Our analyst was first sent to visit the Holiday Inn.  The analyst had never visited this Holiday Inn before.  He arrived at the airport and called the hotel to request a shuttle to pick him up.  The GSA who took the call verified the analyst’s name and checked the reservation before sending over the driver.  The hotel was only a few minutes from the airport so they analyst arrived a the hotel pretty quickly.  As soon as the analyst walked into the lobby, the GSA greeted him with ‘welcome to the Holiday Inn, Mr. Smith’.  Obviously, the GSA was really prepared.  He logged the analyst’s name when he requested the shuttle so he knew to use it when he saw the shuttle drop off the analyst.  Even though the analyst had never been to that hotel before, that initial 10 seconds really made the analyst feel like he was returning home.  The GSA then conducted the check in as he normal does by thanking the analyst for being a Priority Club member, telling the analyst about the hotel amenities, and then directing the analyst how to get to his room. 

A few days later, our analyst was sent to the Ritz-Carlton.  This was the first time the analyst visited this Ritz-Carlton.  The analyst arrived at the hotel by car and pulled into valet parking.  The analyst was immediately greeted by a valet attendant and welcomed to the hotel.  The valet attendant asked the analyst if he was checking in and then asked him for his name.  He wrote the analyst’s name on the valet ticket and had the bellman load up the luggage onto a bell cart.  The valet attendant then told the analyst that he could enter the lobby to register and the luggage would be delivered and the car would be parked.  As soon as the analyst entered the hotel, a GSA greeted him with ‘good afternoon, Mr. Smith’.  The GSA was wearing an earpiece and was told by the valet attendant that Mr. Smith would be entering the lobby.  Just like at the Holiday Inn, it is a truly amazing feeling to be welcomed to a hotel by name.  It made the analyst feel like a celebrity.  The Ritz-Carlton also repeated the experience at check out.  The analyst called down to ask for a bellman to check out.  When the analyst arrived at the lobby with the bellman, the GSA who never met the analyst before immediately greeted him by name.  He was also tipped off by the radio so he knew that when a guest came down with the bellman that it was Mr. Smith. 

How often does this type of service happen?  Almost never.  But I can promise you that if your hotel can achieve this level of service with your guests, you will have more repeat guests than you can imagine.

The solution is communication…  communication between associates and to the guest.  Here is how the ultimate arrival experience takes place:

A guest pulls up to the hotel and is immediately greeted by the valet attendant.The valet attendant welcomes the guest to the hotel and offers luggage assistance.  The valet attendant does the normal tasks such as filling out a luggage ticket and asking the guest his/her name.  The valet attendant loads up all of the luggage onto a bell cart and escorts the guest to the front entrance of the hotel.  The valet attendant is then ready to hand off the guest to the waiting bellman.

Here is where the first important communication is required.  The valet attendant should introduce the guest to the bellman and the bellman to the guest by saying something like “Mr. Smith, this is John.  He is going to assist you with the check in and then escort you up to your room”.  We also recommend that the valet attendant discretely hands the bellman a small card with the guest’s name on it.  Hopefully, the valet attendant got the guest name when the guest first pulled up.

Now the bellman can escort the guest to the front desk to check in.  Again, here is where communication is key.  The bellman should introduce the guest to the GSA and the GSA to the guest by saying something like “Hello Lisa, this is Mr. Smith.  He has a reservation for this evening.”  Again, the bellman can refer to the card the valet attendant gave him if the name is difficult.  Lisa can then handle the check in while the bellman waits off to the side.  Once the guest is checked in, the bellman is ready to escort the guest to the room.  The bellman can escort the guest to the room, tell the guest about the hotel’s amenities, and thank him/her for staying at the hotel. 

Among the highlights of the ultimate arrival experience:

• The valet attendant, the bellman, and the GSA all used the guest’s name twice for a total of six times before the guest even gets to the room.  The guest will immediately feel expected, respected and like a VIP.
• The guest only had to tell one associate his/her name.  This will truly make the guest feel valued as a repeat guest.
• The guest will actually be introduced to the associates and see how they are working together to take care of him/her.  The guest will automatically know that if anything else is needed, he/she already met two or three associates that will take care of his/her needs immediately.

Now, compare that arrival experience to what our mystery shoppers experience most of the time.  The guest arrives at the hotel and is greeted by the valet attendant.  The valet attendant asks the guest for his/her name but does not use it.  The valet attendant calls the bellman to bring a bell cart.  The guest waits for the bellman.  The valet attendant does not introduce the bellman to the guest or tell the bellman the guest’s name.  The guest goes on his own to check in completely unsure of what is happening with his luggage.  The guest has to introduce himself again to the GSA.  The GSA checks him in and tells him how to get to the room.  The guest waits for the bellman to show up with the luggage and escort him to the room.

The way that most hotels operate valet parking and bell services, it is more of a hassle than a benefit.  It takes longer and is frustrating to have to keep explaining what you need to three different associates who do not communicate.  With this ultimate arrival experience, your arrival scores will soar.

Don’t forget; stay flexible to account for different business levels.  Here are a few more tips:

• If your hotel does not outsource valet parking, consider having the valet attendant handle the bell services as well.  Then a guest only has to work with one associate. 
• Make sure all three departments are also sharing information such as arrival lists and VIP lists.  It sounds like a no brainer but often the valet or bell team are completely out of the loop. 
• Find a solution for how the tips are handled.  Often tips get in the way of providing good service.  Valet attendants don’t want to do much work upon arrival because they will not get a tip.  Upon departure, bellman and valet attendants both hang around waiting for a tip.  It is very tacky.
• Avoid any duplication of duties.  If a bellman is escorting a guest to a room, the GSA should not mention the amenities at check in or tell the guest how to get to the room.  The bellman will have plenty of time during the elevator ride and walk down the hallway to explain everything.
• If you really want to go all out, have a PMS terminal for the bellman to use and allow them to check in their guest and completely skip the front desk all together.  Now that is the ultimate arrival experience!

During our one night Service Experience Audit, there are over 15 different areas where we score the use of the guest’s name.  Every associate from the bellman to the breakfast server is expected to use the guest’s name.  Here are some tips to help you and your team use the guest’s name more often:

Does the guest have a name that you cannot pronounce and you are afraid to butcher?  Don’t worry.  Anyone who grew up with a name with 12 letters and no vowels has heard every possible attempt.  They will not be offended by yours.

Is the name on the room a male’s name but a female answers when you call?  Don’t assume that it is the wife.  Do a better job during the reservations and check in process to get the names of all of the guests in the room.  If you are still unsure, say ‘I’ll send 2 towels up to the Smith room right away’ instead of ‘I’ll send 2 towels to room 302’.

Never refer to a guest by their room number.  When they approach the desk to check out or make a request, ask them their name and never ask them their room number.  You are a hotel and not a bank; do not treat your customers as numbers. 

Train your associates to use the ‘chain of name’.  When a guest arrives at the hotel, the valet attendant asks the guest their name and writes it on the valet ticket.  The valet attendant then introduces the guest to the bellman by using their name.  The bellman then introduces the guest to the front desk by using their name again.  The guest only told one associate their name and now three associates have already addressed the guest by name and they have not even checked in yet!

Have the PBX Operators use the guest’s name during every phone conversation.  This one is easy because the name is displayed on the phone.

Have the restaurant servers and bartenders use the guest’s name every time the guest signs a check to their room or pays by credit card.  Take it a step further and ask them for their name when they approach the hostess stand so the server can use the name during the meal.  Take the same approach in the bar.  Ask the guest their name when they open a tab.

Make sure that every associate who visits a guest room uses the guest name.  If they are delivering a room service order or fulfilling a guest request, they should know the guest’s name and use it.  If you are still using 2 way radios to handle guest requests, make sure that the housemen are wearing earpieces.

Again, using the guest’s name is one of the most important tools that you have to create a personalized, memorable stay and build guest loyalty.  A guest should be addressed by name 10 to 20 times during a visit.

Do require the guest service agent to log the request on a proper Guest Request Log

Don’t allow them to scribble the request on scrap paper, the back of their hand, or anything else but the log!

Do make sure the log has space for the GSA to log the following:  time of request, room number, guest name, item requested, teammate who handled the request, time request completed, and the time of the callback. 

Do make every GSA log down every request on the guest request log.  If a guest requests a toothbrush or requests a room change, it must be on the log.

Do make it a goal for all requests to be handled within 10 minutes.  Waiting 20 minutes for a toothbrush may seem like no big deal… unless you are trying to brush your teeth and have an important meeting to get to.

Do require that a GSA calls back every guest to make sure their request was fulfilled.

Don’t ever conduct a guest call back unless you are absolutely positive that the request was taken care of.  If the guest requested a toothbrush, the GSA should wait until the housekeeping associate tells the GSA that they delivered the toothbrush.  There is nothing more embarrassing than conducting a follow up call and hearing ‘no, I have not received it yet’. 

Don’t conduct a call back and say ‘I’m checking to see if you received your toothbrush yet’.  That makes the hotel seem incompetent.  Hopefully you know that the guest received the toothbrush because the delivery person confirmed it with you after delivery.  You are conducting the callback to make sure a guest request was handled to the guest’s satisfaction and ask if anything further is needed.

Do save all guest request logs and review them every month.  You should be checking for trends.  If last month 5 people requested a room change from room 410, you have a problem with room 410 that needs to be addressed.  Strive to reduce guest requests by reviewing past trends and being proactive in correcting them. 

Do handle 100 percent of requests within 10 minutes and complete 100 percent of call backs!

Download our Guest Request Log HERE