site is easy to use and that the process required to make a reservation is understandable and
fast (fewest possible keystrokes).
Adapted from Online Customer Respect Survey Studies. How hotel companies treat their customers
online. Hotel Online Special Report. Retrieved April 2, 2004, from http://www.hotel-online.com/
News/PR2004_2nd/Apr04_OnlineRespect.html.
FRONT OFFICE AND THE GUESTS: PLANNING FOR QUALITY SERVICE
Determining Guests’ Service Expectations
What do guests want and what do they need? Some
FOMs and other managers ask
questions as they interact with guests: “What did you like about your visit?” “What
would have made your visit more enjoyable?” Hard-copy questionnaires (comment
cards) are sometimes provided to guests when they register as part of a packet of
information. Questionnaires also may be placed in guestrooms or other locations and
may be available at the front desk.
Common systems invite guests to complete the form and leave it at the front
desk or in the guestroom at the time of departure. Some comment cards are designed
to be mailed to a corporate office. Increasingly, lodging
properties of all sizes are
implementing electronic surveys on the hotel’s guestroom television channel or con-
tacting willing guests by e-mail to collect information about guest preferences. In
some properties, senior managers (including those with front office responsibilities)
routinely talk with guests as they check out to learn more about what they liked and
what they would have wanted during their visit. (A nice touch: In smaller properties,
the manager may help guests with their luggage as they depart.)
Ongoing input from guests is necessary to assess whether
processes that deliver
service need to be revised or redesigned. Hoteliers require such information to iden-
tify which and how guest service systems can be improved.
Many hoteliers recognize that it is far better to become aware of guest problems
at the time they occur, so that they can be corrected quickly in a way that is least trou-
blesome to guests. In doing so, staff members implement
their service pledge to help
guests. At the same time, their service attitude may contribute toward repeat business
for the property and within the brand. Many managers perceive guest-reported “prob-
lems” as opportunities to initiate or improve a long-term relationship with the guest.
Obviously, guest-related problems cannot be resolved until they are identified.
For several reasons, guests may
not alert the FOM and other hotel managers to a
problem they are experiencing:
•
The problem occurred immediately before or at the time of check-out. No
problems occurred during the guest stay.
•
The guest did not believe the problem could be resolved.
•
The guest did not want to wait for the problem to be resolved.
•
The guest did not want to repack and move to another guestroom.
•
The guest may have thought that the problem was integral to the hotel. (For
example, hotel policy regarding check-in time was much later than the guest’s
arrival time.)
•
The problem was judged to be minor.
•
The guest did not want to be considered a troublemaker.
•
The guest considered the problem to be justification
to try another hotel in the
future.
95
•
The guest did report the problem (e.g., on a guest comment card left in a
guestroom), but the problem was not brought to the attention of hotel staff on
a timely basis (while the guest was still registered at the hotel).
•
The guest did report the problem to a hotel staff member who did not take
responsibility for it and did not bring it to the attention of the appropriate
manager.
Some hoteliers take proactive actions to ensure that their guest’s stay is satisfactory:
•
A front desk agent may call the guestroom some time (e.g., a half hour) after
check-in to ensure that the room condition is acceptable
and that no guest-
related supplies are needed.
•
A front desk agent may contact a guest on the first or second day of a longer stay.
•
Front desk and other hotel staff can be encouraged to communicate with guests
as they encounter them in the lobby or throughout the property.
•
A card titled “For Immediate Attention Please” can be left in the guestroom, so
that the room attendant can pick it up during the daily room-cleaning process.
•
A toll-free telephone number can be made available for immediate guest concerns.
•
A staff member with dedicated responsibility for guest contact may phone the
guestroom and talk with the guest or leave a message related to correcting any
problems the guest may be experiencing.
Managers have another way to collect information about guests: They can ask their
employees. It is ironic but true that many times line-level
employees know more about
the likes and dislikes of guests than do their department heads or supervisors. Consider,
for example, guests complaining about long registration lines when they check in; they
routinely note their frustration to front office staff. If you want to know what guests
desire and what they dislike, ask the employees who provide the products and services
to them.
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