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This week I’m discussing the difference between what people want and what people get and sharing insightful news on connection for you. Happy reading!

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Andy

WHAT PEOPLE WANT VS. WHAT PEOPLE GET

I stayed at the ugliest Airbnb in town… and I want to go back.

Many times, there is a fundamental difference between what people want and what people get. The easiest way to explain this is using Airbnb vs. traditional hotels. The beauty of Airbnb is the ability to get a local experience at an affordable price. The risk is… you don’t know if you’ll have soap in the shower.

Let’s take Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. What people want is the entire pyramid, starting at the bottom with physiological needs and ending at the top with self-actualization. There is an order for a reason, and issues arise when steps are skipped. Considering we’re talking about travel here, let’s say soap falls into physiological needs and local experiences upwards of love and belonging.

In the past few months, I’ve had the chance to stay at two very different Airbnbs in two very different locations: Milan and Lisbon. While I carefully picked the one in Milan, searching for the perfect location and beautiful aesthetics, I essentially took the only one I could afford in Lisbon. I was very much looking forward to the former, and not really to the latter.

Now, I may fall prey to the flashy pictures and hot locations, but what I really want is i) drinkable water, ii) fast wi-fi, iii) easy access. A Millennial’s equivalent to physiological and safety needs. And what did I get? Well, in my ‘cool’ loft in Milan, I got a i) butter cookies, ii) poor wi-fi, iii) a late check-in that led to small talk with the host for longer than we both wanted. The 'very local’ restaurant he recommended across the street didn’t let me sleep in my already-noisy bed. 0/10.

Lisbon, however, was a completely different story. Besides bottles of water, functional wi-fi, and easy access, I got a silent neighborhood, a very comfortable bed, plenty of hangers, and a free bottle of wine (which I didn’t even touch, but still appreciated). What I thought would be the ugliest Airbnb in town ended up becoming the most charming. The orange furniture and unnecessarily-large painting of Frida Kahlo didn’t matter anymore. This place was perfect. 11/10.

The inspiration for you is: understand what people really want, and give them that. Start at the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and work yourself up. This applies to everything - from Airbnbs to traditional hotels, dinner parties to birthday parties, employee benefits to training, and more. And if you don’t know… ask. You may be surprised.

WEEKLY CURATION

• McKinsey: People are spending more on experiences than things. How can companies across industries embrace this?

• Brene Brown and Phil Rosenthal sit down to talk about food, connection, and travel. (Note: Phil’s show is an exquisite example of a business enabling connection and impact)

• With the launch of Icons, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky promises things will only get ‘crazier’ as the company breaks into experiences

• As health and wellness continues to pick up, Hyatt and Peloton partner up to reward guests for working out

• LVMH’s Belmond embraces ‘slow travel’ as the latest form of luxury

• Accor in talks to acquire Habitas, a hotel brand ‘where like-minded souls can connect’. Reminds me of Aman’s launch of Janu, Sanskrit for ‘soul’, designed to ‘encourage moments of social connection and collective joy’. Has anyone visited? Curious to know how this plays out IRL 

• Listen: Stanford researchers prove it pays off to be kind at work. Related: Turning your workplace into a community

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