Listen to your guests and turn ‘no’ into ‘yes’
Have you ever stayed in a hotel or eaten in a restaurant where the staff and management have been so hell bent on the rules that it’s impossible to get what you want? I’m sure we all have. And will we ever go back there? I doubt it.
But allowing the attitude that anything goes can be damaging to your bottom line, especially if you are a small hotel. And it can be confusing for staff. So how do you strike the balance?
Over the next few days I’ll be exploring the options to show we are listening and responding to our guests needs and helping to build loyalty and trust.
Anticipate their needs
Start by identifying customers’ needs in advance. Identify your perfect customer and identify the things that will be important to each category of guest. Put yourself in their shoes or ask them directly what they want from their stay with you.
- Are they business users who need a phone re charger, restaurant or theatre bookings make, access to a printer to print their boarding pass, a quick no frills breakfast before their meeting, or an express check out?
- Do you cater for families, who may want equipment for infants and small children (and staff who look happy to see them!), child friendly menus, and something to entertain the kids?
- Do you cater for a lot of celebrations when people may want birthday cakes, flowers, or gifts? If you know there is a likelihood something will be asked for, build this into your services as a norm, that way it can be planned for and staff can be get the right training to deal with the situation.