Process: Journey Mapping

Imagine that from the time guests research a hotel’s services to the time they check out, they feel like VIPs (Very Important People). They leave with a smile, write a glowing online review, and plan to return. They also spread positive word-of-mouth about the brand and, over time, are likely to become loyal guests. These are the impacts of refining the guest experience.

In this article, I’ll take a close look at the hotel customer journey—and how a business can optimize hotel operations to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

What Is the Hotel Customer Journey?

The hotel customer journey is the path guests take from the moment they first hear about a hotel to the time they complete their visit—and beyond. It includes all the touchpoints at which guests interact with a brand. These touchpoints cover everything from booking a room to staying at the hotel to post-stay interactions such as surveys and loyalty-program invitations. Every stage of this journey shapes the guest experience and guests’ likelihood of returning. Read More

This is a sample chapter from the book Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value Through Journeys, Blueprints, & Diagrams, by Jim Kalbach, which O’Reilly Media published in May 2016. UXmatters is publishing this chapter with O’Reilly’s permission. Copyright © 2016 O’Reilly Media. All rights reserved.

Chapter 4: Initiate: Starting a Mapping Project

One of the most common questions I get in my workshops on mapping is, “How do I begin?” Aspiring mapmakers may see the immediate value in these techniques, yet they have barriers getting started.

Getting stakeholder buy-in is a common challenge. I’ve been fortunate to have had opportunities to create diagrams of all kinds and have found that stakeholders see the value in mapping only after the process is complete. As a result, initiating an effort requires convincing them up front. Read More

Author: Jeff Patton, with Peter Economy

Publisher: O’Reilly Media

Publication date: September 2014

Formats: Paperback, ebook, and Safari Books Online. 324 pages in print.

Print ISBN: 978-1-4919-0490-9 and 10:1-4919-0490-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4919-0485-5 and 10:1-4919-0485-2

List Price: Paperback, $34.99; ebook, $29.99

Overview

If you are or soon will be working in an agile development environment, User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, by Jeff Patton is a must read for you. This book details story-mapping techniques and explains why they are important for teams that create products to meet user needs. According to Patton, user story mapping is not about creating set of written requirements, but a way of thinking. Telling stories through words and pictures builds understanding and helps solve problems for organizations, customers, and users.

The most important job we have is to focus on the outcome and the impact of the products we are creating. Taking a slightly philosophical view of the importance of project outcomes, Patton writes, “The truth is, your job is to change the world.” Read More