Yotel – Engaging Staff and Guests Through Surprise and Delight

One of the original disruptors, YOTEL has been revolutionising the hotel industry since 2007.

With a brand DNA that mixes Japanese influences with a quirky, British irreverence, YOTEL has ambitious plans for expansion – and fast. From seven hotels in 2018 (Heathrow, Gatwick, Schiphol, and Charles de Gaulle airports; New York, Boston, and Singapore) CEO Hubert Viriot and his team opened  YOTEL San Francisco at the beginning of February 2019, with YOTEL and YOTELAIR Istanbul opening in March. These will be followed by Singapore Changi Airport, Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam and Glasgow, all of which are slated to open by the end of 2019 – with a further eight new openings in 2020.

Keeping the YOTEL experience fresh, fun and relevant – for staff (known as “crew”) and guests – means staying ahead of the game. How does YOTEL do that?

“At YOTEL, our Mission and our Values are at the heart of everything we do,” says VP People, Duncan Swanson. “We live and breathe them every day, in morning briefings, at orientation, and through Jostle, our global company intranet.” Jostle shares news, events, and photos across the company’s growing global network, celebrating birthdays and awards, welcoming new starters, and allowing crew members to like, share, and comment, just as they would on social media.

Shaggy Awards, named after the company’s mascot, are given to YOTEL crew members who go above and beyond.  Winners get to don a pair of Shaggy’s signature red glasses (for a photo to share on Jostle) and receive a Shaggy lapel pin as well as a reward such as an Amazon voucher.

This youthful, playful spirit carries through to the guest experience – from lift music that’s the opposite of “elevator muzak” to YOBOT, the world’s first hotel ‘luggage concierge’, and a can-do service culture.  A guest checking out of YOTEL Boston was messaged about check-out times and the SMS asked if there was anything else he needed. “A million dollars would be nice,” he joked – and minutes later, one of the hotel’s butler robots was dispatched to his cabin by Mission Control to present the guest with a fake million-dollar bill. Fresh, fun – and very YOTEL.