For most hotels, the front office operation is the first and last point of contact for hotel guests. The guest walks through those doors and is immediately greeted by one of your front desk clerks. When someone calls the hotel, the switchboard operator, who falls under the front desk manager, takes the call. If a guest checks out without using the automatic checkout on their TV, they do so using a front desk agent.
The contact points go on and on. If there is a problem, guests will either call the front desk or approach the front desk about it. Point being, this is without question the one area of the hotel that must be running at 100 percent all the time. When it’s not, the trickle-down effect can destroy the entire operation regardless of how well the rest of the operation is performing.
That being said, I wanted to look at five key areas managers can address among their lower-level managers and operational staff to improve the operation:
#1 – Develop Listening Skills
Is your staff truly listening to the guest or are they just waiting for their opportunity to jump in and say their piece? Something I have always hated is scripted answers. I don’t like them because I believe employees key in on certain words to give an answer that may not be relevant. Or, worse yet, they key into addressing issues based on their priority rather than that of the guest. Your staff and managers should be actively listening to guests and taking notes to ensure their concerns are addressed properly.
#2 – Organization
This is something that should be stressed at every level of the hotel operation but especially so for the front desk. Because the front desk is the main point of contact, requests are going to come flying in 24/7. If work is not organized and prioritized, every person on that team is destined for failure. As the department head or above, it is up to you to teach your team how to be organized to ensure they are capable of handling the everyday operations as well as addressing the dozen or so fires that happen during every shift.
#3 – Interaction
There is so much to be learned from guests by merely interacting with them. A small or non-existent concern for one guest may be something extremely important for another guest. For instance, by engaging with a customer, you may find out there is a problem with internet connections in the room. For that particular guest, it is no big deal, but for that business guest that are checking in later and who relies upon a speedy connection, it could mean the difference in a 1-star review and a 5-star review. Get out there and talk to your guests. Engage them at check-in and check-out to get as much information about the operation and their stay as well as their expectations as much as you can.
#4 – Constant Training
I don’t care how good a specific employee or team as a whole is, they can always be trained to improve some part of the operation. If they truly are a perfect employee, cross-train them with other staff members so they can pitch in and help other departments when needed. You know all that “downtime” you have, well there should never be “downtime” during a shift. When I worked in restaurants, one manager used to repeatedly say, “If you got time to lean, you got time to clean.” You need to take that same attitude towards training at every opportunity during the business day.
#5 – Stop Being Defensive
The one thing I have seen get in the way for far too many managers is their hubris. You should welcome criticism, not shy away from it or get angered by it. Outside eyes are your best way to detect problems and foresee problems in the operation. When you are in the same department day after day, certain things will get by you that fresh eyes may see. When that criticism comes, don’t get upset or annoyed by it, welcome it and learn from it. This is an opportunity to make your department better, so treat it as such and stop taking everything to heart.
Can you honestly say you have the top talent in the hotel industry working for your property? If you are ready to take your operation to the next level, JDI can help. Joseph David International is regularly ranked among the top hotel recruiters because we work hard to find the ideal fit for your particular operation as well as the needs and wants of the candidate. For more information about our hospitality recruiting services, please click here.