Interactive transcript · 188 lines
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to TalkCast, your favorite space for deep, friendly conversations
大家好，欢迎回到TalkCast，这里是你进行深入、友好对话的最爱空间
about the forces shaping our daily lives.
关于塑造我们日常生活的力量。
I am your host, Emma.
我是你们的主持人，艾玛。
If you are learning English, you are in the perfect place, because today we are going to unpack a
如果你正在学习英语，你来对地方了，因为今天我们要剖析一个
fascinating topic using clear, natural, everyday English.
使用清晰、自然、日常的英语来探讨一个迷人的主题。
Now, let us start with a quick question.
现在，让我们开始一个快速的问题。
Have you traveled recently?
你最近旅行过吗？
Maybe during a national holiday or a weekend getaway?
也许是在国庆节或者周末度假期间？
If you stayed in a hotel, you might have noticed something very different compared to 10 years ago.
如果你住过酒店，你可能会注意到与10年前相比非常不同的事情。
Do you remember the old days of checking out?
你还记得过去退房的日子吗？
You would stand at the front desk, hand over your keycard, and then you had to wait.
你会站在前台，交出房卡，然后不得不等待。
The receptionist would pick up a walkie -talkie and whisper to the housekeeping staff, please check
接待员会拿起对讲机，小声对客房部员工说，请检查
room 808.
房间 808。
And you had to stand there, feeling slightly awkward, as they checked if you drank the soda, used
你不得不站在那里，感到有点尴尬，因为他们会检查你是否喝了苏打水、用了
the slippers, or stole a towel.
拖鞋，或者偷了一条毛巾。
But today, you just drop your card in a box and walk away.
但今天，你只需把卡投入箱子里，然后走开就行了。
Why did this change?
为什么会有这种变化？
To help us understand the fascinating business and psychology behind this shift, I am joined today
为了帮助我们理解这一转变背后的精彩商业和心理学，今天和我在一起的是
by Dr.
由Dr.
Robert Mackey, a professor of behavioral economics and an expert on consumer trends.
罗伯特·麦基，一位行为经济学教授和消费趋势专家。
Welcome to TalkCast, Robert.
欢迎来到TalkCast，罗伯特。
Thank you, Emma.
谢谢你，艾玛。
It is wonderful to be here.
能来到这里真是太美妙了。
And you started with such a relatable example.
你以一个如此有共鸣的例子开始了。
The classic room checkout inspection was a staple of the travel experience for decades.
经典的客房退房检查几十年来一直是旅游体验的主打内容。
But as you said, it is rapidly disappearing.
但正如你所说，它正在迅速消失。
And for some very smart economic and psychological reasons.
而且出于一些非常聪明的经济和心理原因。
I am so excited to dive into this.
我非常兴奋能深入探讨这个话题。
To be honest, I always felt a little uncomfortable during those five minutes of waiting.
说实话，在等待的那五分钟里，我总是感到有点不舒服。
It felt like the hotel did not trust me.
感觉就像酒店不信任我一样。
But is this change really just about making customers feel better?
但这种改变真的只是为了让顾客感觉更好吗？
Or is there a cold, hard business calculation behind it?
还是背后有什么残酷的商业算计？
Oh, it is absolutely about the money, Emma.
哦，这绝对是关于钱的，艾玛。
In economics, we always look at the cost -benefit analysis.
在经济学中，我们总是看成本效益分析。
Let us look at the cold math first.
让我们先来看看冷冰冰的数学计算。
Think about what it costs a hotel to check a room while you wait.
想想看，当你在等待时，酒店检查一个房间需要花多少成本。
First, you have the labor cost.
首先，你有人工成本。
You need a housekeeper to stop what they are doing, walk to your room, inspect it, and report back.
你需要一个客房服务员停下手头的工作，走到你的房间，检查并向后汇报。
Meanwhile, you have a receptionist at the front desk spending five minutes holding up the line.
与此同时，前台接待员要花五分钟来拖延队伍。
In a busy hotel with hundreds of guests checking out at 11 a .m., this creates a massive bottleneck.
在一家有数百名客人在上午11点退房的繁忙酒店里，这会造成一个巨大的瓶颈。
A bottleneck.
一个瓶颈。
That is a great word.
真是个好词。
It means a point where progress is severely slowed down.
这意味着进展被严重放慢的一个点。
Like traffic squeezing into a narrow lane. Exactly.
就像交通挤进狭窄的车道一样。完全正确。
And time is money.
而且时间就是金钱。
If you have a long queue of frustrated guests at the front desk, you need more staff to handle them.
如果你前台有一长列感到沮丧的客人，你就需要更多的员工来应付他们。
So the labor cost of inspecting rooms is actually very high.
所以检查房间的人工成本实际上非常高。
Now, let us look at the other side of the scale.
现在，让我们看看天平的另一端。
What is the hotel actually trying to protect?
酒店实际上到底想保护什么？
They want to make sure you did not steal a cheap towel, break a coffee mug, or drink a $5 can of
他们想确保你没有偷一条便宜的毛巾、打碎一个咖啡杯或喝了一罐5美元的……
cola from the minibar.
来自迷你吧的可乐。
The cost of those items is very low.
那些物品的成本非常低。
In fact, for a hotel, a towel might only cost them $2 or $3.
事实上，对于一家酒店来说，一条毛巾的成本可能只要2到3美元。
So why spend $20 worth of staff time and guest goodwill to protect a $3 towel?
所以，为什么要花费价值20美元的员工时间和客户善意去保护一条3美元的毛巾呢？
The math just does not add up. Wow.
这算术根本说不通。哇。
When you put it that way, it seems so obvious.
你这么一说，似乎就那么明显了。
Spending more money to prevent a tiny loss is just bad business.
花更多的钱去预防微小的损失简直是糟糕的生意。
But surely some guests do break expensive things or steal high -value items, right?
当然，确实有些客人会损坏昂贵的物品或盗窃高价值的物品，对吧？
How do hotels protect themselves against that?
酒店如何保护自己免受这种损失呢？
That is where the digital revolution comes in and what we call the trust economy.
这就是数字革命切入的地方，也是我们所说的信任经济。
But let us be clear.
但我们要明确一点。
It is not blind trust.
这不是盲目的信任。
It is what I like to call secured trust.
这就是我喜欢称之为有保障的信任。
Today, when you book a hotel room, you do it online or with a credit card.
如今，当你预订酒店房间时，你是在网上或用信用卡进行的。
The hotel has your digital identity, your phone number, and most importantly, a pre -authorization on
酒店拥有你的数字身份、电话号码，最重要的是，还有预授权……
your credit card.
你的信用卡。
Oh, pre -authorization.
哦，预授权。
Could you explain what that means for our listeners?
你能向我们的听众解释一下这是什么意思吗？
Of course.
当然。
Pre -authorization means the hotel temporarily holds a certain amount of money on your credit card as
预授权意味着酒店会临时在你的信用卡上冻结一定金额的钱作为……
a deposit.
一笔押金。
They do not actually take the money, but they reserve it.
他们实际上并没有拿走这笔钱，而是将其预留。
If you leave the room in perfect condition, the hold is released.
如果你离开房间时保持完好的状态，冻结就会解除。
But if you walk out with the television or if you completely ruin the carpet, they do not need to
但如果你把电视机搬走或者把地毯彻底毁坏，他们就不需要……
catch you at the front desk.
在前台抓到你。
They can simply charge your card later after housekeeping does their normal cleaning.
在客房清洁人员做完日常打扫后，他们随后可以直接扣你卡里的钱。
So the hotel is still fully protected, but they do not need to slow down your departure to do it.
所以酒店仍然得到了充分的保护，但他们不需要为了做到这一点而拖慢你离开的速度。
Ah, that makes perfect sense.
啊，这太有道理了。
So they have a digital safety net.
所以他们有了一个数字安全网。
They do not need to suspect everyone at 11 a .m.
他们不需要在上午11点怀疑每 个人。
because they can always contact the few dishonest people later.
因为他们总可以在事后联系那少数不诚实的人。
That leads us to another key concept in modern business, which is reducing friction.
这引导我们来到现代商业的另一个关键概念，即减少摩擦。
We hear this word a lot in technology and service industries.
我们在技术和服务行业经常听到这个词。
What does frictionless service mean in this context? Next.
在这种语境下，无摩擦服务意味着什么？接下来。
Friction refers to any obstacle, delay, or annoyance that a customer experiences during their journey.
摩擦指的是客户在旅程中经历的任何障碍、延迟或烦恼。
In the old days of hotel checkout, the waiting time was a major friction point.
在过去酒店退房的日子里，等待时间是一个主要的摩擦点。
It left a bad final impression.
这留下了不好的最终印象。
Psychologists talk about something called the peak -end rule.
心理学家们谈论过一个叫做“峰终定律”的东西。
The peak -end rule.
峰终定律。
That sounds fascinating.
听起来很迷人。
Please tell us more about that.
请多告诉我们一些关于这个的信息。
It is a psychological theory that says people judge an experience largely based on how they felt at
这是一个心理学理论，它指出人们对一段经历的评价很大程度上取决于他们在...
its peak, which is the most intense point, and at its end.
其顶峰（也就是最激烈的时刻）以及结束时的感受。
We do not remember the average of the whole experience.
我们不记得整个经历的平均值。
We remember how it ended.
我们只记得它是怎么结束的。
So, imagine you had a wonderful three -day stay at a luxury hotel.
所以，想象你在一家豪华酒店度过了美好三天。
The bed was comfortable.
床很舒服。
The pool was great.
泳池很棒。
But on the final day, you have to wait in a long, sweaty line for 15 minutes while they inspect your
但在最后一天，你必须排一个漫长、满头大汗的15分钟的队，同时他们检查你的...
room like you are a suspect in a crime.
房间，就像你是犯罪嫌疑人一样。
That bad ending can ruin your entire memory of the vacation.
那个糟糕的结局会毁掉你对假期的全部记忆。
You leave with a sour taste in your mouth.
你离开时口中留有酸涩的滋味。
That is so true.
这太对了。
A bad ending can completely overshadow a great beginning.
一个糟糕的结局可以完全掩盖一个伟大的开始。
So, by removing the room inspection, hotels are ensuring a smooth, positive ending.
因此，通过取消房间检查，酒店确保了一个顺利、积极的结局。
They want you to leave happy so you will write a good review online or book with them again. Exactly.
他们希望你开心地离开，这样你就会在网上写一篇好评价或者再次预订他们的房间。完全正确。
A positive five -star review on booking platforms is worth thousands of dollars in future business.
预订平台上的五星好评价值数千美元的未来业务。
On the other hand, a one -star review because of a slow checkout can cost the hotel dozens of
另一方面，由于缓慢的退房，一星差评可能会让酒店损失数
potential customers.
潜在客户。
When you compare the value of a good review to the risk of someone stealing a cheap plastic hanger,
当你把好评的价值与某人偷走一个便宜塑料衣架的风险进行比较时，
the decision is very simple.
这个决定非常简单。
It is amazing how these small operational decisions are actually deeply connected to human
令人惊奇的是，这些微小的运营决策实际上与人类
psychology and brand reputation.
心理学和品牌声誉紧密相连。
But, Robert, is there also a social aspect to this?
但是，罗伯特，这其中是否也有一个社会层面呢？
When a business openly trusts its customers, does that actually change how the customers behave?
当企业公开信任其客户时，这是否真的会改变客户的行为方式？
Yes, absolutely.
是的，绝对是这样。
This is one of my favorite topics in behavioral economics, and it is called the reciprocity effect.
这是我最喜欢的行为经济学主题之一，被称为互惠效应。
In simple terms, it means that humans have a natural instinct to return the favor when they are
简而言之，这意味着当人类受到好意时，有一种回报的自然本能
treated well.
受到良好对待。
If a business treats you with respect and trust, you feel a psychological pressure to behave honestly.
如果一家企业以尊重和信任对待你，你会感到一种心理压力去诚实地行事。
So, if the hotel treats me like an honest guest, I am more likely to actually be an honest guest? Precisely.
所以，如果酒店把我当作一个诚实的客人，我实际上更有可能成为一个诚实的客人？准确地说。
If a hotel shows that they trust you by saying, just drop your key in the box and have a wonderful
如果酒店通过说“把钥匙投入箱子里，度过一个美妙的
day, you feel valued.
一天”，让你觉得受到重视。
You want to live up to that trust.
你想不辜负这种信任。
But if a hotel treats you like a potential thief, making you wait, checking the drawers while you
但如果酒店把你当成潜在的小偷，让你等待，在你
stand there, it creates a feeling of hostility.
站在那里时检查抽屉，会产生一种敌意的感觉。
A guest might think, well, if they think I am going to steal something, maybe I actually should take
客人可能会想，好吧，如果他们认为我要偷东西，也许我真的应该拿走
this bottle of water.
这瓶水。
It breaks the social contract.
这打破了社会契约。
By trusting the customer first, hotels actually encourage better behavior.
通过首先信任客户，酒店实际上鼓励了更好的行为。
That is a beautiful concept.
这是一个美好的概念。
Trust breeds trust.
信任滋生信任。
It suggests that most people are fundamentally honest when given the chance.
这表明大多数人在有机会时根本上是诚实的。
But what about the staff?
但是员工呢？
How has this change affected the hotel employees, like the housekeepers and receptionists?
这种变化是如何影响酒店员工的，比如客房服务员和前台接待员？
It has made their work lives much better and more efficient.
这使他们的工作生活变得更好、更高效。
For housekeepers, they no longer have to rush to clean or inspect a room under intense time pressure
对于客房清洁工来说，他们不再需要在紧张的时间压力下匆忙清洁或检查房间
while a guest is waiting downstairs.
而此时客人正在楼下等待。
They can clean at a steady, thorough pace.
他们可以以稳定、彻底的节奏进行清理。
For the front desk staff, they do not have to deal with angry, impatient travelers who are trying to
对于前台员工来说，他们不必应对那些愤怒、不耐烦的旅客，他们试图
catch a flight.
赶航班。
They can focus on welcoming new guests and providing a warm, friendly service.
他们可以专注于迎接新客人并提供热情友好的服务。
It reduces stress for everyone involved.
这减轻了所有参与人员的压力。
It really sounds like a win -win situation for the hotel, the employees, and the guests.
这听起来确实对酒店、员工和客人来说是一个双赢的局面。
But are there any situations where a hotel might still check a room?
但是有没有什么情况下酒店仍然会检查房间呢？
For example, what if a guest has a history of bad behavior?
例如，如果一个客人有不良行为史呢？
Yes, there are exceptions.
是的，有例外。
Many hotel chains now share data or have internal databases.
许多连锁酒店现在共享数据或拥有内部数据库。
If a guest has previously damaged a room or left without paying in the past, they might be flagged
如果客人先前损坏过房间或过去未付款离开，他们可能会被标记
in the system.
在系统中。
In those rare cases, the hotel might take extra precautions.
在那些罕见的情况下，酒店可能会采取额外的预防措施。
Also, for extremely high -end, ultra -luxury villas or presidential suites, where the items in the
此外，对于极高端、超豪华别墅或总统套房，其中的物品
room are worth tens of thousands of dollars, a discreet check might still happen.
房间价值数万美元，仍然可能会进行一次谨慎的检查。
But it is usually done very politely and behind the scenes.
但通常这会在幕后非常礼貌地进行。
But for 95 % of standard hotel stays, the traditional checkout inspection is gone for good.
但对于95%的标准酒店入住来说，传统的退房检查已经永远消失了。
This has been such an eye -opening conversation, Robert.
这是一次极具启发性的对话，罗伯特。
It is incredible to see how a simple change in our daily lives, like dropping a plastic card into a
看到我们日常生活中一个难以置信的改变——比如把一张塑料卡片投入...
box, is actually driven by labor economics, digital security, the psychology of the peak -end role,
盒子里，实际上是由劳动经济学、数字安全、峰终定律心理学驱动的
and the reciprocity of trust.
以及信任的互惠性。
It shows that sometimes trusting people is not just morally right, it is also highly profitable.
这表明，有时信任他人不仅在道德上是正确的，而且也是高度有利可图的。
It absolutely is, Emma.
情况绝对是这样的，艾玛。
And it is a great reminder that modern business is moving towards making our lives simpler, faster,
这是一个很好的提醒，表明现代商业正朝着让我们的生活更简单、更快捷、
and more trust -based.
以及更多基于信任的方向。
Well, that brings us to the end of today's main discussion.
好了，这就到了我们今天主要讨论的尾声。
Thank you so much, Dr.
非常感谢你，博士。
Robert, for sharing your wonderful insights with us today.
罗伯特，感谢你今天与我们分享你的精彩见解。
You made these complex economic ideas so easy to understand.
你把这些复杂的经济学概念讲得如此通俗易懂。
It was my absolute pleasure, Emma.
这是我的荣幸，艾玛。
Thank you for having me, and happy travels to all our listeners.
谢谢你们邀请我，也祝我们所有的听众旅途愉快。
Thank you.
谢谢你。
Now, dear listeners, before we go, we have an interesting question for you to think about.
现在，亲爱的听众朋友们，在我们离开之前，我们有一个有趣的问题留给大家思考。
Have you ever accidentally taken something from a hotel room, like a nice pen or a bottle of shampoo?
你是否曾从酒店房间里不小心拿走过什么东西，比如一支不错的钢笔或一瓶洗发水？
And did you feel a little guilty about it?
为此你是否感到有一点内疚？
Or do you prefer the quick checkout over the old way?
或者你更喜欢快速退房而不是老方法？
Please write down your answers in the comments section below, or check out what other listeners have
请在下方的评论区写下你的答案，或者看看其他听众分享了什么
shared there.
在那里分享的内容。
It is a great way to practice your English writing.
这是练习英语写作的好方法。
If you enjoyed today's episode, please consider joining our TalkCast membership for exclusive
如果你喜欢今天的节目，请考虑加入我们的 TalkCast 会员以获取独家的
learning materials.
学习材料。
Don't forget to subscribe, share this podcast with your friends, and leave us your warm feedback.
别忘了订阅，把这个播客分享给你的朋友，并给我们留下温馨的反馈。
We love hearing from you.
我们很乐意听到你们的声音。
Also, a quick reminder for our dedicated English learners.
此外，给我们的刻苦英语学习者一个简短的提醒。
The full English transcript and audio for this episode, along with previous episodes, are regularly
本期节目的完整英文文稿和音频，以及之前的节目，都会定期
published on our website at www .talkcast .top, as well as on our official WeChat public account, TalkCast.
发布在我们的网站 www.talkcast.top 以及我们的微信官方公众号 TalkCast 上。
Be sure to check them out to help with your listening and reading practice.
一定要去看看，以帮助你的听力和阅读练习。
Until next time, keep listening, keep learning, and keep smiling.
直到下次，保持倾听，保持学习，保持微笑。
This is Emma from TalkCast, signing off.
这是来自 TalkCast 的艾玛，正在向大家告别。
Bye -bye.
拜拜。
