Hospitality Careers: Keeping Guests Happy

If you are good with people and like helping them, you may have a great career ahead of you in the hospitality industry. Keeping guests happy is a full-time job and often a challenging one. At the heart of every satisfied customer, however, is a series of positive interactions.

The Customer is Always Right – Even When He’s Not!

This is something you hear a lot in the hospitality industry and it is a good rule of thumb. Wherever you work within the Hospitality Industry, everyone involved should be encouraged to improve a guest’s experience. It should be a top priority of every employee who comes in contact with hotel guests.

Personalizing Your Guest’s Experience

Experience begins with the booking process. Customizing online forms or telephone reservations is a great way to start on the right foot with guests. Small touches go a long way to making guests feel special and looked after. They will remember and they will return. A well-designed, easy to navigate, informative website also helps.

A Key to Great Customer Service is the Right Training

Proper staff training makes sure that every staff member knows what is expected of them. They know how to handle complaints or disputes and effectively problem solve even if that means finding someone else to handle the situation. They know when to take the initiative and when to handoff.

The right attitude coupled with the right training is needed to succeed in customer service. Everyone who comes in contact with guests is in customer service, even if all they say is, “I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find someone who does.” All staff members should be comfortable with how to deal with complaints.

Respond to Customer Feedback

In today’s world, most people check online reviews before booking a hotel or restaurant. It is important to acknowledge good reviews and to respond immediately to negative ones. Acknowledging a mistake and respecting a guest’s opinion shows that you are ready and willing to go the distance to meet your customers’ needs.

The hospitality industry is all about keeping people happy and coming back. Keeping people happy is all about listening to what they are telling you and addressing any issues that they have.

If you are responsible for keeping guests happy, start by making sure that your staff is happy. A motivated staff goes above and beyond to keep guests happy and coming back again and again. In part, keeping your guests happy is a natural consequence of keeping your employees happy.