Boost 5-Star Reviews with Small Gestures

The meeting spot you choose says something before you’ve said anything. Here are four coffee spots I always come back to.

Happy Friday everyone! This weeks fundamental is Listen to Understand, what does that mean to us? Glad you asked, now listen closely! FOW #20: Listen to Understand Listening is more than simply “not speaking.” Give others your undivided attention. Be present and engaged. Minimize the distractions and let go of the need to agree or disagree. Suspend your judgment and be curious to know more, rather than jumping to conclusions. Above all, listen to understand. Have a safe and fun weekend!

Never start with: “We’re sorry you feel that way.” 📌 Uncomfortable truth: that phrase doesn’t show empathy, it shows deflection. Guests don’t want corporate clichés. They want accountability. They want solutions. They want to feel heard. Every word in your response shapes your reputation. A careless phrase can make a bad review worse. A thoughtful reply can turn skepticism into trust. 👉 Acknowledge the issue directly. 👉 Explain what you’ve done to fix it. 👉 Invite the guest back with confidence. Because in hospitality, reviews aren’t just feedback. They’re public proof of how you handle problems. Save this post if you’ve ever struggled with review responses. Share it with a host who needs this reminder. PS: How many reviews have you made worse by responding with defensiveness instead of empathy? #HospitalityTips #ShortTermRentals #AirbnbHost #LinkedIn4ActiveMinds

Sunday brunch conversation: I told my family that I “banned” the phrase “I don’t disagree with you.” in our manager’s meeting. They are arguing that “I agree with you.” & “I don’t disagree with you.” have different meanings. Thoughts? 🤯

Makes you wonder how many operators have actually taken their own post-stay survey and seen it from the guest’s perspective. What stood out to me here wasn’t just poor execution. This kind of survey can produce misleading data. And that can result in misguided operational decisions and unfair evaluations of team performance.

In the latest episode of our So You Want My Feedback? podcast series, we break down a post-stay survey received after a recent hotel stay. The stay itself was fine. The survey was not. Sent by one of the largest global hotel brands, it’s a clear example of how guest feedback programs can miss the mark. Some lowlights: • The survey included a progress indicator that was misleading. Setting expectations around time and effort is important, but if those expectations aren’t accurate, it can quickly discourage guests who were otherwise willing to provide thoughtful feedback. • It asked questions that didn’t align with the actual guest journey and offered answer choices that didn’t apply. This doesn’t just frustrate respondents, it creates data that’s difficult, at best, to interpret. • It asked guests to evaluate “the restaurant” at a property with multiple outlets. This generates data that is too vague to act on and is a poor use of the guest’s time. • It forced responses to be either positive or negative in situations where a neutral answer could be appropriate; removing a midpoint doesn’t improve clarity, it distorts results. This raises a broader issue: Poorly designed surveys don’t just fail to generate useful insight, they can generate misleading insight and when that data is used to evaluate teams, guide decisions, or shape strategy, the consequences extend well beyond the survey itself. Guest feedback is one of the most valuable tools hospitality organizations have. But only when it is: • aligned with the actual guest experience • structured to produce clear, actionable insight • respectful of the guest’s time In this episode, we walk through the survey step-by-step and discuss how it could have been designed differently to better serve both the guest and the operator. Listen to the audio version here: https://apple.co/3O8KYtY https://lnkd.in/e2_3qaNq Watch here:  https://lnkd.in/eKkMZqhz #Hospitality #GuestExperience #HotelManagement #CustomerFeedback

Last week, I facilitated a session on the importance of Emotional Intelligence at work—and one theme kept coming up again and again: Empathy is a central pillar of emotional intelligence. Everyone talks about “leading with empathy” and “being a more authentic leader”, but very few people are shown how to build those qualities in a real, practical way. The truth is empathy and authenticity aren’t just personality traits. They’re skills. And like any skill, they can be developed with the right awareness and input. If you’ve ever found yourself: • holding back what you really think • struggling to connect with others on a deeper level • or feeling like you’re “showing up” rather than being yourself Then check out this playlist of TED talks that explore how empathy and authenticity actually work, both psychologically and in real life. These aren’t just inspiring ideas. They’ll help you start to notice your own patterns, understand others more clearly, and show up in a way that feels far more natural (and effective). Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/e_aYRPy4

Another reason why you should hire a professional MC. An MC isn’t just someone with a microphone—they’re basically the human version of a caffeine shot for your event. A great one can take a room from “politely clapping” to “fully invested and loving life” in minutes. With quick wit, natural charm, and the ability to read a room better than most people read a menu, they set the vibe—whether that’s high-energy hype, smooth professionalism, or just keeping things from descending into awkward silence. They connect with the crowd, keep things moving, and sprinkle in just the right amount of humour and storytelling to keep people switched on. In short: they make sure your event doesn’t just happen… it actually gets remembered (for the right reasons).

You can have flawless delivery… and still miss the room. Or you can be slightly imperfect — but fully present — and change lives. ✨ Audiences don’t remember perfection. They remember how you made them feel. Did you listen? Did you notice them? Did you care? We train speakers to lead with awareness, compassion, and presence. Because when connection comes first, impact follows. 🚀