Hotels looking to make good first impression

The Travel Channel has a show called "Hotel Impossible" in which consultant Anthony Melchiorri tries to transform a struggling hotel into a more inviting place. Here's a snippet:

Actually, all hotels, even the successful ones, must deal with first impressions - and in the days of social networking and nightmarish airline flights, it's not easy. From the WSJ:

Some hotels train front-desk employees to glean information during check-in chitchat that they can later use to impress guests. (Sending complimentary cups of tea to people who say they have a cold, perhaps.) Others are prettying up lobbies--and even driveways--to enhance views and make them easier to navigate. Some lavish welcome goodies on kids and pets. And at least one brand, Denihan Hospitality Group's Affinia, has hired a body-language expert to train employees how to read travelers' moods to help figure out the best greeting approach.

[CUT]

Once guests walk through the door to their rooms, cleanliness is critical, hotel operators say. Besides ensuring there are no obvious turnoffs, like hairs in the bathroom or stains on the towels, subtler signs can signal a room isn't quite pristine. Lopsided lamp shades, crooked desk pads and magazines askew on coffee tables are no-no's for the housekeepers at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, a 14-month-old, 267-room, luxury hotel. "That sends a signal to the guest that something is not quite right and maybe the room is not so clean either," says Tim Terceira, the hotel's general manager.