Hotel Psychology

"Hotels are amping up their efforts to make a good first impression."

A guest's first impression is even more critical these days because of social media. In the past, guests usually waited until after they checked out before posting a review on TripAdvisor or Expedia, so hotels would have time to recover from an initial service snafu. Now, with guests tweeting and posting Facebook updates about their vacations almost in real time, a bungled first impression can be immediately broadcast to hundreds—even thousands.

Bagel and lox breakfast ($11.50) - Daily Grill, Burbank

(I rarely post critiques in real time on Twitter, Yelp, or Facebook, partly because of lassitude and partly because first impressions are often incorrect.)

Our top priority is a clean, quiet room, which we obtained, a little to our surprise, on our recent vacation.A quality restaurant with efficient service is a definite plus; it's not expected to be cheap, but the guest shouldn't feel he's being ripped off because of his partially captive status.

I have mixed emotions about the growing use of psychology and personal information. It's creepy when a stranger we're talking to knows not only our address, phone number, and credit card info (not to mention our credit rating) but also our breakfast preferences and medical needs. But I do like how experienced staff put us at ease by referencing previous visits and catering to special requests without our having to mention them.

Of course, a little knowledge can be dangerous:

A personal welcome can sometimes backfire, though, especially when it comes to repeat guests. A prior visit could have been with a previous girlfriend, for example, or a mistress. "You don't always say, 'Welcome back Mr. and Mrs.,' " says Mark Harmon, chief executive of Auberge Resorts, a collection of nine properties. "You have to be careful."