Empower the hotel receptionist(s)

Kafka could not have thought of it this way

If there is one employee in the hospitality chain who has a real influence on providing guest experience and creating customer loyalty, it is the receptionist. What a pity that many of you want to structurally limit the front office from creating opportunities! 

The other day I stayed in Rotterdam, at hotel X. It took quite a bit of effort to get something booked there to my liking. Through the hotel website, I booked a room for 185 euros a night. Excluding breakfast. The advantage for me? I could cancel on the day of arrival. After booking, however, it was not clear to me whether I would get a room of 21m² or 34m². The e-mail confirmation said that the hotel had both sizes of rooms.

So, I call the hotel. A friendly receptionist/telephone operator told me on the phone, "Whether you get a 21sq m or 34sq m room depends on the "availability that day."  

My response: "But, I just booked. Then that availability is for me, right?"

The man disappointed me. "No, unfortunately it doesn't work like that."  

I cancelled because it didn't feel right to pay 185 euros a night for a room of only 21m². To finally get somewhere (AND sleep!), I gambled on Booking.com. At the exact same hotel, i.e. Hotel X, I booked a room of 34m² (!) for 145 euros a night. So... 40 euros cheaper! What's more, this included breakfast! What a missed opportunity. Because including the commission to be paid to Booking.com, X was shooting itself in its own foot financially. 

Straitjacket

All right, I could fulminate vigorously here against the inflexible front officer, who could not confirm a 34sq m room for me, but it's no use. Because he is in a technical straitjacket. He does not have the authorisation to change anything to make my customer experience more guest-friendly.  

The hassle reminded me of a long queue a few weeks earlier at the reception of Hotel Y, in Almere. None of the receptionists could book a room directly. One referred incoming guests to the app or website on the spot. A bizarre image: around 5.30 p.m., about six men/women who booked their rooms while using Smartphones, standing at the hotel reception desk! 

Kafka could not have thought of it that way.

So nice all those advancing technical developments in the hotel industry and fantastic all those digital funnels that are forced on you as a customer via Smartphone and Member apps, but 100% hospitality is no more. It is 100% hostility. 

However, the solution is not that complicated: give the hotel receptionist(s) more power. The result? More turnover - and definitely more profit - through more guest experience.    

Would you also like to use your keyboard to bring some much-needed inspiration and impact to the industry? We would be delighted! Be Our Guest! This section - THE PEN - belongs to the readers.... Let us know if you have something to say. Then that guest column will be yours! Tell project manager Daniel Bundel. [email protected].