1. GUEST SERVICE

2. Contents  Service Standards  Guest Conflict Resolution  Empowerment  Diversity Awareness  International Guests  Management’s Role in Guest Service

3. Introduction  Guest satisfaction is crucial in maintaining loyalty.  Guest loyalty ensures repeat business.

4. Service Standards  Guest service is paramount to hotel success  Guest interaction defines guest service

5. Verbal Means  Verbal communication allows for gaining insight into a guest  The most important verbal tools in ensuring guest satisfaction are perhaps the simplest

6. The basic rules for verbal communication are:  Use an appropriate greeting  Personalize the conversation (use the guest’s name)  Thank the guest  Listen

7. Verbal Means (Cont…)  Use an appropriate greeting: employees should greet every guest appropriately whether in person or over the phone.  They should identify the time of day: “Good morning/afternoon/evening”.  When greeting a guest over the phone, an employee should also include their name and department: “Good morning, front desk, this is John, how may I help you?” This reassures the guest that they have reached the appropriate department

8. Verbal Means (Cont…)  Personalize the conversation: this helps to set a relaxed tone in the conversation, however using an appropriate title (i.e., Mr. or Ms.) is important  During check-in or checkout, the guest account will let the employee know the guest’s name  Many phone systems will identify the guest’s name and room number, as will many PMS systems  Guests greeted by name are subtly reminded that the hotel values their business

9. Verbal Means (Cont…)  Thank the guest: thanking the guest in a sincere manner is also very important  Employees may conduct a variety of guest services in a day, and each of these transaction should be completed with a “thank you”  Thanking a guest for staying at a hotel also implies that the hotel appreciates their business

10. Verbal Means (Cont…)  Listening: this is the only way a receiver can hear the message that the transmitter is sending, so employees can listen for subtle hints and signals a guest gives out during communication  The employee creates a comfort level when they listen, and letting the guest initiate the tone of the conversation also puts him/her at ease

11. Verbal Means (Cont…)  Failure to listen properly can cause problems  The seven common listening errors are:  Failure to concentrate  Listening too hard  “Jumping the gun”  Lagging behind the conversation  Focusing too much on delivery or appearance  Omitting  Adding

12. Visual Means  Communicating visually is as important as communicating verbally, as visual communication can reinforce what is being said verbally  The complete delivery of guest service can be accomplished by incorporating both means

13. The rules for effective visual communication are:  Communicate with a smile  Be aware of body language  Observe the grooming standards

14. Visual Means (Cont…)  Communicate with a smile: a genuine smile that accompanies a greeting or thank you reinforces the message  Smiling at guests helps create a comfortable atmosphere  Be aware of body language: observing guest body language is like listening with eyes, it can give the employee clues on how to communicate with the guest

15. Visual Means (Cont…)  Common body language signals include the following:  Crossed arms may indicate a defensive posture  A guest who leans across the front desk during conversation may be aggressive  Strong and consistent eye contact may indicate confidence  Strong firm handshakes may also indicate confidence  Red eyes may indicate fatigue

16. Visual Means (Cont…)  Observe appropriate grooming standards: hotel employees are viewed as an extension of the hotel so a guest’s perception of an employee can contribute to the guest’s overall perception of the hotel  The first and often most long lasting perception a guest makes on an employee is the employee’s appearance, so most hotels have instituted grooming standards

17. Guest Service Management  The guest service philosophy of a hotel should be communicated consistently  This communication should begin with the first day of employee orientation where all new employees should be given the hotel’s service philosophy

18. Guest Service Management (Cont...)  Guest service training continues beyond orientation and introduction of the service mission statement, and should be constant  Larger hotel chains have complete divisions at a corporate level dedicated to creating and implementing guest service programs

19. Motivating for Guest Service  Motivating employees to embody the service mission statement in their day-to-day duties helps ensure guest satisfaction  A good way to motivate is through guest feedback, and most hotels have some version of a comment card in the guest rooms  These cards encourage guests to rate and/or rank the services received during his/her stay  They also solicit the names of employees that have impacted the guest’s stay

20. Motivating for Guest Service (Cont..)  Employees or departments that are mentioned should be rewarded or recognized in some way  The employees can be proud of these rewards and a healthy competition can ensue to see which employees can get the most rewards