Why great hosting is the difference between one persons experience of a place and another.

Have you ever wondered why you found a place so endearing, whilst somebody else did not?

What makes one person love a place, whilst another doesn't? This year I put my finger on it. It’s the host and how well they know you.💡

An acceptable host provides their guest with a safe, clean place to sleep and some basic amenities.

A good host makes sure those amenities are of a high quality. They aren't thinking about what you need, but rather what you'd like. They take everything into account, from the service, to the linen and even the soap in the bathroom.

So what makes a great host?

A great host is one that knows you and knows what a great experience looks like for you personally.

That is the difference between an average experience and a first class one.

The best trips that I have ever had, my host has been friends or family. I have visited Melbourne on a number of occasions and often find myself pontificating on why Melbourne is a far better city than Sydney. But I've found that on occasion, others disagree.

How strange. Did they not love that coffee spot? And that dumpling place? Is it possible that they didn’t go? Maybe they didn’t know about them. Maybe they don’t even like dumplings. 🤔

As it happens my sister lives in Melbourne. She’s lived there for about ten years and is now an Australian by way of citizenship. Her husband was born and raised in Melbourne. Perhaps the reason I love the city is because my experience there has been shaped by people who know me.

In Sydney I know nobody. My host is a combination of a four star hotel and access to Tripadvisor. I’m left with the same generic experiences that everyone else has.

I was in San Francisco recently having travelled from Austin where I'd been for a few weeks and where I have a number of friends. I was staying in what I would later find out was the centre of the fentanyl epidemic, a placed I’d booked on booking.com in a rush a few days prior. It looked central enough on a map.

I've debated the merits of SF since, but I couldn’t wait to get back to Austin where I had another week or so planned. I flew from SF to Austin and about an hour after landing found myself on the lake, in a boat with a beer in my hand. Pretty good, right?!

San Francisco has these things, and I'm not saying it's not a great place; I just didn't have a great host.

How do hosts make an experience memorable?

If your host wants to create a memorable experience, one that you will talk about and share with others, one that will leave you eager to stay with them again and again, they have to know you.

They have to understand why you are there, who you are with and what your interests are. Then they have to give you personalised recommendations, and learn from what you like.

Using technology to create unforgettable hosts

We created our guest experience platform as soon as we got back from Austin. It was clear that the difference between our experiences had been down to hosting. Obvlo is a platform that shows guests places to go and things to do by knowing them and what they are looking for during their trip.

We help hosts anticipate their guests needs and deliver unforgettable experiences.

We help them become great hosts. 😃