The winter holiday season has begun, and hotels are getting into the spirit to provide memorable experience for guests during their travels. Following are just a few of the best-loved winter hotel amenities. If you’re in a snowy area and have access to horses or a nearby stable owner, nothing beats a sleigh ride to get in the spirit of the holidays. For many guests, this would be a truly unique and memorable experience. Check out Mount Washington Resorts at Bretton Woods for an example of how it’s done. Whether it’s a grand display designed by in-house pastry chefs the likes of Hyatt Regency Scottsdale or a hands-on activity for kids, gingerbread houses are a fun way to make guests feel at home during the holidays. Gingerbread men or even ornaments would be a fun project for little hands who don’t have the time or patience for an entire house. Hotels have been doing evening story time for kids for awhile. This is a great time of year to refresh your lending library or consider finding a professional storyteller. Winter needs a warm drink. Aside from the usual coffee, mulled wine and cider, a diverse tea selection goes a long …
Outstanding service industry employees seem to be born for it. They have an innate sense of empathy and something that requires only the smallest amount of training. However, leadership still plays a huge part in creating a culture of service. Service leaders have two major roles – training and example. Many brands known for fantastic service train their team members thoroughly, often to the point of standard phrasing when speaking to guests, such as “my pleasure” in response to a thank you. This isn’t necessary for optimal service reputation, but it does stand out. It’s important not to go overboard with this as it can sound too rehearsed, but some measure of guidance is helpful. For instance, rather than requiring a drawn-out standard greeting (“Welcome to Our Hotel, home of Something Awesome! My name is John, how can I be of service to you today?), practice various greetings with your employees until they find something that works with their personality that can be altered depending on the situation at hand. “It highlights the importance of strong leadership in service” Other service requirements include making eye contact, saying hello to guests they pass in the halls, staying in communication if things …
Working in Oklahoma City over the last few years has been an exciting and ever-changing experience. While Oklahoma is known for oil and cattle, the technology community is cutting-edge and very present. Thunder Plains is a web and mobile developer conference focused on JavaScript and related technologies. Located at the Devon Boathouse in Downtown Oklahoma City, this sold-out event covers two days and features various speakers such as Steve Kinney of Turing School and Luke Crouch, web developer for Mozilla. Talks include Women in Tech, Continuous Security, Civic Coding, and much more. This event is hosted by Techlahoma, an Oklahoma grassroots technology non-profit aimed at fostering a diverse, inclusive, and active tech community. Several of the Monscierge team members are in attendance, and they were excited to build an app for the conference this year.
I had an interaction with a staff member at a local business yesterday that involved me wanting to pay for something and her not knowing how to charge me. Instead of getting an answer, she shrugged her shoulders and looked to me for the answer. Not having any inside knowledge, I did not have the answer, so the purchase was not made. This is exactly why one of our core principles at Monscierge is that it be easy to do business with us. With that in mind, I went back to a pep talk from one of my first bosses. I had the privilege of working directly for owners in my first three jobs which gave me access to leaders who had a 100& stake in the business’ success. They understood how much of that responsibility rested in their staff and the tools they provided to us. This particular boss was a passionate speaker and fantastic motivator, and I often revisit his insights. It is from him that I learned these five things to say instead of “I don’t know.” Let me find out – this is to be used every time in place of “I don’t know” There is …
Over the last few weeks, we have discussed using technology to make the guest experience more comfortable and more personal as well as to generate loyalty. As commoditization becomes an increasing concern for the industry, hospitality leaders are looking for technology that increases brand awareness and loyalty, directly influences and enhances the guest experience, and creates a stand-out impression. Did you know that your hotel’s app can help win the war on commoditization? Here are four major ways it can d0 that: Your app can put trusted local recommendations at the fingertips of your guests. Your own concierge recommendations, available at the push of a button, go a long way to owning the entire guest journey and help ensure that your guests have a great stay on and off your property. Apps offer another channel of communication with guests, especially in the area of requests. Along with branding and personalized services, this can greatly influence loyalty. App usage analytics help hoteliers keep track of guest satisfaction in real time, and make adjustments as needed much earlier than was possible only a few years ago. And finally, mobile apps have a direct positive impact on search results. For an industry already …