By J. N. Halm
Picture this. The crew of an international airline leaving their hotel for the airport. The looks. The attire. Scarves, of the same make, all tied with the same style. For the men, neckties of the same length.
Not a single strand of hair seems out of place. Anytime I come across these scenes, I am always tempted to take a look around to see if there is a production team directing and filming. Those scenes always seem so choreographed. What I find most interesting is that the scene is almost always the same, regardless of the airline.
I am totally convinced that the crew of these airlines, and the way they look, are critical for the fortunes of these airlines. Seeing the crew leave for work or seeing them at the airport about to get on board engenders confidence in passengers, would-be passengers and the general public at large. The truth is that people indeed make a business.
The importance of human resources to the fortunes of an organisation cannot be overemphasised. Getting the right people can provide an organisation with a competitive advantage that could be the difference between leading the market and struggling to survive.
One way the right people give a business a huge advantage in the market is in the way they interact with customers. In the luxury hospitality sector, this advantage becomes even more critical as employee attitude significantly influences customer perceptions and experiences.
Truly speaking, people are so unique in the way they act and respond to issues and events that it is almost impossible to replicate another human. In other words, if a business has amazing employees in customer-facing roles, that would become an almost unbeatable advantage for that particular business.
Of the three areas where businesses are said to gain competitive advantage, i.e. Product Leadership, Customer Intimacy, and Operational Excellence, it is without a doubt that Customer Intimacy is always the hardest for competitors to replicate.
The people factor always makes the difference, and the way those people are attired even adds to their significance. But it is one thing for an employee to be dressed well, and it is a different thing for that employee to be dressed very well.
Does the degree of expensiveness of the employee’s look affect the way customers perceive that employee? What happens when employees wear luxury brands while serving customers? Does this enhance the customer experience or detract from it?
A recent study published in the June 2021 edition of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly has shed light on these and other questions. The researchers examined the impact of employee conspicuous luxury consumption and elitism attitudes on employee-customer rapport and behavioural intentions. The study, titled “Luxury Branding in the Hospitality Industry: The Impact of Employee’s Luxury Appearance and Elitism Attitude,” presents some intriguing findings that challenge conventional wisdom about luxury branding in the hospitality industry.
The work of the front-line employee is so versatile, so demanding, and so complex that it would take a very engaged individual to excel at the frontline. This demand has become even more pressing as competition increases in the luxury hospitality sector.
To add to this, today’s luxury consumers have also become a lot more demanding. Having the benefit of ready information at their fingertips, customers of today know their options and would not hesitate to exercise those options if they feel they are not being treated well.
Interestingly, the aforementioned study revealed a nuanced relationship between employee luxury appearance, attitude, and customer perceptions. The findings indicate that when employees wear luxury brands, it increases customers’ perception that the employee is deliberately trying to manage his or her image.
In other words, customers are more likely to believe that employees wearing luxury brands are actively trying to manage the impression they make. When customer-facing employees wear these expensive items, customers believe these employees are trying too much to keep up appearances. In a sense, customers expect those serving them to look but not to overdo it.
This perception is further strengthened when employees display what the researchers refer to as an Elitism attitude. The study makes a distinction between Elitism Attitude, where employees project a sense of superiority and exclusivity, often associated with luxury brands, and another type of attitude. The other type is the Democratic Attitude, where employees display a more egalitarian and approachable demeanour, irrespective of their appearance.
What is particularly noteworthy is the finding regarding employee-customer rapport. When employees wear luxury brands, customers are more likely to build rapport with them when they show a democratic attitude, as customers perceive the employees are less likely to be engaged in impression management than when showing an Elitism attitude.
This suggests that the combination of luxury appearance and democratic attitude creates a sweet spot for employee-customer interaction in luxury hospitality settings. Simply put, very well-dressed hospitality staff who have a great attitude are a blessing for both the business and its customers.
The study, however, found one major difference between front-line employees and those behind the scenes. Those at the front are expected to manage their emotions, accurately read the emotions of customers, and then choose the most constructive response in given conditions. This emotional labour becomes even more complex when luxury branding is involved, as it introduces additional layers of perception and interpretation.
These findings have significant implications for luxury hospitality businesses. First, they challenge the simplistic notion that luxury consumption by employees always enhances the luxury experience for customers.
Instead, they suggest that the effect depends on the attitude that accompanies the luxury appearance. The look of the employee alone is not enough. An employee in luxury attire but with an Elitism attitude might be perceived as engaging in impression management, which could detract from the authenticity of the service experience.
Secondly, the study highlights the importance of employee training that goes beyond just appearance and extends to attitude and demeanour. Employees in luxury hospitality settings need to be trained to balance the projection of luxury and exclusivity with warmth and approachability. This is a delicate balance that requires careful consideration of the specific context and customer expectations.
The findings also raise questions about recruitment and selection in luxury hospitality. Should businesses prioritise employees who naturally exude a democratic attitude, even if they are to be adorned in luxury attire? Or should they focus on appearance and then train for attitude? These are strategic decisions that could significantly impact the service experience in luxury hospitality settings.
Another important implication concerns the concept of “aesthetic labour”, which refers to the work done on the body aimed at producing a ‘look’ or impression. Luxury hospitality businesses often engage in aesthetic labour by requiring employees to embody certain appearances, including wearing luxury brands. However, the study suggests that this aesthetic labour must be complemented by a corresponding attitudinal labour, where employees are required to embody a certain demeanour, specifically a democratic one, to enhance customer rapport.
For luxury hospitality businesses, the findings present both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, they offer a pathway to enhance customer rapport through a strategic combination of luxury appearance and democratic attitude. On the other hand, they highlight the potential pitfalls of an Elitism attitude, even when combined with a luxury appearance.
One strategy for luxury hospitality businesses could be to emphasise the importance of a democratic attitude in their training programmes. This could involve role-playing exercises where employees practice responding to customer queries with warmth and approachability, even while dressed in luxury attire. Additionally, businesses could include attitude assessment in their performance evaluations, rewarding employees who successfully balance luxury appearance with democratic demeanour.
Another strategy could be to reconsider the emphasis on luxury brands in employee attire. If the goal is to enhance customer rapport, perhaps a more balanced approach that combines elements of luxury with elements of approachability would be more effective. This could involve a uniform that includes some luxury elements but also some more democratic ones.
The study’s findings also have implications for the broader luxury branding literature. They suggest that the social signals sent by luxury consumption are not uniformly positive or negative but rather depend on the context and the accompanying attitude. This nuance is particularly important in service encounters, where the goal is not just to signal status but also to build rapport.
In an era where competition can arrive from anywhere in the world, it has become imperative for businesses to make the most of any little advantage they can get. Understanding the complex interplay between employee appearance, attitude, and customer perceptions provides luxury hospitality businesses with valuable insight that can inform their strategies in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The luxury hospitality sector is at a crossroads. On one hand, there is pressure to maintain the exclusivity and status that define luxury. On the other hand, there is a growing recognition of the importance of warmth and rapport in service encounters. The aforementioned study offers a roadmap for navigating this crossroads by highlighting the potential for luxury appearance and democratic attitude to coexist and even enhance each other. The challenge for luxury hospitality businesses is to find the right balance that aligns with their brand identity and customer expectations.
