Written by Dawn Widener
In my previous career as Rooms Division Manager at a Quality Inn and Director of Services for a Marriott location, a central theme, for both guests and employees, was personal outreach.
Employee satisfaction is crucial in the hospitality industry, because the way that employees do their jobs affects the guest’s perception and the overall brand. Whether it’s interacting with guests or ensuring cleanliness, service is ultimately the key to success. Performance expectations remained high for even low-wage employees, so it was imperative to find ways to motivate them and keep them happy. I would spend time with my direct reports during their daily routine, sometimes making a bed or cleaning a bathroom alongside them. Big hugs, knowing about their personal lives and their families, sharing food we’ve made and employee events also helped show them they were valued, which motivated them to do their best. As a result, we were able to keep our guest satisfaction numbers up even when we were severely short staffed. Employees bring the hotel brand to life, so satisfied employees lead to satisfied guests and positive brand perceptions.
When I was front office manager of a large 1,200-room Chicago convention hotel, we used similar techniques to connect to guests and avoid a crisis. During renovations, the computer was down for days and we had to check guests in manually. We would hand out glasses of champagne and chocolates and made the lobby a festive, welcoming atmosphere while the guests had to wait. It really helped, and we had exceptionally few complaints. These personal touches helped us avert some of the negativity of a potentially disastrous guest experience.
It’s never business as usual in the hospitality industry and going out of our way to make both employees and guests feel like they are valued and important, especially during crisis, change or problems, cannot be over-emphasized.
