What is a 5 star experience like? Is it just about the facilities offered by the hotel to fulfill 5 star hotel criteria or is it the actual experience? Personally I feel a 5 star experience is dependent upon the service of the hotel. Definitely, the facilities do make an impact but it’s also about what the hotel does with the services that they have.
Nowadays it is quite possible for small and mid-sized hotels to offer a premium experience with the facilities that their property includes. They need to ensure that certain lengths have been taken to make sure their guests have a memorable stay and feel that they have been treated like royalty.
Here are some measures a small or mid-sized hotel can take to reach the 5 star levels:
Training of the staff
It is imperative that the staff of the hotel is trained regularly. This should include all the staff, from the back of house service providers, to the housekeeping, front office, engineering, F&B service and operations, to the front desk. No department should be left out. The staff should be trained to be courteous, forthcoming, warm and should be highly aware of the hotel as well as their specific departments. (Read: How To Train Your Staff To Attend To Guests?)
Service should be personalized
Nothing makes a guest feel more welcome then being greeted by their name, more so if they are a repeat customer. This makes the guest feel more special and preferred. The front desk and the F&B service members should also try and keep track of the guests’ preferences and aversions, it’s just about going the extra mile.
Implementation of a good PMS
A good hotel pms helps a hotel manage all their departments extremely easily and efficiently. It can help organize the front desk, housekeeping, points of sales, track VIP and regular guests, and update preferences of repeat guests. An efficient PMS ensures that the personnel of the hotel, especially, the front desk are able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously thus leaving more time to focus and interact with their guests. It also leaves no room for error with regard to multi-bookings, over bookings etc.
Maintaining facilities
A 5 star property may have the best of facilities but if they are not maintained well, then it just doesn’t matter. The same works the other way too, a smaller property may have limited facilities, but if they are maintained well and complemented with great service then it would be as lavish as a 5 star property. Hotels should give great importance to the finer details, it could be in the cleanliness of the linen in the room, regular painting of all areas, or spotless glasses in the restaurant. (Read: 10 Complimentary Things Your Hotel Can Offer)
Location of the hotel
If the hotel is located in the central area of their respective city then it’s an added bonus. People enjoy staying in an area which has easy accessibility to transport, dining and recreational options. It just adds to the value of the hotel.
A luxurious stay is possible in many hotels, not just the “5 star” properties, it’s just about hotels going the extra mile in ensuring that the smaller details are taken care of, and the guest is attended to in a personal manner. Many tools are available to ensure that all these happen in an extremely seamless manner.