Hello Hoteliers: How long can you stare at your guests?

There won’t be too much explanation of the context here because - sure enough - you’re familiar with it. But thanks to all the hype that “the incident” received, I got pulled into a train of thought that seemed as valid as it was amusing. It got me thinking, completely unrelated to the context of the original statement,

We’ve all heard variations of these comments far more frequently than we’d like. 

Let’s be honest and take a real close look at how certain aspects of the global hospitality industry still force frontline workers and others to shrug in helplessness and just stare at the guests...

Here are a few everyday operational instances that could trigger such an episode:

• Check-in/ Check-out delays/ confusions
• Miscommunications or lack of communication
• Not prioritizing guest delight and personalization
• Heavy dependency on manual operations
• Inefficiency in leveraging guest data

While I’m afraid the list may include many more instances, let’s go with these for now and see how we can tackle these gaps in the system so we can leave our guests so happy with our services that they are the ones staring at our team members in awe and disbelief!

Read Also - How to Attract and Retain Hotel Guests : Hotel Success Tips

Check-in/ Check-Out Process

In the age of automation, it is absolutely unacceptable if you’re still depending on traditional ways of checking guests in and out. Hotel guests, regardless of the type of audience you attract, expect a certain ease and convenience that legacy systems simply do not provide.

You are then left with disgruntled guests and helpless front desk staff who, despite their best efforts, can’t seem to deliver the check-in (and out) experience that guests deserve!

And it begins – the classic staring contest between the two.

This is all the more ridiculous because the solution is so simple and even more accessible today. Invest in a hotel management system that empowers your employees to get the job done in seconds - freeing up time for your staff, elevating guest satisfaction, and leaving everyone happy to be associated with your brand.

Miscommunications or Lack of Communication

You see, for a human-centric industry like hospitality, we still have a long way to go when it comes to effective guest communications. This is as true for broader brand-level communications as it is for the more specific booking-level ones.

How often do we see guests shocked to find out that they’ve been victims of the notorious “overbooking” issue, your hotel’s facilities are under maintenance, or even that their room doesn’t come equipped with certain amenities they will have to pay for?

And then the invariable stare-off happens…

Guests, shocked that they were not informed about any of this earlier, and front desk staff stuck in a situation that could have been avoided so easily!

To build a healthy relationship with guests that can outlast any minor hiccups, transparency is the key. And this needs to be made part of the company culture, to really have an impact. Informing guests about any potential hurdle that could hinder the perfect guest experience will only boost credibility. So, instead of blindsiding guests and fueling a wild staring contest, encourage proactive communication with guests so they can manage their expectations accordingly.

Not Prioritizing Guest Delight and Personalization

Customer delight, as a concept, has been around in mainstream business jargon for about a decade now. And yet, it hasn’t seen the kind of adoption it deserves. Over the years, innumerable studies have demonstrated the impact of investing in customer satisfaction and delight. Especially in hospitality, where the very nature of the business paves the way for so many opportunities to do just that!

Hotels still struggle to deliver a delightful experience, and a lack of data literacy plays a huge role in this. With access to even basic guest details like date of birth or reason for visit, front desk staff have the chance to improve guest satisfaction. And being creative is only going to make these efforts more successful!

Think of surprising guests on their birthdays with special discount coupons. Perhaps throw in a free spa treatment for the couple that is celebrating a milestone event at your property. Or even something as basic but meaningful as a room upgrade for a family traveling with an infant. The possibilities to delight guests are endless, as are the opportunities.

So, don’t wait for guests to come up and request a certain personalized experience and then realize that it may not be possible. This will be awkward for both parties – aka – empty stares! Instead, prioritize guest delight from the get-go, and you’ll be surprised at how little things can go a long way in redefining your guest experience.

Heavy Dependency on Manual Operations

If there were three words to sum up the ideal hotel operations strategy – Automate. Automate. Automate. There is really no reason to depend solely on manual operations today, with technology playing such an integral role in so much of our day-to-day lives.

Why burden hotel staff with tasks that are repetitive, mundane and most of all, demanding, when you can streamline all of it with automation! No more scope for error, no more overworked staff, no more missing deadlines, and most importantly, no more guests feeling like they need to wait for hours, staring into the receptionist’s soul, before any request is fulfilled!

Hotels with automated systems also work more efficiently, which helps the staff focus on more crucial tasks that automation cannot handle – at least not yet! They can dedicate quality time to proactively build meaningful guest experiences and delivering delight.

Why Does Any of This Matter?

Simply put, an empowered staff is the foundation for business longevity and repeat guests. Any time you find a guest and a frontline staff engaging in a stare-off, you best believe that it could have been avoided had the staff member been provided with the right support technologically, and otherwise.

Read Also - Hotel Management Software: Features You Need to Succeed

And if you are of the belief that tech solutions only belong in larger, bigger hotels, you couldn’t be more mistaken. In an age where every child is familiar with the ins and outs of mobile technology, hotel guests definitely expect, at the very least, more than a register and manual entries!

Give your staff and your hotel brand the opportunity to build better guest relations with technology, and you will see that the only way you will ever engage in any kind of staring is when you’ll be left awe-struck at how efficiently things run thereafter!