brands, sort of as a spokesperson.
Then there is the Visit West Hollywood Creators podcast. So the tourism board for West Hollywood in California, they decided to do a podcast. And because one of the last hotels I worked at was here in West Hollywood. I live in West Hollywood. We had been in, you know, we've been friendly for quite some time and they were like, oh, we want to work with you. We just have to figure out the right thing. And so this ended up being the right opportunity at the right time. Love being able to bring the destination to life through the stories of the creators that live here.
It's a very creative community, so much of the culture that influences the rest of the world comes from right here. So to be able to sit there and have conversations with photographers, chefs, authors, designers, architects, you name it, that have really influenced so many different parts of the world. It's been great. So that's, that's been a really fun podcast.
And then the other one and I just hopped off of that show this morning is Good Morning Hospitality. And so that's basically like a weekly live show that we do very much more B to B. You know, we're talking to other hospitality professionals about what's going on in the world of hotels, travel, all of that. And we do the 30-minute show every week live.
We've got a lot of people from around the world that tune in on the live and join us from Israel to Brazil to England as well as then you've got Miami LA, you name it. But that's been a very, very fun show and it's been, yeah, it's, it's great to kind of just have something a little bit different out there in the world of podcasting.
Adam Stoker: [00:18:38] Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, for me, my listeners are destination marketers. So, working specifically within organizations like Visit West Hollywood. And so I'd love to dive a little bit more into that podcast specifically. Who are they trying to reach with that? And how do you craft your storytelling and messaging to reach that audience?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:18:59] So, again, great question. So, I mean, we're trying to reach people and travelers that are, that want to come to West Hollywood or maybe don't know much about West Hollywood, but they want to kind of put it, it puts on the map for them, you know. A lot of people know Beverly Hills, a lot of people know Hollywood, and then some people, like, wait, what is West Hollywood? So it's kind of putting it on the map and bringing a life to it.
When we started, it was very much like, oh, yeah, we would get a bit of people's stories and then we were kind of getting their recommendations so that it was helping give again life to the city and talking about very specific businesses in the city. But we found that that was a little bit repetitive. And so we focus really more on the creative journey because again, you know, we all know Hollywood, we all know in these places, but a lot of these individuals came to Los Angeles with big dreams and hopes of whatever they were doing and they've built their businesses.
And also there are some that there are these iconic places, you know that you've got the Sunset Strip, for example, you've got like Whiskey a Go Go, the Roxy, these places that we all know of. But then hearing a little bit more of the history behind them as far as who's performed there. How influential were they in like the music scene and like the songs that we know that dating back to like the sixties and seventies that, oh yeah, that's because so and so happened to play here and somebody heard them, and all of that sort of bring almost a history of West Hollywood to life through these stories? It's been pretty remarkable and definitely well received too.
Adam Stoker: [00:20:45] Yeah. Well, I'm curious about that well-received part. So what has the reaction of the community been like? And you know, what are the successes that maybe you could share from the show that you guys are really proud of?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:20:56] Yeah, I mean, you know, a lot of it, I mean, viewership is always great. The content, we break it down into a lot of, you know, smaller content pieces. And we again, it's, you know, people chiming in like, oh, I've heard of West Hollywood, but I didn't realize that that was there, or you know, so it's helping bring this away awareness of this, it's not a very big part of the city, to life. And so yeah, I mean, I can't say like, oh, we know that x number of flights have been booked to come to Los Angeles just because of the podcast. Hard to track that.
But again, it's, it's definitely more of a social awareness and people are talking about it. They're sharing and you know, people are excited to come and stay in this part of the city. It's more than just coming to Los Angeles. They want to come and stay in West Hollywood. And so, you know, hotels are obviously seeing the benefits of that, but yeah, it's exciting.
Adam Stoker: [00:21:56] Yeah, you know, one thing that I kind of shout from the rooftops in the destination marketing industry. And it's one of the things that I've really become most passionate about is the importance of building an audience instead of just being reliant upon the audiences that other organizations have already built.
So, for example, when we run an ad on Facebook, we are entirely beholden to Facebook's, you know, terms and conditions, ad requirements. And if they don't exist one day, which obviously they're a massive company, I think that would be difficult to happen. But let's just say, in theory, they didn't exist one day. Have you put all your eggs in that basket? You know, and instead I would much rather have control.
And so I look at what Visit West Hollywood is trying to do and like you said, you can't necessarily tie it to a certain number of visits or anything like that. But what you're doing is building for the future. And I look back at when you started Ask a Concierge, you did it for seven years before you went full-time. But now that you've built an audience, the flexibility that you have, including parlaying that into hosting these additional shows, you have so much more flexibility because you own the, I shouldn't say you own the community, but you have major influence over the community that follows you.
And so I'm wondering if maybe you can talk a little bit about the importance of building an audience and the opportunities that come from building that audience and community that you have influence over.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:23:22] Yeah. Again, this is, it's so great. I mean, the thing is, is that when the key to building a community is that it's the communication is not, it's not just a one-way street. So it's like you're creating content and putting things out there that are engaging people. And if they are asking questions, if they are reaching out, what are you doing to sort of strike these conversations with them? So that they feel, oh wow, there's actually a personality behind this brand behind this person. But if we want to focus on it being specifically more of a brand or destination, people want personality.
I'll use this as a great example, TSA, not sexy, not sexy. Most people do not like TSA. They hate the idea of going to the airport. Oh there's a wait, whatever their social media is so on point. They hired somebody that's really good and funny with puns. They kind of poke fun at different things. And I love how that's a great example of a brand that realistically maybe a lot of people didn't love, but they've taken their social media and they've had fun with it.
And they have so many followers and it's because they've created this voice for themselves. And they can kind of poke fun at some things. And they can, you know, tease travelers, you name it, and they've really created this community in a very unexpected way. But because they've created, because they're having fun with their content, you know, nobody wants to see stock footage with like some like, you know, it's like that has no life to it.
So when it comes to creating a community, it's all about having fun with the content that brings your community to your destination to life. So yeah, I mean, I think that that's one of the biggest things is how can you infuse personality into the content that you're creating, and most importantly, having fun with it.
Obviously, you want to add value, you want to share information if it can be educational, that's great. But there's got to be this element of fun because we are living in a time where we are inundated with so much information. News is depressing. People are upset over the economy. This that, whatever like, we get pummeled with so much negative stuff, that if you can be a source of light and humor and information, people are like, I would like more of that. I want to be part of that. I want what they're dishing out.
So I think that that's also thinking about what you're serving. Like are you serving content that is creating a community that you want to be around?
Adam Stoker: [00:26:08] Yeah, I love that. The framework that I've kind of proposed to the industry is that first you need to create content, then you build a community and only then can you influence commerce. And I think the mistake that a lot of people make when they try to create content is they try to create content, especially because of the way the boards are structured and everything like that in the destination marketing industry, it's like we have to build this content in such a way that it drives bookings.
And so then you get like if you start the West Hollywood podcast and every, you know, every time you're there, you're like, you need to book a trip here. It's very off-putting because you're not there yet from a trust perspective, right?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:26:46] Totally.
Adam Stoker: [00:26:47] And I look at what you did with Ask a Concierge, you followed that framework, you went content first, you built a community around it, and now there's a variety of types of commerce that you have the flexibility to influence that you couldn't do from the get-go. So would, would you mind kind of talking just about that, you know, step by step and making sure that you're not trying to get to the end before you go through the correct steps to get there?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:27:14] So two things, there's sales and there's marketing. I get it. People want ROI for what they're spending on anything. I totally understand it. And we have to, we, I'm always having to share metrics in this.
But you have to remember like marketing, for example, let's just look back at like a commercial on TV. Do you know that? Just, they shared a Pepto Bismol commercial at this hour? What that, you know how many people bought Pepto Bismol? No, it's an awareness campaign. So if you look at marketing as an awareness campaign and yes, you want to have metrics there and that might be impressions that. Sure, that's fine.
But marketing is very much an awareness sort of campaign. Do you want it to convert? Sure. But that does take time. This is also a higher-priced product. It's not like you're just saying, oh, I love this sweatshirt and I'm going to go buy this $30 sweatshirt. You people are taking the time out. They're spending thousands of dollars and that is not an overnight decision. It can be for some, but for most people, it is not.
So you have to look at it definitely that way. And it's like, how are you creating this brand awareness and this consistency and getting people to know, you know, sort of who you are and what to expect? So you're playing for the long term in it.
And then as far as like, you know, taking it a step on that and then creating it into, you know, whether it is booking trips or that, you can explore that in different ways, moving on. But you have to create a sort of identity online that people are wanting to be, again, become a part of that community.
I mean, there are a couple of different destinations that I follow, you know, like I follow, Visit Florida for example. And I love all the different content that you have. Florida is huge, like there's so much that's going on there. But the way that they've been able to bring the different parts of the state to life, it's pretty fun.
So yeah, I mean, I think it's really being mindful of like really just looking at it as an awareness sort of project at the beginning and then you'll see the conversion later. But people need to know what's on the map first.
Adam Stoker: [00:29:27] Yeah, with content you're building for the long term, right? And I definitely see that in the experiences that you've had, I feel like we would probably be wasting your expertise if we didn't touch on the fact that tourism destinations so much of the experience that they're trying to create is related to providing a good hospitality experience.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:29:45] Sure.
Adam Stoker: [00:29:47] You have a show where you talk about the Dos and Don'ts in hospitality on a daily basis.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:29:53] In a book.
Adam Stoker: [00:29:54] I'd love to have you, in a book.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:29:56] In a book on it, yeah, yeah.
Adam Stoker: [00:29:58] Let’s plug your book real quick. What book is that?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:30:00] So a book I ended up writing two years ago, hospitality from within and it has kind of like the sort of tenants or the pillars of good hospitality gives a bit of a breakdown of the history of it. And then it has some stories of fellow concierge from around the world that shares their unique stories.
But I think, you know, one element of the big takeaway is, that hospitality is universal and it goes beyond cultural barriers, language barriers, you name it. Like, it's how you're making people feel. So yeah, it's a bit more of like an educational book, but it's been, it's been a wonderful journey with that.
Adam Stoker: [00:30:39] Well, let's talk about what are some of the key pillars of quality hospitality because I would, first of all, I'd love to have people go check out the book, and download the book or purchase the book. But I'd love to give a little preview. What are those pillars? And then how can we apply it as a destination marketing organization?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:30:58] Yeah. So it's interesting. So the, I mean, it's genuine and authentic engagement, which if you think about what also applies to online in creating any sort of community, how are you showing up authentically? It's listening, active listening. What did we talk about even just a little bit before this? Is that, it's not just I'm scouting information and this is a one-way street. It’s like, how are you having these fun conversations and dialogue with your community? It's also, you know, being able to turn, you know, a problem or a hiccup into a big win.
We all know that you can, with the hospitality industry is run by people and people inherently, errors happen. People are not perfect, but it's how you connect with people that you end up forming these relationships. And that's another pillar is like forming these relationships which again goes back to the community. It's how you're making the people feel.
So there's, there's a lot of different, you know, parts of it, but it's what's you can't, again, as you said, you can't talk about travel without talking about hospitality. And hospitality doesn't have to be the most luxurious thing. It is really just how you're making people feel.
And actually, I shared a video about this yesterday on LinkedIn and I think it kind of resonates with this, but the hospitality industry is an emotional experience industry. And that's what we're doing is that we are delivering emotional experiences in travel. And when people come to a destination, it’s like, how are they feeling? These are the memory, we're in the business of creating memories, like how cool is that?
So yeah, that's a, that's a little bit about the book. I mean, I'm definitely glazing over it for sure. But yeah, those are, it's again if you really kind of focus on how you can be part of that special memory and, and make people feel good and welcomed and at home, away from home, that's where people start coming back for more. That's where they talk about their experience and they share it with their friends and their family. And then now they come.
I think that's another big thing is, is that, you know, you have to remember every single positive experience that you have with a guest or you know, a visitor to a destination. They are your mouthpiece every time that you have a positive, they have a positive experience, they're going to go back and tell so many other people. It's those are the real influencers.
Yes, you can have influencers that come and take pretty pictures and talk about a destination, certainly put things on the map. Aspirational, lot of value in that. But there's also a lot of value in the everyday travelers to your destination. And so don't sleep on them just because you're too focused on getting eyeballs on social media pages. It really matters.
Adam Stoker: [00:33:57] I think that's a really important point because when you look at a visitor experience, you have control over what happens when that visitor is in the destination. You have control over what the experience is like at the restaurant, control over what it's like in a hotel. What you don't have control of is the conversation that happens after they go home. You are not a part of that conversation at all. And yet if you do a good job with the part you can control, you will have influence over the part that you can't.
And I think that's one of the real critical components to hospitality is that when you look at a brand, a lot of people say, well, it's just your name and your logo, that's not a brand. It's every individual touch point that you have with a potential visitor and every single one of those touch points affects how they feel about your organization. You got to make sure that you're controlling what you can control. So what you can't control is positive.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:34:53] Love that. It reminds me of a quote that I shared two weeks ago and talking about reputation. And your reputation is what people say about you or your brand when you are not in the room.
Adam Stoker: [00:35:06] I like that.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:35:07] And so it's great because again if you make an impact and that is your reputation, that is how people are going to be talking about you when you're not there. So that ties in exactly with what you're saying, is that be so good at the experience at the part that you are part of, that you can sort of “control,” that once you know, the guest or the visitor goes out on their own, you know, they're an extension of that experience and then they will naturally drive more people to your destination.
Adam Stoker: [00:35:38] Absolutely. One of the things that you mentioned is the hospitality industry is full of people and people are fallible. People make mistakes, right?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:35:47] Yeah, yeah, all the time.
Adam Stoker: [00:35:48] You said that you need to make sure that you turn those mistakes into a positive experience. Do you have an example of how somebody else has done that? Maybe an organization that had a situation like this, that was able to make a long-term fan out of somebody that had to deal with a difficult situation.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:36:05] I'm trying to see if I have a specific example. Kind of just breaking down even that concept, you know, like a mistake happens or something like that could lead to a very negative experience. You first have to approach it by letting them know that you absolutely hear them and you agree with them, like, yes, we agree that is not great. And give them that moment to sort of whether it's to vent or just describe what went wrong.
So you have to give the, you have to listen. You have to then agree and acknowledge what they're saying. And then that's where you take it a step forward and that's where you have kind of going back to the genuine and authentic engagement because you're there, you're actually trying to, can we do this for you, or like this is what we want to do? How can we turn this around? And by seeing that will, that genuine willingness to make it better and maybe because, you know, sometimes something happening and it's like you can't spend so much money to make it right. And it's not necessarily about spending a lot of money to make things right. But it's about your willingness to hear them and to try to make it better because people respond to that.
Everybody knows, people make, you know, make mistakes, mistakes happen. But that's how you can really turn, you know, kind of like a negative situation into sort of a lifelong guest or visitor. I wish I had like a specific example right now off the top of my head, I'm not thinking of one. I mean, hopefully, kind of the idea of like breaking that down.
Adam Stoker: [00:37:43] For sure.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:37:44] Just you know, spells it out a little bit more.
Adam Stoker: [00:37:46] Now one of the key things that you said is that it's so important to acknowledge that a mistake was made. I've watched so many situations where the organization's response is okay. I hear you, let's make it better by this or that. But what they don't say is this was our mistake and we will make sure that that doesn't happen anymore throughout your experience. And just something simple like that, completely diffuses what could become a major blow up, a major, you know, difficult situation with a, with a client and yet it's so hard for so many people to do.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:38:21] Well, one of the reasons why it's hard is there's a liability aspect. So I get it. People sometimes don't want to say, oh, we don't want to take fault. But there is a way that you can, you know, acknowledge it. And you know, whether it is taking ownership, like if you really messed up, like take ownership. We a time that we know when things are sincere or real or this, nobody wants to be blatantly lied to, you know.
And I think that that's a good example of how to take a bad situation and make it worse is to not make it seem important or like it matters. But when, when they actually feel like they're heard and like, okay, all right, they seem to understand and they get that this was not a usual experience or not their intention, and they're trying to, like, make amends it. It totally shifts the conversation because then how many times have I had conversations with people? I was like, hey, I'm trying to help you. Like, I'm on your side and something as direct as being like, I'm on your side. You have to be that direct sometimes diffuses so much, because they're like, oh, yeah. Yeah. No, you are, you are trying to help.
So, I mean, there's a lot of interesting tools and tactics that you can do with that. It's so much of it is psychology based but it's just understanding people and how to make them feel good and wanted, and at the end of the day, people just want to feel heard.
Adam Stoker: [00:39:41] Yeah. Absolutely.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:39:43] Anywhere in life.
Adam Stoker: [00:39:44] Well, Sarah, I really appreciate the conversation. Is there anything I haven't asked you that I should?
Sarah Dandashy: [00:39:50] Oh, gosh. No, I think, I think you've kind of, you've, we've talked about so many different things. And I just hope that this was interesting and useful for everybody that is, is tuning in. But I'm always available online on all my various social media channels, pretty much Ask a Concierge, everywhere else. Sarah Dandashy on LinkedIn, if that's where you like to play. And I'm definitely an open book, I'm on my social. So reach out, we can continue conversations that way, but really appreciate being able to come on here. So I thank you for that.
Adam Stoker: [00:40:24] Yeah, this, this has been really, really great and I appreciate the advice that you've given. You've taken some time out of what? Well, obviously you have a lot of content to create. So we really appreciate you taking the time to spend on our show and hope someday we can have you back as well.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:40:39] Sure, we look forward to that.
Adam Stoker: [00:40:40] Great. Well, thanks again, Sarah.
Sarah Dandashy: [00:40:42] Thank you.
Adam Stoker: [00:40:43] And thanks everybody for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, please don't forget to leave us a rating or a review that helps us continue to bring you amazing guests like Sarah. Thanks, everybody and have a great week.
[End of transcript]
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