Doug Kennedy’s Next Staff Training Webcast: Using The Value Pyramid Model To Sell Guest Experiences and Not Just Quote Rates

Sponsored By Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software

Register your team and participate live, or view the recording, of Doug Kennedy’s next 40-minute training webcast scheduled for Friday, December 19, at Noon ET. REGISTER HERE

In this month’s webcast, Doug presents his “Value Pyramid” sales model, which he uses in his training workshops for both transient and group/event sales staff to show participants how to move beyond renting “space and time.”

When our KTN team listens to reservations calls and reads proposals the hotel group and wedding sales teams send, too often salespeople focus only on the accommodations and meeting space, immediately drawing attention to price before establishing value, says Kennedy. Yet when you think about it from the actual guests’ perspective, most spend very little time in the accommodations, he added. Their experiences are far more impacted by the destination itself, the location within that destination, and the amenities and services that are in-house or in the neighborhood.

To outsell the competition, salespeople of all sectors need to better engage prospects in genuine, authentic, conversations, whether on the phone or by way of email exchanges, allowing them to find out what’s most important to buyers and then sell the complete experience, not just a place to sleep or meet-up.

In this webcast, Doug Kennedy will share training content and tips from KTN’s training for both transient and group/event sales workshops. Here are highlights:

• How the three levels of the Value Pyramid lay the foundation for selling value over price, especially when rates might exceed the comp-set.
• Using updated discovery questions to unmask “the story” behind their plans, enabling a focus on relative features vs. random lists.
• Conveying value-added benefits offered at all three levels that are specific to the experiences they are envisioning.

Recordings of previous webcasts are available on KTN’s YouTube channel and are now also being distributed on your favorite podcast channel or on KTN’s Spotify channel.

Everyone who registers for this and all KTN webcasts receives a link to the recording, even if they cannot attend. The 40-minute format is perfect for “lunch and learns,” or excerpts can be shared at staff meetings. The target audience is anyone who is interested in upskilling themselves or others, and the topic areas are broad enough to be relevant for all sectors of the lodging industry.

We are grateful to the generosity of our sponsors who have allowed us to offer complimentary admission, said Kennedy. It takes a lot of time to design, promote, and deliver these events, and so we would normally charge at least $99 registration per person, but this series is now completely free to all.

Sponsors include: Travel Outlook, the only KTN Certified call center, and Track Hospitality Software, a TravelNet Solution, whose products include a PMS and CRM. “

Complimentary registration can be accessed at www.KTNwebcast.com. Here are the additional topics scheduled so far.

Hospitality IS…

Friday, January 23 (Noon ET)

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To kick off our 2026 training webcast series, KTN is excited to have Doug Kennedy present highlights from our brand-new, advanced-level hospitality training course titled Hospitality IS… Doug has been researching new content for this new half-day, on-site training workshop for over a year, and it was just launched in late 2025. Highlights to be presented include:

• Hospitality IS… The biggest “thing” that differentiates you from your competitors.
• Hospitality IS… The only way to increase NPS (net promoter scores) is through a punctilious attention to seemingly “little” details that actually mean the most.
• Referring to hospitality training as “soft skills” is just plain wrong; it is better labeled as “heart skills.”
• Sentipensante IS… the heart-mind connection as a model for connecting guest service “standards” with the foundational philosophy of hospitality.
• Hospitality IS… A vibe that can only be shared when you are truly present with others.
• Be an illuminator, not a diminisher. (Thank you, David Brooks.)
• Projecting “5G Positivity” as it relates to Martha Welch’s work on Co-Regulation & Cardiac Calming.
• Hospitality vibes must be “intentionally communicated,” not forced and scripted.
• Hospitality IS… Diminished by cynicism BUT grown by empathy.
• Hospitality, IS… Foundational to a happier work-life balance.

How To Meet Luxury Inspection Standards Without Sounding Robotic

Friday, February 20 (Noon ET)

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No doubt, being awarded merit-based symbols such as diamonds, keys, or stars is a worthwhile achievement that is recognized by luxury guests, opening doors to exclusive marketing opportunities. Certainly, all staff should therefore be trained and retrained on these expectations along with the brand standards of luxury brands and membership groups. All too often though, frontline staff experience lecture-style training during which they are drilled on these standards, causing them to be so nervous about meeting the needs of one single on-site ratings inspector that the real-world guests they encounter daily are forced to endure insincere conversations which feel disingenuous and inauthentic, ironically, working against the objectives of a service style that sets out to be genuine, bespoke, and authentic. As a result, guests encounter staff who nervously overuse certain words and phrases, such as being “Mr. Kennedy’ed to death” or asked about food allergies five different times when sitting down for a sandwich at lunch.

Those joining Doug for this month’s webcast will learn:

• Understanding the “Whys” behind the “What’s” of luxury hotel standards.
• How to overcome the sense of overwhelm when starting down an excessively long list of standards for a single type of guest interaction.
• Grouping the standards and sorting out those that are staff-driven.
• How to use phrases that feel more authentic and less scripted, while still complying with standards.