Lessons from The Hotel Inspector

I recently watched The Hotel Inspector. The hotelier, Alex Polizzi, goes around struggling hospitality establishments to turn around their fortunes and tells them what they could do better.

It made me laugh out loud when she made this exasperated comment to the couple running their lodge.

“Did you read the f*****g brief…?”

Now Alex Polizzi is a pretty straight-talking woman. But she’s no Gordon Ramsay.

Yeah, I know this makes good telly, but when she said this, I stopped scrolling and started watching.

You could call this a ‘pattern interrupt’, as it probably changed their train of thought. If she’d made some woolly comment, they may have ignored it. And maybe you had a similar reaction when you saw the title of this email.

As I started watching, I started pulling out some lessons from the show, as they are very relevant to business and a book.

People go onto the show to turn their failing establishment around. If they wanted to continue to run a business with a low occupancy rate, then they wouldn’t have asked for her help.

Here are three lessons from The Hotel Inspector.

1. Don’t be the world’s best kept secret

As she followed the sat nav to the lodge, she couldn’t find it. Hidden away with a small and poorly placed sign, unless you knew it existed, then you wouldn’t come across it. Even a local taxi driver had never heard of it!

This links to any business and book – do people know that you exist?

There’s really no point in being the world’s best kept secret!

2. Read the f-ing brief!

Let’s look at the phrase that got my attention.

She suggested the couple change their reception area so that it looked more visually appealing. But their mood board reflected what they wanted to see rather than what the customer needed to see.

So, she bluntly reminded them to go back to the brief.

In terms of a book (or a business), make sure you give your readers (or clients) what THEY want and not what YOU want. Or what you think they want without checking.

That’s when talking your ideas through with an expert will help you to explore what works – and what doesn’t – and why I suggest you self-validate your content.

3. Be an expert

Alex is an expert. You are an expert. I am an expert. Own it.

Like many experts, Alex will go through a mental checklist of things that she generally covers off when she’s reviewing what’s going on in a hotel or B&B.

On the show she said “I wouldn’t normally say this…”, when she recommended something that would help put the business on the map.

If you’re an expert, as well as having a process, then you’re likely to have a range of other things up your sleeve that may help individual clients to solve specific problems. I know I do.

People don’t pay us or engage us for not upsetting the status quo from time to time. It’s the simple tweaks that we suggest that make the biggest difference.

And actually, your job as a business owner and author is to be disruptive, not be vanilla, as people won’t remember you unless you take a stand for what you believe.

Get support

​When you’re ready to get help with your book, here are three ways I can support you.

1. Join a Make It Happen day (via Zoom)

Like a mini writing retreat, spend a day with me to get focus. Whether you are planning, writing, editing or marketing your book, you will work alongside a group of like-minded authors, and get guidance, support and advice to make your book happen! www.librotas.com/make-it-happen.

2. Sign up for the Smart Author System

The Smart Author System is my six-week online programme where you’ll learn everything you need to turn your book idea into a manuscript ready to be published. Plus, you will discover how to self-validate and self-fund your book as you write it, so you don’t have to wait until your book is published to get results from your writing and expertise www.librotas.com/smartauthor.

3. Work with me on a one-to-one book mentoring programme

I work with a small number of people on a one-to-one basis, so if you want my personal support to help you to plan, write, publish and launch your book over the coming year, then ​click here to book a call.