Some service mistakes by front desk staff are universal; some are unavoidable; some are amusing.  All can affect guest satisfaction and  your AAA or Mobil rating.  The most common and frequent service flaw is probably the failure to acknowledge a guest waiting in line.  A verbal greeting is not necessary; a simple smile works quite well to let the waiting guest know he or she is not being ignored.
 

Another common mistake is the failure to use the guest�s name during check in or check out.  In both instances, the guest name is readily available via the reservation, a credit card, the registration card, the folio,  and often on pre-arrival messages.  Despite all these

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opportunities,  I have often been checked in and out by an efficient and very courteous clerk who did everything perfectly except use my name. A small point, perhaps, but one that can significantly help to personalize the experience.  It is also one the AAA inspectors� �hot buttons�.

Service inconsistency is very common at the front desk.   My business partner and I use the �team� approach when we shop a hotel.  We time our arrivals to ensure we are served by different clerks.  It is not unusual for one of us to get near perfect service from one clerk while the other receives substandard service from another clerk.  We have even experienced this while checking in at the same time.  

Another common service flaw involves voicing a room number aloud.  Of all these service mistakes, it sometimes appears that the simpler ones, acknowledging a waiting guest and using guests� names,  are the more difficult ones to correct.  

While I have not yet found a 100% guaranteed way to correct  these common service mistakes, I have had success with a very basic approach:

1. Be sure your staff knows EXACTLY what your service standards are
2. Be sure they know these are REQUIREMENTS not OPTIONS
3. Require your management team to make on-the-spot corrections
4. Hold your managers and supervisors accountable 
5. Set the example
6. Repeat steps 1 thru 5 

• Former head of AAA Lodging/Dining Ratings Program. 
• An independent consultant serving the hospitality industry. 
• A Special Training Consultant to the Educational Institute, American Hotel/Motel Association