by Osvaldo Torres Cruz and Mariana Stachuk, October
2008
Mr. Smith was a businessman who arrived at the hotel for the first time.
The next morning, he called the butler to complain about the air conditioner
that had failed to work all through the night.
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He was very upset because he had not been able to sleep well and would
have a very important meeting in his room that morning. The butler apologized
for the inconvenience and called in a technician to have it repaired right
away. He suggested the guest should have breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
As the waiter brought him the service, he found that the milk was not
hot enough and that the quality of the coffee did not live up to his expectations.
Half an hour later, he came back to the room only to find the technician,
who had just arrived and would take at least fifteen minutes to finish
the repair. He was very annoyed for all these inconveniences during his
very few hours at the hotel.
In cases such as this, we wonder: How come a succession of inconveniencies
could happen to the very same guest? This is when the famous MURPHY�S LAW
comes to our mind: �If something is going to turn out badly, it will
do�. �Things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them
a chance�.
There are some situations that could run away from the human will. Nevertheless,
by being aware of them, we can prevent them from triggering off a chain
of calamities. Once a guest has gone through a problem, it is very
useful to classify him as a Sensitive Guest (SH).
He will be more likely to expect the highest service quality given at
any certain place. Therefore, to him any little inconvenience will turn
into a huge one, which will eventually lead to him being less confident
in the service or, even worse, utterly dissatisfied with it.
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Number of Women Butlers has grown
significantly in the hotel industry.
The concept of some professions has evolved at the same
pace as the world has. This is the case of the traditional butler,
who was historically pictured as a tailcoated, white-gloved man always
submissive to the master�s needs. These days, however, the Modern Butler
and his role in the hotel industry are pretty much different.
The Modern Butler is more focused on service management
itself. Firstly, he is the one who searches for the guest information prior
to their arrival in order to be one step ahead of their needs, and secondly,
he takes care of their stay and does the follow-up after their departure.
All these duties can be indistinctively performed by either a man or a
woman butler. Consequently, gender alone does not seem to make a difference
at all. Actually, it is the combination of both gender and every one�s
individual capacity that enriches the position.
Recently, the number of Women Butlers has grown significantly
in the hotel industry. This is funny because there are certain personality
traits typical of a gender that seem naturally well-suited for the position.
A woman�s first natural ability is that of protecting the human being,
which helps to concentrate her position on the service itself.
Being feminine (shown by a woman�s sensitivity, perceptiveness
and emotionality) can be seen in her everyday duties, which are characterized
by �feminine delicacy� or a �feminine touch�. The female brain has
a more detailed perception because it is capable of dissociating words
from ambiance. That is why women can be more sympathetic, understanding.
This ability, plus the feminine charm can help them to cope with difficult
male guests. Culturally speaking, whereas it makes no difference
to some guests (regardless of their religion) to be assisted by either
a woman or a man butler, others do wish only a butler of the same sex to
take care of their luggage and personal agenda.
In conclusion, the notion of the Modern Butler is no longer
necessarily linked to a man. Nowadays, Guest Satisfaction is the
number-one priority. Therefore, the proper butler�s skills and the combination
of gender are necessary to achieve the objective. |
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By the moment a guest CLAIMS OR COMPLAINS, an alert system should be activated
immediately. This consists of informing all the guest contact departments
so as to pay special attention to the service given, avoiding future objections
and annulling the fateful Law of Murphy.
Constant Information is the key to (or�instrumental in) the services
control process. The BUTLER plays the main role in the distribution of
this information. All the departments should be strongly communicated to
deal successfully with the SH. The Butler must control all the services
in order to neutralize (the possibly negative) first impression, being
also responsible for monitoring the degree of guest satisfaction.
For example, a complaint can be made because the room was not cleaned
in due time). The BUTLER should bear in mind the remainder days of his
stay, check that the room is cleaned by the time required, etc.
Not only this, but he should also supervise all the other services such
as laundry orders and room service, which must be carried out with the
required quality.
By establishing the guest profile prior to his arrival, the Butler will
be able to be ahead of the guest�s wishes. |