How confident are you that your associates are regularly looking for ways to fulfill requests or resolve problems before guests have time to think about them?
In the hospitality industry, this is the norm if you want to stand out and exceed guests’ expectations. At The Service Companies, we partner with many properties and brands to improve hotel housekeeping management at our clients’ properties. While service cultures and standards differ across them, all of our clients have a similar desire to wow, delight, and add value and a personalized touch to the customer experience.
As I was inspecting a guest room a while ago, I noticed the guest’s toothpaste was squeezed to the last drop. I immediately thought about that guest coming back after a long day without toothpaste and having to call and wait for more to be delivered. The natural thing for me to do was place another tube of toothpaste for the guest. This made me think – what seems to be an ordinary task for me, doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
During our corporate mandated daily pre-shift meetings, our housekeeping leaders make this service training a regular practice. It is important to share ideas and best practices with associates so they are confident and empowered to create more memorable moments.
The first step is learning to read cues.
Read Cues
How well do you know your guests? Is your guest a coffee or tea drinker? Do they prefer regular or decaf? Does your VIP guest enjoy red or white wine, diet or regular soda, ales or lagers?
Once your housekeeping associates are aware of what the guest has been using, empower them to place extra items during service. Your guests will definitely take notice and appreciate your attentiveness.
Simple Practices to Improve Hotel Housekeeping Management
A few simple practices our team employs:
- Having a favorite beverage in a fresh bucket of ice waiting for the guest.
- Leaving an extra bottle or two of water if the guest is a runner or utilizes the fitness center. Additionally, leaving a note and wishing them a great workout is a nice gesture.
- Leaving extra tissues and/or tea service if you notice your guest is feeling under the weather or has the sniffles. A “Get Well” note with the associate’s name offering additional assistance is a thoughtful touch.
- Leaving them reading material such as a magazine or newspaper many properties stock. Provide this the afternoon or evening before checkout so they can take it along. Wish them a safe trip and hopefully a return visit soon. This is one of my favorites and it is very effective.
One drawback of travel is not having all the conveniences of home during a hectic business trip or jam-packed vacation schedule. Implementing just one of these extra steps takes some of the planning and thinking off of a guest’s plate and creates more of those memorable experiences that your guest will look forward to coming back to.
Learn more about our fully managed service offering on our website.
