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Arnie Weissman
What’s known as the Serenity Prayer — “God, give me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference” — is about to turn 90.
But it doesn’t seem to be more relevant.
Written by religious scholar Reinhold Niebuhr and embraced by Alcoholics Anonymous, a poster printer and Internet meme creator, it seems particularly relevant to the travel industry in 2022.
For as long as I can remember, travel consultants and suppliers have been navigating seemingly overwhelming dynamics. Flight delays and cancellations are frequent and unpredictable. Past experiences with certain hotels are not a reliable indicator of current conditions.
Do these fall under “things I wouldn’t change”? Will accepting them bring peace? It can’t be. Ours is a service industry; Indirectly, people who book through travel advisors, buy packages or sign up for tours or cruises will benefit more than those who plan and travel on their own.
The courage some airlines and hotels are showing to “change what I can” seems to be more focused on price increases than customer experience. That, of course, takes cojones! Many airlines seem willing to risk future profits if long-term relationships, customer loyalty and reputation are tied to customer retention.
But perhaps you are looking at a different prayer clause. Perhaps their attitude, the public perception that their collective problems are linked to mass resignations, is that they see their current operational problems as one of “things I can’t change”. The test of perception validity is simple enough: does it lead to stability? Maybe, in the short term, for their shareholders, but not so much for their frontline employees, passengers, guests and industry partners.
Sympathy from industry partners and consumers for the challenges facing aviation and hospitality during the pandemic is fading fast. While travel advisors can’t guarantee their customers that flight A will take off on time (or at all) or that meals ordered through room service will be quick and fresh, they are powerless to add value. road trip.
Indeed, the tools travel advisors always have at their fingertips are still adding value. In this case, perhaps the most valuable tool of all is deployed before the trip begins: setting expectations. Ironically, this is especially important when advising experienced travelers who expect to repeat their previous travel patterns and experiences. Although it may seem counterintuitive that the sales process should focus on things that can go wrong, the current situation is a good place to start.
Setting expectations for existing conditions prepares travelers to understand why a consultant might, for example, connect a more expensive direct flight and double the risk of delay. It explains why purchasing travel insurance and baggage tracking services is critical. Having a lawyer by their side strengthens their advantage if something goes wrong at their hotel. And if you’re traveling on a day when air traffic melts, having a travel advisor is a huge advantage as opposed to waiting for hours at a GDS.
While the mentor’s role in the past may have been to guarantee a smooth ride, today it is to minimize the risk of disruption and frustration. And consultants who have spent months dealing with multiple clients in the current environment, have gained invaluable experience in crisis management.
And even when things seem really broken, travel advisors are not helpless to get involved in the repair work.
One of the greatest frustrations facing consultants today is the loss of relationships within destinations. The relationships you developed with receptionists, hotel general managers, concierges and maitre d’s may be gone, but their (potentially awkward) replacements are ideal for taking calls that focus on building a relationship rather than hearing another complaint. I’ve always found that relationships formed early on after taking on a new job can be long-lasting, trusting, and deep. While losing an old connection can be frustrating, meeting a new connection is often an opportunity.
I have great respect for the author of the prayer and I understand that there are times when a person must “accept what I cannot change.” (I believe the current expression for this sentiment is “he is”).
The key insight of the prayer is the importance of having “the wisdom to know the difference” between what is changeable and what is not. For example, it is absolutely true that the loss of important connections abroad and the airline’s operational efficiency are “things that cannot be changed” for travel advisors. But this is not an idle call. Stability comes from having the courage to accept change and then move forward.
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