WOW Service in the Hospitality Industry: How Guest Care Becomes a Competitive Advantage

Ribas Hotels Group has a division that is rightfully considered the pride of the company — the Guest Care Department. In 2024, it won 2nd place at the first Ukrainian Customer Experience Award CX Excellence in the nomination “Best Practice of Customer Feedback Usage” — among major well-known Ukrainian companies, finishing just behind Nova Poshta. It was this department’s case study and its approach to guest care that were presented at the award. The employees of this department are true guest advocates within the management company. Their mission is to be the voice of the guest: collecting feedback, changing processes, introducing new ideas, and working on improvements — based on what guests themselves say. Olena Tymchuk, former specialist of the Guest Care Department at Ribas Hotels Group, shares how this works in practice.

WOW Service and Financial Performance: Is There a Connection?

WOW service is commonly regarded as a tool for increasing LTV and average check. But how can this connection be tracked in practice?

According to Olena, the company does not yet calculate LTV for each individual WOW effect, as a unified guest profile is still being developed. However, the result is clearly visible in guest behavior: guests return more often, are more willing to pay for additional services, give higher ratings, and write detailed reviews. The best return comes from emotional investments that give guests a sense of security and care: resolving a problem quickly, remembering preferences, saying a warm goodbye — and even showing affection for their pet.

Balancing Generosity and Profitability

One of the key service principles at Ribas Hotels Group is to do more than asked. But how can operational efficiency be maintained at the same time?

The company follows a clear philosophy: bonuses are viewed as emotional investments that must either strengthen a key moment or change the aftertaste of the stay. What matters is not how expensive the gesture is — but how precise it is. That is why the company builds what they call an “emotional constructor” — many small touches that are easy to scale and create a sense of care: attention to detail, personal words, quick support, and a warm farewell at checkout. Costly gestures are not given out en masse. They are reserved for special moments — when a guest has a significant event, or when a potentially negative experience needs to be turned into trust. In those moments, it does not feel like handing out gifts — it feels like the character of the brand. And that is exactly how repeat stays are born.

When Location Is Not an Advantage: A Case Study

One of the hotels in the company’s portfolio had a challenging location: it was not easy to get to, and guests often got lost on the way. Selling the location in such a situation was practically impossible — so the team decided to sell the feeling instead. The signs of the problem were immediately apparent: some guests arrived already irritated and tired, the number of calls to reception and complaints increased, and ratings dropped. The logic is simple: when location is not an advantage, guests arrive with lower expectations and higher caution. At that point, service either breaks trust or builds it — literally within the first 15 minutes.

The team focused on three things: clear expectation management before arrival, a maximally warm welcome at check-in, and a strong positive aftertaste at checkout. The key element was trust recovery: if something went wrong, the team did not argue — they took responsibility and acted.

The result was felt not only in reviews but also in financial performance: less negativity, a better rating, more bookings. An audience was formed that returns specifically for the feeling of being cared for. And for a property with a difficult location, repeat stays are the main financial lever that stabilises occupancy and makes it possible to hold the price.

Technology and the Human Touch: Where Is the Line?

Ribas Hotels Group uses QR codes and chatbots for convenience — while keeping handwritten cards for the soul. The principle of distinction is simple: QR codes and chatbots are about convenience, handwritten cards are about relationships. It is not a choice between one or the other — it is a division of roles. When a guest wants to quickly resolve a question — how to find something, how to connect, what the hours are, how to book — they are given the shortest possible path. Because in those moments, care means minimising unnecessary steps. When an emotion appears — joy, confusion, fatigue, or disappointment — the team always takes a step toward the person. This is the space where what matters is not giving the right answer, but truly being present. Technology should free up time for care, not replace it. Technology makes service easy — people make it unforgettable.

Service Begins at the Design Stage

The service team should be brought into a project not when the building is already complete, but when changes can still be made easily. Every decision in a project either helps service or steals time, money, and energy from it on a daily basis.

The first key stage is functional zoning: the guest’s journey from entrance to room, reception, waiting areas, wayfinding, lifts, accessibility, and operational logistics — housekeeping, storage, laundry, staff routes. The second stage is the approval of engineering and fit-out: lighting, ventilation, water, electricity, soundproofing, locks and access, smart solutions, furniture and materials that can genuinely withstand daily use.

If service is only brought in at the finish line, the team ends up heroically covering for design mistakes. If it is involved from the start, a space is created where WOW service is delivered easily, systematically, and profitably.

Adapting the Hospitality Model to New Markets

When entering the markets of Bali and Poland, the company does not transfer the Ukrainian hospitality model literally. What is transferred is its core: care, attention to detail, and swift resolution of needs. The form is adapted to the expectations of investors and guests in each specific market. WOW service is perceived differently across cultures: in some places it means very warm personal contact, in others it means discretion, privacy, and clarity without unnecessary touches. The goal remains the same: for the guest to feel cared for in the form that feels natural to them. That is when service drives loyalty rather than feeling imposed.

How to Pass Values On to New Employees

Maintaining a consistently high level of service regardless of staff turnover is one of the key operational challenges. At Ribas Hotels Group, this is addressed through three components.

First, every new employee goes through training where standards are immediately aligned: how to greet, how to explain, how to decline, how to apologise, how to express gratitude.

Second, new team members are not left to navigate on their own straight away. There is a gradual onboarding process with mentor support — this allows the new employee to quickly absorb not only the processes, but also the pace and style of service.

Third, the standard is maintained on a daily basis: short team meetings for priority alignment ensure that standards do not depend solely on memory or mood.

A strong start, a smooth adaptation, and ongoing support in real working conditions — that is how service remains stable.

The Insight That Changed a Process

After checkout, guests are asked: “How did everything feel to you personally?” One of the most valuable insights received this way was not about the room or the services — but about the feeling at the final moment. Guests noted that during checkout they had to wait while someone inspected the room. This felt like a lack of trust and created unnecessary tension at a moment when they simply wanted to leave in peace. After this feedback, the process was changed: the room inspection during guest checkout was eliminated. Checkout became quick and easy, and the room condition check was moved to a post-departure stage — handled internally, without delaying the guest. It may seem like a small detail. But it strongly affects the aftertaste: the guest does not waste time and feels trusted. For the company, it is also a sign of service maturity — quality control is maintained, it simply becomes invisible to the guest.

The Guest Care Department at Ribas Hotels Group is not just a support service. It is the internal voice of the guest within the management company’s structure — one that changes processes, shapes service culture, and turns every stay into an experience worth returning to.