Ep. 37: How to make your hotel more inclusive, with Sonia Thompson
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Today, I get to welcome Sonia Thompson to the show. I first heard Sonia speak about creating an inclusive brand back in June, when—to be perfectly honest—I was stunned into silence, like so many of my progressive friends and family.
The pandemic among its many chilling byproducts, gave me time and space to finally open my ears. My podcast has become a platform to bring fresh voices and perspectives to the hospitality conversation. Voices we don’t hear enough from, and voices that can change this industry for the better.
Maybe you’re a hotelier, a hotel marketer, or a travel influencer scratching your head over how to make your brand more inclusive.
We don’t have to navigate this road alone. Just like restaurants hire a chef to cook, and hotels hire a front desk agent to check people in, they can hire a DEI expert to grow their business, too.
I am so excited to bring Sonia Thompson, marketing strategist, consultant, and CEO of Thompson Media Group onto the show today. Sonia holds an MBA, and worked with Johnson & Johnson for nearly a decade growing healthcare brands around the world.
Today, Sonia works with clients to win customers over. She’s the author of Delight Inside, she’s the host of The Customer Magnet Show podcast, and she’s a columnist at Inc. and Forbes. Until very recently, Sonia was based in Buenos Aires, Argentina—but she shares her story better than I can!
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I really enjoyed my conversation with Sonia Thompson. My key takeaways were:
1. The niche consumer is your lead consumer. Gone are the days of one size fits all, because it turns out, that umbrella approach has actually excluded a lot of people. Instead, be intentional about who you’re including, and who you’re excluding.
2. Representation is so important, not just for future generations, but for us as parents raising children in what’s soon to be a minority majority country. Credit card advocacy is real, so make sure you’re giving your customers a reason to be loyal to your brand.
3. Let’s all work a bit harder when it comes to Cultural Intelligence. The beautiful thing about this work, is that it involves getting intimate with the people you’d like to serve. If your knowledge of an entire group of people is based on pop culture, that’s a limited point of view. Buckle up, book a ticket, get out into the world and experience cultures that are different from your own.
At home read, listen, watch, learn, and engage in conversations to make our industry better, and to make this world better for little Luna, little Reuben, and every traveler who’s looking for a place to stay where they’ll not only feel safe, but truly welcome.
As always, keep sharing your stories.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Sonia Thompson website.
