Hotel & Motel Management - November 5, 2007 - (Page 20)

20 Training Trends IN THE details Crucial to address issues Employees need tools Train and prepare staff Thank guest for input By Julie Metelski H&MM Columnist H&MM November 5, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Handle problems swiftly to minimize damage hings can go wrong at times, even in the bestrun hotels. Wake-up calls are forgotten, rooms aren’t cleaned properly or the property may be overbooked. Try as we may to provide a great experience, mistakes happen sometimes, and guests are unhappy. Resolving service issues is a great concern for hoteliers. Tra- T ditional ways, such as comping the bill or offering a discount on a future stay, actually do little to soothe disappointment and repair the hotel’s image. It’s far better to train staff to recognize and address issues promptly, giving the guest beneﬁts from the hotel’s brand loyalty program as a goodwill gesture. It rewards guests for bringing service prob- lems to your attention and puts the relationship back on track. Typically, hoteliers react to unhappy guests by offering a discount on a repeat stay. In many cases, guests have no desire to ever come back, even if the stay is discounted or free. It’s often impossible to undo the past. If the hotel misses a wakeup call and a guest oversleeps, ©2007 Hilton Hospitality, Inc. 36USC220506. Minnesota UFOC Registration No. F-1059. Real estate. Real hospitality. We invite you to invest in both. We’re still waiting for hospitality to be offered on the NYSE. But it’s only a matter of time. In the meantime, know that when you invest in the Hilton Family of Hotels, you’re investing in more than a property. You’re investing in a philosophy, a ® promise to be hospitable. When you invest in one of our brands, you’re backed by more than a powerful network of support, you’re backed by a family. So no matter which brand you choose to develop, the Hilton Family will be there for you. For franchise opportunities, visit hiltonfranchise.com or call 1-800-286-0645. In addition to franchising, we also offer Hilton Management Services, providing strength in numbers and a family tied to performance. For inquiries, please visit hiltonmanagementservices.com. it doesn’t matter if the room is free—the job interview is still blown. In any event, a refund means little to a corporate employee traveling on an expense account. If the problem involves a special event like a wedding party or a reunion, no amount of money can make it right. It’s better to shift the focus forward by giving the guest frequency points, airline miles or stored value on a hotel reward card for future business or personal use. We’ve used this strategy successfully at Best Western International. We believe every person in every hotel must be trained to understand what is appropriate in each circumstance and then be given the power to do what is necessary on the spot. After resolving the problem, if possible, the associate should thank the guest for taking the trouble to tell the hotel about it. Often, guests do not inform the hotel, but they tell everyone else they know. When it comes to rewarding the guest, there are degrees of compensation. If breakfast was bad, perhaps you can present a travel card with some value on it to use in one of your restaurants. If it’s a serious problem, a guest might get a Gold Crown Club International card, our frequent-stay card, with enough points for a free night anywhere in the system. Statistics tell us that if you take care of a person’s problem on the spot, he or she will give you another chance most of the time. But if there’s a delay, you might never see the guest again. Thus, it’s crucial to address these issues before the guest leaves the hotel. Training your associates so that they possess the essential skills, and providing them with the necessary tools will equip them with the conﬁdence to step in and be involved with any situation that presents itself. hmm@questex.com Julie Metelski is a hospitality management trainer for Best Western International. She is based in Phoenix and is a member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers. CIRCLE NO. 126 http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.hiltonfranchise.com http://www.hiltonmanagementservices.com http://www.hiltonmanagementservices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - November 5, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - November 5, 2007 Contents M&A Pace Slowing After Early Boom LodgeWorks Jumps Into Upscale Game Accor Reorganizes Leadership, Structure Perspective At Your Risk Travel Trends Sales Clinic On Finance Family Business Matters Cornell Insights Franchise Law Training Trends Satisfaction Trends Management Trends Events Guest Column Trends & Stats GM Survey Historic Property Conversions Offer Appeal for All Extended-Stay Brands Survey Green is the Word at IH/M&R Show Transactions Restaurant POS Handhelds Keep Managers Alerted Rising Costs Confront Midwest Builders Business Travelers: Breakfast Still an Important Perk IH/M&RS Product Preview Vacation Ownership Projects to Grow in U.S., Abroad Awards Training Programs Jump to Front Lines Refrigeration: Before You Break It, Fix It Lighting Enhances Property People Supplier News Best Western Aims High with Atria Vantage Makes Global Plans Sierra Moves Forward with New Name, High Expectations Maintenance Doctor Social Marketing Makes Way into Hotel Industry People Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - November 5, 2007

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