An overview of hotel information from Monscierge.
A fantastic welcome is the first phase of a wonderful guest journey, and the art of welcome is a foundational skill for any guest facing staff members. Unfortunately, being welcoming does not come naturally to everyone. As with any quality of hospitality, some people are born with it, some can be taught, and some just simply don’t have it. welcome : to greet hospitably and with courtesy or cordiality : to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of So what is it that makes people feel welcome? Eye contact: Making eye contact as soon as a person enters your space is an often missed courtesy. For those working the front desk, it is especially important to take a moment to acknowledge people who walk in, even if someone else is already being helped. Say hello: I know it sounds standard, but it is easy for harried workers to skip a greeting and get right to business. Drawn out small talk is not necessary, but a quick hello or how are you will go a long way. Refreshments – Many hotels have bottled water, coffee, or cookies available upon check-in. Food has a way of bonding us to those we …
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happens on Twitter stays on Google forever!” – Jure Klepic Social media has brought a level of communication between brands and consumers that has never been seen before. For hoteliers, this brings with it a lot of work and attention to detail to expand service to the digital space, but the reward potential is high. Here are a few ideas to meet your guests where they are, personalize the journey, and own your digital guest experience. Facebook – Travelers tend to use Facebook during the planning phase of the journey, as well as during the stay. During planning, they want to get a feel for what to expect, so be sure to have plenty of photos and videos of your property and its surroundings. Savvy guests will also be paying attention to comments and your responses, as this can be telling in terms of service levels. Not every property will have time to respond to every comment, but the more you can do in this area, the better. During the stay, Facebook’s check in feature allows guests to show their trip to their friends. You may consider giving special offers to those …
Today’s post is written by our Marketing Coordinator, Angie Ford. Along with the creation of promotional material and being a go-to for all sorts of brilliance, Angie runs our company Instagram account, manages our videos, and instigates office pranks. She attended the University of Tulsa, has a background in Video Production, and at home she plays violin, tackles home improvement projects, and hangs out with her Jack Russell Terrier. Breaking news, the very last smartphone holdout finally jumped in with the other salmon and headed north. I’m exaggerating, of course, but the truth can still be found here: I did in fact get promoted to “Smartphone Owner” at the end of last year. Being the last adult in America to buy a smartphone, naturally I wondered who else was with me. Turns out, more than I expected. 56% of adult Americans are now smartphone users, and as of last June, 72% of UK adults owned one. So what does this mean for a centuries-old industry built on classic services? It presents an opportunity for hoteliers to reach that segment of the population that may not respond in the same way guests did 50 years ago. So let’s say you have …
My favorite article last week was from Hotel Management about singling out a guest on arrival. The article talks about the Hilton Memphis, which chooses one guest and singles them out for room upgrades and other goodies. What struck my in this story was the energy created for other guests just by being indirectly involved. “It costs nothing and creates energy, and a hotel is a hotel until somebody creates energy.” (Bill Spencer, GM of the Hotel Memphis) Why does this happen and how can you recreate this phenomenon in your own hotel? Humans are social creatures. We generally enjoy feeling more connected to those who surround us. As a bit of an introvert myself, one of the biggest travel stresses for me is being surrounded by people I don’t know. A hotel that facilitates even a small emotional connection between its guests by creating this kind of energy will make travelers feel more comfortable with each other, and happier with their stay. Aside from what the Hotel Memphis is doing, here are some energy-infusing from my friend Tom Costello at iGroupAdvisors: Create a social space. Guests who are checking in to the hotel would be handed an ‘invitation’ to …
In May of 2009, Derreck Kayongo, who has over 15 years’ experience developing campaigns for cause-related advocacy, founded the Global Soap Project. A former refugee himself, he saw first-hand the health problems that could be prevented with access to soap. Joining with hospitality professionals such as Ned Barker (Chairman of the Board, GSP), who previously served as Vice President for Franchise F&B for IHG, the Global Soap Project recovers discarded soap from hotels and recycles it into new bars. The soap is then distributed around the world to orphans, refugees, and disaster victims. An estimated 2.4 million children die each year from hygiene related issues, and over 2 million bars of soap are discarded by hotels in the U.S. every day. The Global Soap Project works with existing organizations within communities to distribute the recycled soap, along with hygiene education, where it is needed most. Based in Norcross, GA, the Global Soap Project can be reached through their website. To date, they have distributed over one million bars of soap, and were the regional winners in the Health and Wellness Category of the Annual CLASSY Awards. For information on how your hotel can get involved, you can email the Global …