Marriott’s Louise Bang: How To Create A Travel Experience That Keeps People Coming Back For More

As part of my series about “How To Create A Travel Experience That Keeps People Coming Back For More”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Louise Bang.

Louise Bang is the regional vice president of sales and distribution for Marriott International’s Caribbean and Latin America region which encompasses 300+ hotels spread over 21 brands in 37 countries. With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Louise considers herself a global citizen and has lived in Europe, Middle East and United States.

Louise focuses on developing talent and inspiring travel, recognizes that creating truly memorable experiences is what keeps guests coming back. In her current role, Louise leads the sales and distribution strategy for Marriott International’s Caribbean & Latin American hotels and is an eternal cheerleader of travel, inspires her teams and colleagues to go exceed expectations and help grow the demand for travel to the region thereby supporting the rapid expansion as Marriott grows its footprint in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I grew up in a very international environment in the south of Spain, where tourism was the primary income source for many. I wanted to make the world my home and got inspired by tourism, an industry that would allow me to be a global citizen and live anywhere in the world.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

In 2008 after returning to The Ritz-Carlton following some time living in the Middle East, I started my Executive MBA and had the opportunity to certify as a keynote speaker, now Practice Director, with The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Shortly after, we secured a contract to deliver 12 presentations over 15 months to a manufacturing company in Germany. For me that catapulted my executive presentation skills and allowed me to hone in on my leadership skills. Many presentations have followed around the world to companies across diverse industries in both English and Spanish. I often refer to this as my hobby. I have a passion for sharing learnings and these sessions are some of the most rewarding work I do.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

While at University I worked in a restaurant within a nightclub. Serving flutes of champagne on a tray among a dancing crowd was all but easy, and I believe I served more flutes of champagne in the air than by hand!

Lessons learned: you need a good process or system behind the smile. The process to serve is as important as the act itself. I always wish to learn from mistakes and improve for the future. I always ask teams to review what worked, where we got stuck and how we do it better tomorrow. Innovation isn’t only about original ideas; it is often taking something good and making it great!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My father guided me into the hotel industry and for that I am eternally grateful; it has been a gift! I have also worked with a life coach in the middle of my career who was instrumental in teaching me some great rituals that I live by now, and I have several business coaches that I go to for wise advice. Within Marriott I have had many sponsors and advocates that have helped me along my journey. I strive to share my learnings with my teams and colleagues, to extend a hand and help lift others to achieve their dreams.

Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?

We continue to push boundaries and incubate innovation through different angles:

1 . TECHNOLOGY — Innovation is at the very core of our company as great part of our business comes from data-driven and tech-enable solutions. We use data and information technologies creatively to serve our guests’ needs as technology is crucial for enhancing the traveler experience and helping our associates focus on delivering great customized experiences for our guests. Our geographically large and broad presence in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean allows us to identify data and trends to understand customer habits and use that information to their benefit.

We have accelerated our technology investments in the last few years to meet the evolving expectations and preferences of the market in the region and globally. From utilizing different efficiencies and solutions in our properties to guest-facing experiences such as the mobile key or the great capabilities of our mobile app, we see technology as an ally that allows for a lot more value than just offering a hotel room.

2. ALL-INCLUSIVE — As a new leader in the All-Inclusive space, we see some great opportunities for innovation. Our most recent research shows that the All-Inclusive segment is getting ready to grow exponentially, especially given consumers’ hectic lifestyles today where they are seeking convenience and hassle-free vacations. All-Inclusive vacations appeal to 89% of Gen Y, and 58% have taken an All-Inclusive trip.

The All-Inclusive industry is going more upscale — 35%+ of affluent Americans tended or agreed that All-Inclusive is the best way to travel — and consumers are willing to pay for a higher-end experience. We continue to innovate in that segment and offer premium & luxury brand experiences for All-Inclusive projects.

We are enormously optimistic about the future of All-Inclusive, and we plan to further expand our All-inclusive Portfolio in popular, leisure destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America with a mix of new-build properties and conversions of existing resorts, including properties currently in the Marriott portfolio. We have a broad range of AI brands and destinations in CALA to meet the different levels and segments — for families, for adults only, solo travelers, etc.

3. BUYING EXPERIENCE — We are deeply committed to enhancing our customers’ buying experience, and we are using technology and data to understand the habits of our consumers and provide them with a seamless buying experience, all while diversifying and expanding our channels.

4. INSPIRATION — Consumer trends and preferences have shifted, and the hospitality industry will continue to adapt to meet those new demands. We recently conducted a survey in 10 key markets to understand consumer trends and preferences on travel in the region, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama and Costa Rica. We found that 70% of the people surveyed say travel is among their top 3 most important activities in life — they look for travel inspiration to enrich themselves and bring back home all those great experiences and moments. And 69% want to travel to discover the destination’s culture, history and gastronomy.

A great example of this is Marriott Bonvoy, our travel program designed to bring to life Marriott International’s extraordinary portfolio of global brands while also providing endless inspiration for members to keep traveling and pursuing their passions. Marriott Bonvoy is the thread that ties our brands together, and we want to take it beyond just earning and redeeming points. We use our loyalty program to bring together like-minded travelers and create a real community that is centered around values, validation and human connection.

5. HOMES & VILLAS/ YACHT COLLECTION — Our members, customers and owners/developers trust our brands, and we seek to continue innovating and applying fresh thinking to cover all types of travel, and new market needs accordingly — we have entered new ventures with our Homes & Villas project and the recent launching of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

Homes & Villas is a unique platform of multi-bedroom full homes for extended family and friends’ groups that seek the space and amenities of a home, backed by a trusted travel company, and combined with the very best in loyalty benefits.

We recently celebrated the launching of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, bringing the iconic Ritz-Carlton guest experience to sea. This intimate yachting experience will feature just 149 suites, a leisurely pace and itineraries that offer an opportunity to truly explore different ports of call.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation and how do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

Looking ahead, some of our top priorities in terms of innovation for the region include Technology, the All-Inclusive experience and the customer journey. We are integrating technology in the customer buying process to offer a smooth retail online shopping experience, and we are focused on accelerating and expanding our services and solutions in currency, payments and installments.

As we see incredible demand for leisure travel, we are supercharging our efforts to create new offerings and let each guest curate their own experience. A big part of our innovation efforts is to look for options that resonate with our guests based on their needs and preferences. A great example is an All-Inclusive segment, which is ready to offer leisure travelers a variety of amenities, culinary options, and experiences for all ages, and tailored to each brand.

We want to remain the preferred choice for all travel categories, and that involves offering first-class operational excellence to create engaging, tailored and unforgettable experiences for all our guests — we are committed to creating lasting memories and joining our customers in their whole journey — from the booking moment until they check-out. We are positioning our hotel experiences as a meaningful part of our guest’s lifetime unique memories.

As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share a few examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?

We have identified that people are now working and traveling differently. People now want to travel with purpose, and they stay for a longer time as more companies allow them to work from anywhere, leading to the renaissance of new business segments.

This blended trip purpose has positioned Bleisure and Gleisure as growing trends. We are excited to see business travel demand growing, and we are also excited to see that travelers are mixing their travels with leisure (bleisure). A very similar trend is becoming noticeable in groups (gleisure), where group attendees are bringing a family member or friend along who is enjoying the leisure facilities at the hotel while the group attendee has meetings and events. And/or the group attendee is arriving earlier/staying longer to enjoy the hotel and the destination on their own or with family/friends.

Technology will continue to be a great ally. During the pandemic, we put a lot of effort into unveiling new advancements for our guests. We rolled out enhanced technologies at our properties that allowed for contactless options and elevated disinfecting devices, and we also developed unique offerings around hybrid meetings and reimagined works spaces. Technology has had much wider adoption since the pandemic began and moving forward, we will continue to see an evolution in current and upcoming tech trends.

Customers are looking for businesses that look for positive social impact and operate responsibly. Loyalty is based on companies that make an impact on social and environmental issues. We are committed to creating positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business by reimagining sustainability and social impact programs. A few examples:

• We are focused on reducing environmental impact and committed to volunteering through our Serve 360 program.
• We recently signed on to a net-zero emission pledge by 2050, if not sooner, and we are doing a great effort in reducing our carbon footprint.
• We also have a big focus on reducing food waste, one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases.
• We also continue to leverage technology and partnerships to understand how we can build more sustainable hotels.

People are looking for ways to travel with meaning, and we want our guests to learn, grow and discover the richness of our region and themselves as they travel. We provide them with local experiences and flavors across the Caribbean and Latin America to connect and appreciate the local cultures and way of life. Our connection goes beyond a social project — we want our guests to return inspired, aware and grounded, and ready to share with others those life experiences.

You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?

With my other half, he is an archeologist turned broadcast journalist/documentary maker. So, I am fortunate to have a private guide wherever I go in the world. We try to select destinations that have rich culture, history and often our favorites are secondary smaller cities that are walkable and allow you to immerse yourself and connect. In Latin America some of my favorites are Mexico City, a world capital with more museums than anywhere else in the world; Antigua in Guatemala where the cobbled streets transform you to another era; Cuzco in Peru where the sights and gastronomy enliven all your senses. I return with new learnings and a deep appreciation of the global cultures, a sense of place in history and time and a greater capacity to adapt and appreciate the wonders of this magical world.

Travel is not always about escaping, but about connecting. Have you made efforts to cultivate a more wellness driven experience? We’d love to hear about it.

The wellness approach in hospitality has grown exponentially during the last years, especially after the pandemic, and is here to stay. We revamped our hotels’ programming to promote health and physical and mental well-being through unique on-property experiences. Our goal is for guests to check out feeling healthier and better than when they checked in. All our brands have wellness components, but we have leading brands such as The Westin and JW Marriott:

• The Westin has been for long a leader in hospitality well-being. We continue to focus on leveraging the brand essence into our overall hotel offerings such as the ‘Move Well’ programming around the Global Running Day, and the ‘Sleep Well’ programming for World Sleep Day, among others.
• JW Marriott has redefined its brand perspective to focus on holistic well-being and is now implementing a mindful programming. This brand has evolved its positioning and focus on holistic well-being, with culture, programming and partnerships that lean on well-being.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a travel experience that keeps bringing people back for more? Please share a story or an example for each.

1 . Create opportunities for emotional and genuine connections to be made. Take advantage of every opportunity to deliver a heartfelt service experience.

Example: The magic is often in the small details. Most of our associates have hobbies, interests and talents, in addition to their exceptional service skills, and they often share those passions with the guests. Whether a recommendation to a local gallery opening, a local brewery, or a local author, they are always happy and humble to enrich our guests with insider tips.

Personally, I love to go for a morning stroll and pick up a coffee where everyone who lives in the destination I am visiting also drops by for coffee. It makes me feel at home.

I have heard of so many children who have learned to swim at one of our hotels, and our teams have the opportunity to create a moment of that milestone in their lives with a celebratory card or another gift — it creates a deep connection for life in the next-gen of guests.

2. Ensure surprise and delight moments

Example: Many family celebrations and milestones take place at our hotels. Engagements, weddings, surprise parties and birthdays to name but a few. Yet even the most day to day moment can be made magical with a surprise and delight. When I travel to our hotels, I always love to learn something new about the gastronomy and culture, and so many surprise moments are created while dining in our restaurants. The tasting of a new dish, sharing a recipe, or a behind the scenes visit to the kitchens, it all builds into a special moment.

3. Consider the full guest journey from the decision to travel, ideation, planning, pre-trip excitement, experiences during the stay to those lasting memories that can be conjured up in their minds through a stimulus of one of the senses.

Example: The site of a family photo taken during a fun-filled experience at the hotel, the smell of a new flower discovered, an emotion such as the thrill of a new hobby started while on holiday, the taste of a spice discovered on a trip, or reading a book about a recently discovered destination.

4. Leverage technology to further enhance the service delivery to the guest. Think about the ease of booking, the visuals and use of digital for all planning, mobile check-in combined with a personalized welcome yet no need to complete extensive paperwork. Guests want fast and easy access to knowledge of a destination and insights into what to do.

Example: Personally, when I travel for business and arrive late to a hotel, I love to take advantage of our Mobile Check-in and then use the app functionality order my morning coffee for delivery at 6:45am. It makes for a smooth arrival and sets me up for success the following morning.

5. Assist guests in having experiences that are fulfilling and purposeful to them as individuals.

Example: Our guests are looking for meaningful travel, whether for business, leisure or bleisure. They wish to ensure their stay is purposeful, personally rewarding and meaningful to them. This grants us endless opportunities to contribute to their well-being and personal fulfillment. Identifying some of their preferences during pre-arrival calls or simply offering an array of experiences at the hotel that align with their wishes. There is a lot of psychology in service, and it requires a high level of empathy to deliver exceptional experiences.

Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I mentor other female colleagues and have been doing so throughout my career and find that incredibly rewarding.

I am fortunate to be a speaker on behalf of The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, so throughout the year, I have an opportunity to deliver presentations on leadership, culture, brand and customer service in both Spanish and English to companies that are not tied to the hospitality industry yet, where exceptional service is core to their success, which basically is every industry in the world. It is a privilege to share learnings that I have been fortunate to acquire during my career.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

At dinner parties or smaller gatherings, I often like to ask people if they had a magic power what would they like it to be? For me, I would like to have a magical wand that would bring opportunities to others — a way of enabling others to improve their personal situation, their lives and their societies. I strive to learn to share learnings and help lift those around me.

I also have a dream ‘retirement’ project in the making: a global mentoring program across developing countries. I have started documenting stories and learnings to create an e-journal to enable people to build their own learning and success stories. Many I mentor claim to lack confidence, yet their track record shows anything but that. So often, it requires reframing the story we build and tell ourselves. While that is far along the horizon, every day is a new chapter in my own personal learning journey.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Instagram:

• https://www.instagram.com/marriottresorts/?hl=en
• https://www.instagram.com/MarriottBonvoy/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisebang/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!