Service Strategies
Featured: BWI Challenges ‘Indifference’ - February 2008
Now that most hoteliers can advertise their “heavenly” beds, ultra-hip lounges and state-of-the-art gadgetry, perhaps the time has come to focus on the soft goods. As all business activities tend to be cyclical, the moment has arrived for the hotel industry to go through its next servicefocused cycle. With a U.S. News and World Report survey finding 68% of customers leave a brand due to an attitude of indifference, Best Western International (BWI), Phoenix, Arizona, is one of many hotel companies recognizing the need to make service and customer care a stronger part of its culture.
Not So Unorthodox After All - December 2007
Greatness is not easily achieved, nor does it come without paying a price. Severino Gomez has worked in hotels for 30 years in 14 countries, and all too often, he says, he saw management styles and operating techniques that didn’t work and, therefore, disappointing results. So when he came to run the 56-suite Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for Auberge Resorts, he did so with the understanding he could do things his way, which by most standards would be considered unorthodox.
THEO Listens At The Breakers - October 2007
The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, has spent US$250 million over the past 15 years on continued renewal. President and Chief Operating Officer Paul Leone will spend another US$50 million on guestrooms over the next five years as well as US$20 million on staff facilities as employee fulfillment is among the top priorities and strategies for guest satisfaction and profitability.
Left Of Center Service - August 2007
Let’s call David Norman a little bit left of center. The general manager of the Embassy Suites Nashville Airport in Tennessee regularly will read Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You Will Go” to staff at morning team meetings because it has a great message about how to approach each day. He also likes to read passages from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
Theater Sets Stage For Domina Staff - March 2007
The executive team at Domina Hotel Group, Milan, likens the interaction between staff and guests at each of their hotels to a stage performance. So, what better way to train them in customer service than to actually produce a theatrical experience, role playing potential service scenarios?
Choice’s New ‘Care Agent’ Tries To Raise Bar On Service - January 2007
When Choice Hotels International hired Mark Weiner last June to fill the newly created position of vice president, customer care, he immediately set out to explain to franchisees the connection between guest satisfaction and economic reward. His research very clearly stated there is a double-digit premium in RevPAR performance for hotels with higher customer satisfaction scores. This evidence made it much easier for Weiner to drive Choice’s service initiative called “Be Our Best,” a multiyear certification program that embraces the basics of hotelkeeping and focuses on service delivery fundamentals before, during and after the guest stay.
Halekulani About Staff, Not Stuff - November 2006
To enhance the famed Halekulani’s service culture, Chief Operating Officer Peter Shaindlin realized when he was hired three-plus years ago that the staff would benefit if they understood what he calls the “architecture of service” at this Honolulu hotel. They defined it with two words: soul and culture. While this might sound cliché, the Halekulani team continually focuses on this mantra and management backs it up with the necessary investment because, if their service strategy was merely treated as lip service, eventually the bottom line would suffer.
Values Evolve at the Ritz-Carlton - September 2006
A report released in June by PricewaterhouseCoopers about the new consumer-driven era of “lifestyle media” talks about the growing demand for content packaged in a rich, personalized and social environment. Heady stuff for hoteliers, but it is important to recognize convergence is finally upon us with travelers working their way through airports, hotels and business meetings armed with smart phones, PDAs and tablet computers. Like it or not, now it is up to hotel companies—even luxury players—to extend their levels of service beyond the traditional high-touch approach and react with products and services geared toward their increasingly technology-savvy guests.
Virtues Of Virtual Concierge - July 2006
A report released in June by PricewaterhouseCoopers about the new consumer-driven era of “lifestyle media” talks about the growing demand for content packaged in a rich, personalized and social environment. Heady stuff for hoteliers, but it is important to recognize convergence is finally upon us with travelers working their way through airports, hotels and business meetings armed with smart phones, PDAs and tablet computers. Like it or not, now it is up to hotel companies—even luxury players—to extend their levels of service beyond the traditional high-touch approach and react with products and services geared toward their increasingly technology-savvy guests.
Use, Honor Your Best Resources - May 2006
A report released in June by PricewaterhouseCoopers about the new consumer-driven era of “lifestyle media” talks about the growing demand for content packaged in a rich, personalized and social environment. Heady stuff for hoteliers, but it is important to recognize convergence is finally upon us with travelers working their way through airports, hotels and business meetings armed with smart phones, PDAs and tablet computers. Like it or not, now it is up to hotel companies—even luxury players—to extend their levels of service beyond the traditional high-touch approach and react with products and services geared toward their increasingly technology-savvy guests.
“Service Strategies” is sponsored by MasterCard International Incorporated, who understands exceptional service makes the difference between finding a customer and keeping a customer.