A luxury resort in Greece blogging?  Aren’t 5 star resorts supposed to be snobbish, overpriced and only for the privileged? After all, “if you can’t afford us, don’t waste our time! People don’t want to get to know you, they just want to book a suite and never be bothered! Right?” WRONG!

We are blessed to live in a time where communication is open, media are no longer fragmented and people have access to an infinite amount of information. Companies have managed to rebrand themselves (Microsoft – Robert Scoble), and others suffered the consequences of not listening to users! (Jeff Jarvis vs. Dell). Things are no different for a 5 star resort.

A hotel blog has been something we were meaning to do for quite some time now. Asking management to express the company’s position publicly definitely raised a few eyebrows and is considered by many as taking a risk. However my decision to start this blog was based on the firm belief that transparency is key.

People will be talking about our Resort whether we like it or not. We might as well join the conversation and make sure we address their concerns, if any. We are ready to admit to our mistakes, willing to make amends for any inconvenience caused by our actions and eager to improve wherever necessary. Rather than losing control or losing customers, we have seen that the effect is exactly the opposite. People will believe you when you’re willing to show them your dirty laundry.

Transparency builds trust; people need to know that you’re not trying to fool them. Trust builds interest; people will want to see what it is that you do and learn more. Interest generates leads; whether it is in terms of bookings or in terms of market research (feedback) the gain can be tremendous. Pledging to not hide anything about your resort, if nothing else, is a pretty good motivator for constant improvement! So, stay tuned… we’ve got a lot of work to do.