News for the Hospitality Executive |
Train Your Hotel Team To Use The Language Of Hospitality: Part Two
By
Doug Kennedy
May 4, 2012 This article is a follow-up to my last
article entitled:
Train
Your Team To Use The Language of Hospitality Part One As we have said, there is no doubt that
non-verbal signals
such as eye contact, body language, and facial expressions strongly
help convey
meaning during human interactions. Yet
the words we choose also impact interpersonal communications. Therefore it’s important to help your
hospitality and guest contact staff to choose their words carefully
when
interacting with guests, prospects, and even their “internal” customers
from
other departments. In the last
article
we explored numerous examples commonly used words and phrases along
with better
alternatives. Thanks to all of the
readers who submitted their additional examples of words and phrases to
focus
on: Not That: “You’ll
have to….” Say This: “May
I
suggest that you…” or “May I ask you to…” When some guests hear the words “You’ll have
to,” it brings
out the 17 year old rebel teenager in them and they draw a line in the
sand and
it can often lead to one of those “Oh no I won’t!” – “Oh yes you will!”
deadlocks. A much better response
can
be elicited when we use the phrase “May I suggest that you…” Not That: “I
can’t
believe they put you in this room!”
or “They were supposed to fix this
problem last week!” Say This: “I
apologize for the inconvenience. Let’s
see what we can do for you now.” The hotel engineering, maintenance, and
housekeeping
departments are faced with the unique challenge that the majority of
their
guest contact comes during circumstances where something has gone wrong. It is important that they express support of
other departments/divisions and avoid placing blame. A
few words of empathy and a simple and sincere
apology can go a long way in defusing emotionally intense guest
encounters and
turning things back around for the rest of their stay. Not That: “Sure.”
Say This: “You
are
most welcome!” Similar to the phrase “No problem” addressed
in the previous
article, this phrase is also used in response to a guest’s statement of
thanks. When guests make comments such
as “Wow, thank you so much for your excellence help on this,” instead
of
responding “Sure,” train your staff to simply say “You’re most welcome”
or “It
was our pleasure to assist.” Not That: “Yes?” Say This: “Hello,
welcome! How can I assist you
today?” Similar to the commonly used greeting
statement at registration
of “Checkin’ in?” addressed in the previous article, I have twice in
the last
month been greeted at the front desk with the word “Yes?” usually with
a raised
eyebrow and nod. Much better to use a
welcoming statement to greet the guest, even if they are there just to
ask a
question. Not That:
“GoodafternoonthanksforcallingBrandXHotelthisisDoug.” Say This: “Good
afternoon, thanks for calling Brand X Hotel, this is Doug?” Some frontline associates use the right
words, but they
speak so quickly and without any pauses
that the greeting sounds like someone talking with a mouth full of
marbles. Train your staff to speak at a
moderate pace and to use proper inflection, with energy.,. Not That: “Yep”
and
“Uh-huh.” Say This: “Yes,”
“Absolutely.” Encourage the staff to use proper grammar
and complete words
and to avoid common slang such as these.
Not That: “Your
credit card was declined.” Say This: “We
were
unable to get approval from your bank.
Do you have another method of payment?” When we say “Your credit card was declined”
it sounds like
we personally have chosen not to accept it.
With the second example, the responsibility is moved to
the card
provider. Not That: “All
I have
left is our X suites.” Say This:
“Fortunately we still have our suites available.” When hotels are sold out, it is typically
either the highest
rated accommodations or the least desirable, such as those with limited
views. When all you have left is all you
have left, never say it’s all you have left!
If you do, it will make what’s left sound like leftover
dinner. Instead present the remaining
options in a
positive way by saying “Fortunately what we still have open for your
dates
are…” When offering last-sell type
rooms, first let them know about any glaringly obvious negatives, then
remind
them what is good about the option such as “You’ll still have all the
same
amenities” or “You’ll still be able to enjoy the hotel activities.” Not That: “That
special rate is not available.” Say This: “That
special rate is sold-out.” When we tell a guest a rate is not
available, it makes it
sound like the rate exists, but we are not giving it to you! Better to say “That rate is sold out” and
then to ask “Are your dates flexible?
I’d be happy to help find that rate for other dates.” Not That: “We
can’t
guarantee that…” Say This: “We
can
make a note of your request.” Sometimes hotels are not able to guarantee
factors such as
view, location, or connecting rooms, although it does seem to be a
positive
trend that hotels are increasingly moving towards “confirming” these
request. Even if your operational
constraints do not allow you to guarantee such requests, it is much
better to
focus on the “can dos” in a positive way. It is hoped that you and your hotel managers
will use the
examples from this two-part series to review with your hotel team at
your own
in-house training or departmental meetings.
In doing so, ask them to brainstorm other examples of
commonly used
phrases they hear every day, along with better alternatives. Once you have exposed your hospitality team
to the concept of using the language of hospitality, the next step is
to reinforce it. Here are a few ideas:
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Contact:
Doug Kennedy
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