The Value of First Impressions

Whether it the smell of white tea upon entering a Westin Hotel, or the image of grandeur Fairmont Hotels emulate, one thing is certain the sensation upon entering different hotels plays an intricate part on how we will perceive their offerings. Over the winter break I had the luxury to experience for my third time what it is like staying at a Fairmont. This time The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal. Having such a positive initial stimulus from my previous stay I knew Weber’s Law would come into play in shaping my future opinion of the hotel.

Looking to identify and seek out how the hotel harnessed my sensory system, I became more aware than ever of my surroundings. Searching beyond the obvious and into stimuli that may have previously gone unnoticed, subliminally affecting my oppinion of the hotel chain. The first element I came across was the colours shaping my surroundings. Like many hotels, the Fairmont offered familiar shades, providing soft undertones that invoked a sense of tranquility and relaxation. This paints an image of a trade dress of colour combinations that I strongly associated with the Fairmont brand.

I next made the logical transition to the haptic element of my sensory system, judging, evaluating, and forming opinions. I found this crucial in reaffirming my image of quality I had previously formed as well as it further strengthened my connection I had formed with the hotel.

After being exposed to many different elements the hotel had to offer the Fairmont certainly had my attention. I thought to myself, had this experience really been as great as I thought, or had I simply been selective when analyzing the stimuli looking to reaffirm I had made the right decision choosing the hotel. Based on my previous experience I realized during my stay I had selectively chosen to seek out and analyze those factors that would reaffirm my purchase decision. This led me to conclude that since my stays in the past at the Fairmont had been so great, in principle I possessed the attitude that not only this stay, but all future stays will be of equal value to me. Forming the question, how important are first impressions in establishing how we will perceive something in the future, and how lasting are those sensations.

Attached is a video of the hotels chain journey on maintaining a high level of quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNyJzUQRjFg