What Mickey Mouse might have to say to airline execs

I’ve just returned from a work trip in Orlando, where I stayed in a DisneyWorld hotel. I was at one of their lowest-cost Stars hotels, which are probably the Disney equivalent of a low cost carrier. They have motel-like rooms, basic but clean and with all the Disney touches.

So what has this to do with the air transportation industry? Well, in the two nights I stayed there it occurred to me there’s a lot that airline and airport managers could learn from Mickey.

First, and most obviously, there’s the art of processing the masses and their bags. Disney excels at this and, in their case, it’s the norm to be handling families and lots of small children, elderly grandparents and non-Americans who do not speak English.

When I booked my hotel (I booked my flight to Orlando separately), they asked for my flight details and then provided a reference number to use their coach service from the airport to the hotel. DisneyWorld is about 40 minutes’ drive from the airport, but the service is free and, if you wish, they will take your luggage direct from airport to your hotel room.

At the airport, I walked to the Disney transport terminal located adjacent to baggage claim, where I was immediately checked in and directed to the correct lane for the next coach – Mickey Magical Express – going to my hotel. Within minutes, my bag onboard, we were on our way in a comfortable bus with TV screens that gave some “how-to” Disney information and also showed something they called Disney Blog TV – short cartoons and behind-the-scenes snapshots of things such as cartoon artists at work. The whole package was quite witty and very entertaining. All kids and adults alike were enthralled and totally silent throughout the journey.

Second, there is Disney’s attention to automation and technologies that help to process people swiftly and which also provide data on where people are, what they are buying and which entertainments they are using. On my arrival at the hotel it was the same speedy and friendly welcome at the reception desk. I was issued a wristwatch-like band with a Mickey motive. This, combined with a pin number, was my hotel door key and could be used for all purchases within the hotel and DisneyWorld; you just pressed Mickey against the door lock or a registry scanner. (There was also an automated option, if you signed up for it earlier, to bypass reception).

Third is ancillary fees pricing that is flexible either way. You can bundle or unbundle about as much as you want with Disney. There were tons of options to include at discounted prices, including entries to the theme parks, flights and all-day dining options that applied throughout DisneyWorld. These are great upsells for Disney, which I suspect gets a lot more upfront buy-in via these offerings. I was completely ‘unbundled’ and only bought the hotel room, but for just $90 a night I still got the free round-trip coach service, baggage transport to and from my room if wanted, free transport throughout DisneyWorld, and free WiFi that was one of the fastest services I’ve ever used in a hotel.

Fourth is service. The hotel had a huge main pool with lots of entertainment, a smaller shallow pool for toddlers, a full launderette, an open-air movie theater showing Disney films, pingpong courts, an arcade, artists doing cartoon drawings of guests and a host of other stuff. Remember, this is Disney’s LCC hotel. And at every single contact point with a Disney staff member (they are called cast members), there was a smile and willingness to help. I purchased a T-shirt in the hotel gift shop and later noticed there was a small tear in the seam. When I went back to exchange it, there was not another one in the same size. But the cashier called a nearby Disney hotel, located the correct item there, invited me to have a cup of coffee while someone brought it over. It was delivered within 15 minutes!

Fifth is branding. Disney does not have a monopoly in Florida or even in the Orlando area. There are tons of rivals competing for your dollars, including non-Disney theme parks, unlimited restaurants and alternative entertainment options. But the Mouse brand is everywhere, on everything and it has currency. It says icon, quality, fun, safe, guaranteed, you’re with the best. Disney leverages its brand like no other.

And finally there’s customer loyalty. My guess is that many of Disney’s guests do not leave the DisneyWorld complex as a result of the value they get from staying inside versus the extra dollars they would spend going outside to Orlando’s many other attractions. And, for small kids in particular, there are plenty of free entertainment options that allow parents a rest day. There’s great incentive here to persuade people to come back for more.

Airlines and airports, of course, have to deal with all manner of operational, regulatory and government restrictions that the Big Mouse is thankfully free of. But I do think there are some people-processing and customer-service tips that an airline exec could gain from a couple of nights at a Disney hotel. I never got close to any of the theme parks and, as a hotel stay, it was extraordinary.