H OW TO RUN A GREA T HOTEL

❑ The experience, in a hotel context, is a combination of the four Ps: physical,

products, your people and procedures.

❑ S 1 can be viewed as the pinnacle of a quality continuum, based on your

ability to respond to customer expectations. Service can either fall below, meet
or exceed expectations. Naturally, your goal should be to exceed them.

❑ S 1 is about getting the basics consistently right first and then enhancing
the service experience by adding 1s, which show a greater focus on the
customer and a genuine interest in their custom.

❑ Achieving S 1 starts when you develop your vision and mission and when
you translate those sentiments into concrete goals relating to your customers.
The implementation of the principles and practices of S 1 should be seen as
your strategy for achieving your goals in relation to your customers.

❑ The practical steps in progressing towards S 1 should begin with a

thorough understanding of your customers’ common and specific expectations.

❑ Enhancing the customer experience means answering key questions in

relation to the four Ps within the experience web.

❑ You must define service goals which are aimed at meeting guest expectations
and develop service steps which provide guidelines to employees on how to
achieve those goals. Training and buy-in from employees are key factors in
making this approach work.

❑ The final piece of the puzzle are the 1s which you can agree with your
employees and allow them a degree of autonomy on how to apply them.

❑ A core element in making S 1 a reality is getting closer to your customers

by defining and implementing a range of feedback mechanisms, which include
mystery guest visits and customer satisfaction surveys.
 M A KE I T HA PPEN

Moving forward with Theme 4 – Action Checklist

To help you to apply the concepts covered in Theme 4, the following checklist
may be useful in focusing your thoughts:

THEME 4 – ACTION CHECKLIST ✓

Ensure that your vision and mission broadly describe what you are trying to
achieve for your customers.
Ensure that you have specific business goals to aim for in relation to your
customers.
Identify your current strengths and areas for improvement in relation to the
quality of service delivery at your hotel. Talk to key customers to get a
clearer picture. Where would you place your hotel on the quality continuum
in relation to S 1?
Reflect on how well you presently understand your customers’ common
and specific expectations for the key elements of the experience web.
Review how well the quality of your physical facilities currently matches
your customers’ expectations.
Consider whether the products you offer at present are consistently of a
high standard and take steps to address problems identified.
Think about how well your employees currently interact with your
customers. Do they make a real difference to the customer experience?
Reflect on how you currently ensure consistency, quality and efficiency in
service delivery.
Identify clear service goals which are based on your customers’
expectations to guide your efforts at attaining S 1.
Define service steps for each of these goals and communicate them to
employees through training and coaching.
Involve your staff in agreeing a ‘menu’ of potential 1s for each area of the
experience web and provide them with general guidance as to how and
when they might apply them.