Who wants to be a Destinationaire? We do!

Rental Tonic is all about the guest experience: why you do what you do, your guest-centric values, creating a compelling story, right the way through to delivering what you have promised when your guest arrives.

So you can imagine how excited we were when we spoke to Wil Slickers of the Slick Talk Podcast about his vision for a new era of the Destinationaire. What the heck is that you ask?

Read on to find out… and then tell us who gets your vote for the Best Destinationaire 2020.

All about Wil Slickers

What was your first foray into the hospitality sector?

I owned a chauffeur and event company in Spokane and being my first entrepreneurial adventure, I learned many lessons, to say the least. With a big Uber boom in the city, I just didn’t know how to keep up!

Just before I said goodbye to my Uber adventure I started working at a hotel and I fell in love with the industry immediately.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the early stages of life but then hotels and hospitality gave me a purpose. I found something I loved and was actually kind of good at! Plus, people are pretty cool. I have met some amazing people along the way, and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

We want to know all about the Slick Talk Podcast

This podcast (unintentionally) has become my baby. I only started it because I had this entrepreneur “itch” from my previous business adventure and I needed my own outlet to use for creativity. I was a fan of one industry podcast in particular and I thought maybe I could fill a gap of fun, exciting, yet informative podcasts for the hospitality space.

Tell us about the Destionationaire concept

The terms, ‘Hospitality Providers’ and ‘Hospitality Managers’ aren’t exactly attractive words and they don’t showcase all that we do in this industry. With the rising standard we are seeing in our industry, ‘Destinationaire’ just sounds right for what we do!

Interviewing many professionals in the industry has really opened doors. I have had many intriguing conversations and one of those conversations was with Jeremy Gull from Breezeway. Since then, creating a word to replace “providers or managers” has been in the back of my mind.

What makes for a great guest experience?

In my opinion, it’s really being aware that it takes the right type of person to do what we do. When it comes to any experience, there is planning, research, thought, feelings/emotions, and of course maybe a plan change… or two… maybe even three? So flexibility is also a huge asset to curating just the right experience for each guest. I see it as a kind of art!

And what makes a great Destionationaire?

• A Destinationaire is innovative and creative in service of others
• A Destinationaire is selfless and leads selflessly
• A Destinationaire knows how to tell a story
• A Destinationaire builds trust and confidence with guests and staff
• A Destinationaire masters the art of first impressions and experiences
• A Destinationaire knows their stuff and puts safety as a top priority
• A Destinationaire builds direct brand loyalty and provides value

A true guest experience has all of these and it’s backed by the power of human-to-human connection.

How can hosts improve their guest experience to become Destionationaires?

By changing the mindset of “my Airbnb” to “my destination on Airbnb” and understanding that first impressions are still a very real thing.

The more we think about how we can be intentional with those moments, you’d be surprised what the outcome will be!

Who can be nominated?

This award is for those who have their boots firmly on the ground and fit the description above! No software companies or other peripheral services can be nominated for this award. It’s all about the owners and managers; those who truly shine and fit the award requirements!

No one or one company is perfect so don’t think you need to be perfect, just be confident in the service you provide and I am sure it will be a close call with all who are nominated!

And who can nominate?

Anyone can nominate and you can even nominate yourself! I strategically partnered with some amazing podcast guests and soon to be podcast guests that support amazing “Destinationaires” around the world, giving them the opportunity to put the much-deserved spotlight on their clients!

Who can be nominated?

Anyone can nominate and you can even nominate yourself! I strategically partnered with some amazing podcast guests and soon to be podcast guests that support amazing “Destinationaires” around the world, giving them the opportunity to put the much-deserved spotlight on their clients!

What do you love most about hospitality?

I love doing things like this! Not only do my business partners and I love being “Destinationaires” ourselves but it’s also creating things like this and putting a community together that wants nothing more than to do excellent work and overall build something that means something!

What’s your hottest tip for this year and 2021?

Master the art of first impressions with the unique power of storytelling! If you can connect directly or indirectly with your guests and get them to feel something and want to create memories and moments with you at your destination, you’ve now captured the essence of true hospitality.

“It’s not the distance that makes destinations seem magical – it’s the idea of getting to experience something completely new; making memories with people we love; getting a wider sense of the world.” –  Wil Slickers

Who will you vote for?

Will it be you? Or did you stay with a host who went above and beyond to deliver an amazing vacation experience? Perhaps you have a company that work with hosts and one of them truly stands out amongst the crowd?

To vote for your Destinationaire 2020 here’s what you have to do…

Decide who gets your vote, head to the Destinationaire Nominations page on the Slick Talk podcast website and vote! Simple!