physical aspects of the hotel must function well to ensure the guest receives the whole product
At some point, one or both of these parts may
break down
Resolving a conflict to a guests satisfaction can
turn around an unhappy guest and make him/her a satisfied guest
The resolution is best accomplished by adhering
to the visual and verbal rules of guest service It is assumed that if the employee is fully trained, the following rules should be followed to meet or exceed a guests expectations Listen first Summarize Make no excuses Resolve the problem Document the conflict
Training, experience, personality and other things
contribute to an individual employees ability to satisfy a guest Hotel management must support that effort One way management supports an employees ability to satisfy a guest is by integrating empowerment in all duties Empowerment is defined as the ability and authority to satisfy guest complaints/requests within preset parameters
Employees learn to implement empowerment
techniques in how they communicate and that certain phrases and words should be avoided
There are other ways of communicating the same
message (see next slide)
Phrases to Avoid
Phrases to Use Instead
I dont know.
That is a good question, let me find
out for you.
We cant do that.
Well, I havent encountered this
before, let me research it and find a resolution that you are happy with.
You have to. or This is hotel
policy
Next time, here is how you can
avoid this situation. or I think the best way to handle this would be
No.
We are not able to reduce your rate
but I am able to upgrade your room
Thats not my job.
The person who handles that is
(name). Please let me get him/her.
The diversity of guests makes it vital that all hotel
employees appreciate the differences in people Most reputable hotels will put their employees through diversity training, which teaches employees that they mast understand and appreciate the differences in people Helping the employees overcome stereotypes such as racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and others helps to create a comfortable environment
A hotel by nature is a home away from home to
international guests Using good customer service skills helps to put these visitors at ease Hotels should share a list of all multilingual staff with front office managers Where appropriate, extra collateral should be provided in the guests native tongue Verbal communication will be difficult and nonverbal communication can be difficult due to cultural differences
Managers should become involved in guest
complaints only after an empowered desk agents attempted to resolve the issue first A manager who involves themselves before the guest agent has a chance to resolve an issue defeats the purpose behind empowerment Some guests may simply prefer to address to a manager Managers must lead by example by showing that complaints are not a burden, but an opportunity to improve service
All complaints should be investigated, evaluated,
and responded to
If the Front Office Manager is unable to resolve
the situation, it should be passed along to a more senior manager