Two Bellmen: JW Marriot's Must-See Short Film

As described in the short film's official YouTube post:

"Two Bellmen is an action-comedy from Marriott Content Studios about, well, two bellmen who prove their company loyalty when the JW Marriott LA LIVE comes under siege by “The Purple Panthers,” the most notorious smash and grab art thieves of our time. The film is a comedic, genre-bending explosion of parkour, martial arts, dance and music action, and features the biggest stars from the hip hop and B-boy dance worlds, including leading Hollywood stuntmen William Spencer (SPIDER-MAN; SPIDER-MAN 2) and Caine Sinclair (NBC’s Grimm; How I met Your Mother) as The Bellmen. The cast also includes Henry Simmons (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); Miles Brown aka Baby Boogaloo (ABC’s Black-ish); Sophina Brown (Shark; Numb3rs; The Good Wife); noted B-boy dancer Josue "Beastmode" Figueroa (Southland; STEP UP REVOLUTION); Josue Antonio (STEP UP series; The LXD); Taryn Southern (The Single Life); and So You Think You Can Dance hip hop legend, Stephen “tWitch” Boss (STEP UP films; So You Think You Can Dance; MAGIC MIKE XXL), as well as other amazing talents from Substance Over Hype. The music and dance world is also fully represented, with AMP Live, Scarub, and Fingazz all making appearances. Presented by JW Marriott: http://www.jwmarriott.com

As a reaction, the short film highlights on two characters (bellmen) that are both good in what they do, but motivated in two ways, one by his passion for his craft, and another, well, his monetary gains in terms of tips.

There are several instances of Service Quality Standards that solidifies the Marriot brand in this movie. One would be attention to detail. The passionate bellman, one of the lead characters that carry himself and his role in the hotel as "the life and blood" of the operation, is very detail-oriented, to the point that he "blacks out" uncomfortably, if a service blueprint (i.e. unaligned painting) is out of standard. He expresses initiative in his work, pro-actively offers his service, unknowingly, even to the thieves. He is passionate in his work, to the point that he treats high-end luggage in adoration.  His level of commitment to his job, and his superior, is but a manager's dream, to the point that he is "willing to die" for it.

On the other hand, although the other bellman would have a certain level of "swag" in terms of what he does, his acrobatics does not define his true heart for the guest. In the end, the opposing characters would have to work together and save the day.

As a whole, this short film is a must-see, for hospitality professionals who would like to revive their "first love" for what they do; a good reminder on authentic service that comes from the heart. In an imperfect world, and in an imperfect hotel operation, it is the ability to work together and make things happen, is what matters to be a success.


To watch the film, click here.

Paper-Free Electronic Check-in: Another Industry Innovation

In one of the entries we made last December on the Rise of the Machines, where efficiency is related to industry innovations and technology is paving way for a more practical, environmental-safe, and efficient practice, here is another addition available for hotels.

With the availability of online/web check-in, and self check-in kiosks that minimize line queues, for paper-less transactions, there is a technological advancement that makes paper guest registration cards, a thing of the past. That is, the paper-free electronic check-in.

Paper-less check-in at the Himalayas Qingdao, Photo courtesy of  www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com

Not only contributing to make this world a better place by saving paper wastage, as hoteliers, especially for Front Desk staff, I know how you can relate when you try to decipher scribble handwriting when you encode the guest details into your PMS, from the guest registration card. Now, an application is available where the guest can directly electronically write their complete details, and then automatically loads it up to the PMS; making registration real-time, and efficient.

Is the Philippine industry ready for this advancement? Other than the international chain brands, would independent small to medium scale hotels be willing to invest in such an application? Do you think this would be useful for the hoteliers and guest alike? Let us know your thoughts.