“Don’t worry what others think about you”, as the saying goes. We could not disagree more.
Modern society is a spider’s web of technology, with threads connecting us in the strangest of ways. We meet without meeting, chat without chatting, and affect without touching. People are closer than ever before, even if they are physically located on opposite sides of the globe.
Technology also means that we are surrounded by other people’s opinions, and scarcely a day passes without reading or hearing about other people’s experiences of products or services. Whether it is a hairdresser with back-combing skills, a cafe with stale bread or a hotel that offers that little extra something, people have opinions.
The consumer has never been in a better position, and as everyone knows: don’t ask a waiter to recommend a good restaurant if you want an objective answer. Ask a neighbour, a friend, a family member, a colleague – or find what you’re looking for on the Internet.
According to Econsultancy, 61 per cent of us check other customers’ experiences before ordering or buying anything on the Internet.
And this is why we’re now smiling from ear to ear. “The people have spoken.” You have expressed an opinion about us. And it’s when people express an opinion – when they award praise and blame, stars and thoughts – that we come out on top. And it’s happened again.
Every year the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor, has a competition to identify that year’s best destinations, restaurants, museums, beaches, islands, landmarks and hotels. What’s exciting about the competition is the jury – because it is made up of 250 million reports and views from 60 million members. These cover more than 4.9 million overnight stops, restaurants and attractions. Reports and views from people. Real people.
It was as part of this competition that you expressed your opinion about us. The result included 25 “Traveller’s Choice awards”, 17 “Top hotel awards”, 15 “Best service awards” and “Best bargain awards”.
> See the full list of winners
So right now we’re not averse to a bit of boasting. We are so proud – and we’re not keeping quiet about it. You’ve said a lot of nice things. We’ve heard that we’re modern, clean and tidy, service-orientated, innovative, that some people could imagine moving into one of our hotel rooms, and that some people even think that we “ooze sex appeal”.
It all makes us blush – but the colour in our cheeks gives us a warm and cosy feeling.
«This hotel oozes sex appeal, with a location on the water at the far end of Aker Brygge. It’s a brilliant place to take your spouse.»
– Customer report of our hotel, “The Thief”
As a result of your fine words, glowing reports and awarded stars, The Thief hotel in Oslo was awarded a place on the podium, among other things, when TripAdvisor selected the best hotels in Norway in 2016.
As you can imagine, this is a big deal – particularly as it is the people who have spoken. Many, many thanks for what you have said about us. And don’t stop – even if it’s about areas for improvement. It’s honest feedback that encourages those of us who work in hotels to do better – day by day, in every hotel lobby, in every reception, in every restaurant and in every hotel room.
