It's good to be different in business.
Marketeers call it having a ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ or USP. It’s what differentiates you from your competitors and gives your customers a reason to buy from you rather than them.
On a trip to Morocco with my wife we booked to stay in a Riad close to the Atlas Mountains, a little over 20km outside of Marrakesh.
We arranged to stay for a few days as a change from the hustle and bustle of the city and maybe to do a little walking. The reviews were good so we settled on Riad Sougtani.
What we stumbled upon was something very different from a typical hotel.
It is run today by the nephews of one of the descendants of Caid Omar who completed the construction of the Riad and an adjacent Great Kasbah in the 19th Century. The brothers inherited the Riad in a run down state and have painstakingly restored it to its former glory.
Their ethos has been to recreate the welcome and sanctuary the Riad used to provide for their forefathers and their special guests who used to stay there. A beautiful central courtyard is fully enclosed by high walls and 6 self contained apartments. Guests and their families used to stay in their own accommodation and gather together for meal times and to discuss family business.
The atmosphere is less of a hotel and more akin to staying as a guest with welcoming and attentive hosts. There are no set meal times. You just turn up when hungry or pre-book if you choose to. There is no menu, but for breakfast and dinner an array of simple Moroccan food is served. Trips can be arranged to the mountains, back to Marrakesh or further afield. For the less active, lazing around the Riad is not a bad option.
The brothers could have chosen to make the Riad into just another hotel, with smaller rooms, a varied food menu, maybe a spa, lots of extras.
In choosing their USP they may be less wealthy than if they had chosen a more conventional format.
They are however generating enough income to keep their beloved Riad well maintained and through their guests their illustrious family history lives on.
That is a rewarding and distinctive legacy to keep going and more satisfying I suspect than the pursuit of ever increasing profits.
Being different isn't just about making more money.
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