Less pathos: a service strategy for a successful hotel

Passed the next module of the school of hotel business management. It was dedicated to the theme “Service vision for the hotel”.

Speakers Anastasia Vladychinskaya and Tatiana Konoval worked with the participants during two intensive days. They revealed the relevant topics:

• How to make the service a feature of your hotel.
• Service strategy — implementation in practice.

The event was organized by the Odessa regional chamber of Commerce and industry. The modules were supported by the European Bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) on the initiative of the European Union — #EU4Business.

The main partner was the Advance management development Platform. With the support of the management company Ribas Hotels Group.

KEY POINTS OF THE MODULE

The higher the distrust of the guest, the more problems for the staff.

So, there is a guest or client of the business, which in addition to direct profit can bring a direct loss. How can this be prevented?

The first thing that comes to mind is to create the maximum number of barriers to abuse of position.

However, owners and top management of HoReCa businesses often face the fact that creating total control at all points of contact with the client, they get a lot of problems with both guests and staff. And the latter, in addition to its direct functionality, is forced to deal with additional responsibilities, reporting. In other words, the more cameras there are, the more people steal.

American and European companies have already clearly answered this question. They don't argue with the guest. Because we have understood that the basis of any dispute is the desire to persuade the opponent to their point of view. In the case of a guest or client, it looks as if they are trying to teach them to prevent mistakes next time. But there won't be a next time. Because the guest will not return to an unfriendly environment.

Amnesia kills hospitality

Remember (and therefore-record, transmit, update) information about your client — everything that you managed to find out. It doesn't matter what systems you use to achieve this. The hotel and restaurant business relies on the loyalty of its customers.

If a customer says they can't stand red and you put them in a room with red walls, they won't forgive you. And he will remember it at every opportunity.

Personalized service

In one of the hotel chains, the official instructions of maids contain reports in which they must list the contents of bins in rooms. Knowing what the guests preferred, it is easier to predict their wishes in the subsequent check-in.

Don't punish 98% of your customers for the wrongdoing of 2% of unscrupulous visitors.

In many hotels, guests leaving the property have to wait for the maid to check the contents of the mini-bar. Although according to statistics, a very small number of guests take away expensive items from it. Therefore, it turns out that most of the evicted guests are forced to pay with their time for what completely different guests once did.

Never, remember, never ask a guest who already leaves you a high check to pay for coffee or other non-essential “buns”. Since this cup of coffee may cost you a guest.

Practitioners from the HoReCa industry share monitoring of changes due to the change of generations. In their opinion, the hotel (and restaurant) business should understand that the target audience is rapidly getting younger. It is characterized by a categorical rejection of pathos and “Royal glamour”. In many reviews, you can often find the wording that ” while in the hotel, I wanted to put on Shoe covers.” The abundance of carpets, retro furniture, heavy tapestries and gilded frames plunges guests into despondency.

“Secret guest” – friend or foe?

Definitely, friend. It helps identify gaps in the service and improve the guest's consumer experience. About 96% of chain hotels in America, Europe and Asia use the Secret guest survey to improve the performance of all their departments. In Ukraine, this service is much less popular. However, those who are really interested in the competent organization of the hotel economy order such a service or invite such a “guest” from their inner circle.