by Doug Kennedy
February, 22, 2010
When we as hotel managers picture hospitality superstars, we tend to
envision the �traditional� ambassadors of hotel guest service excellence,
which are the smiling faces behind the front desk, bell stand, guest services/concierge,
housekeeping lobby attendants, or perhaps the waitstaff and bartenders.
Yet when you stop to consider which hotel associates actually spend the
longest period of time interacting with in-house gusts, it becomes evident
that the associates from the departments we call maintenance or engineering
actually have by far the most lengthy interactions. On top of this,
their interactions are arguably of the most significant importance.
Why? When the maintenance staff is called into action it is almost always
due to a problem with the guest�s accommodation. More often than
not they knock on the door to find a guest who is at best annoyed with
the interruption, or worse, a guest who is already emotionally charged.
Ironically, due to �user error,� often the very person who is solely
responsible for the problem which caused the call to maintenance, is also
the very person answering the knock at the door from the responding maintenance
technician.
In conducting hotel-wide hospitality training over the years, and in
my own personal travels for business and leisure, I have had a chance to
meet numerous guest service superstars from this department who have impressed
me with their commitment to excellence.
In this month�s column I will share with you some of the lessons I�ve
learned from workshop participants and also other lessons I�ve learned
as a guest in need.
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Show up quickly! If there are delays in responding, contact
the guest to let them know when you can reach them.
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Greet the guest and introduce yourself. Rather than saying,
�Hi, air conditioning broken?� say �Hello I�m John from maintenance.
I�m sorry to hear you�ve had a challenge with the A/C and I�m here to fix
that for you.�
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Listen interactively. When encountering guests who are reacting
emotionally, it is important to give them a chance to vent their frustration
by allowing them to tell their �story� of the problem and how it has inconvenienced
them.
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Empathize and apologize. As evidenced by reading online guest
reviews and guest comment cards/surveys, guests seem to get more upset
about the staff�s reaction to the problem, rather than the problem itself.
How many times have you read a guest comment such as: �What went
wrong during our stay was�. But what really was upsetting was that
no one seemed to care and no one apologized.�
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For properties with specific guest parking spaces outside of each accommodation,
take note of the state listed on the guest�s license plates.
This gives you a great chance to express interest in their home state or
perhaps comment on recent sports teams from that state. (Just be
sure not to talk about politics, even if you agree with the messages on
their bumper stickers!)
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Always avoid blaming other staff, departments, or managers.
Statements such as �They put you in this room?� or �We�ve had so many problems
with these new TV�s they just installed� only serve to infuriate guests
that much more.
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Interact positively with the children. Most are curious as
to what the maintenance technician is up to and will want to watch attentively
when safety allows.
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Take ownership of the �physical product.� Maintenance and
engineering staff are also out and about the hotel more than most other
staff. This creates a great opportunity to help pick-up trash, straighten
picture frames, and putting out wet floor signs when spills are noticed.
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Anticipate guest needs. I was recently staying at a vacation
rental home during the off season. The water was still off for the
season when I checked-in. When maintenance arrived shortly after
my call, the technician quickly fixed the water. He also then offered
to check other features that might have been off for the season, such as
the temperature of the refrigerator, the gas line hook-up to the outdoor
grill, and to turn on the Jacuzzi.
Go above and beyond when possible. Recently I was staying at a resort
for my daughter�s sleepover birthday where I was alone the first night
with 5 kids. After paying $10 for AA batteries for her new toy, I
realized I also needed a screwdriver. Right away a maintenance tech
came to our room with the tool. It was then I discovered that I actually
needed AAA batteries and had bought the wrong size. Rather than making
me run back to the gift shop, (about ½ mile away, not to mention
another $10) he went back to the office and returned shortly with the correct
size batteries and we simply exchanged them.
Of course, one external key to their success is the person who fields
the maintenance service requests. It is important for them to ask
the right questions to �triage� the guest�s problem or concern. Often
times by asking the right questions when the call comes in a maintenance
call can be avoided.
In today�s world, a hotel�s level of guest service and hospitality is
increasingly transparent to current and potential guests, due to the astonishing
number of online guest reviews and social network postings being made and
read every day. In planning your next round of hospitality training,
be sure to consider the important contribution the maintenance or engineering
department technicians can. With a little focus on hospitality,
your future guests will be writing messages like�. �What went wrong was
this� but we were amazed that a short time later Chris showed up to turn
things around for us!�
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Doug Kennedy, President of
the Kennedy Training Network, has been a fixture on the hospitality and
tourism industry conference circuit since 1989, having presented over 1,000
conference keynote sessions, educational break-out seminars, or customized,
on-premise training workshops for diverse audiences representing every
segment of the lodging industry. Ee-mail Doug at: [email protected] |
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