Service received from employees is one part of

the guest experience, and in addition, many

physical aspects of the hotel must function well to
ensure the guest receives the whole product

At some point, one or both of these parts may

break down

Resolving a conflict to a guests satisfaction can

turn around an unhappy guest and make
him/her a satisfied guest

The resolution is best accomplished by adhering

to the visual and verbal rules of guest service
It is assumed that if the employee is fully trained,
the following rules should be followed to meet or
exceed a guests expectations
Listen first
Summarize
Make no excuses
Resolve the problem
Document the conflict

Training, experience, personality and other things

contribute to an individual employees ability to
satisfy a guest
Hotel management must support that effort
One way management supports an employees
ability to satisfy a guest is by integrating
empowerment in all duties
Empowerment is defined as the ability and
authority to satisfy guest complaints/requests
within preset parameters

Employees learn to implement empowerment

techniques in how they communicate and that
certain phrases and words should be avoided

There are other ways of communicating the same

message (see next slide)

Phrases to Avoid

Phrases to Use Instead

I dont know.

That is a good question, let me find

out for you.

We cant do that.

Well, I havent encountered this

before, let me research it and find a
resolution that you are happy with.

You have to. or This is hotel

policy

Next time, here is how you can

avoid this situation. or I think the
best way to handle this would be

No.

We are not able to reduce your rate

but I am able to upgrade your room

Thats not my job.

The person who handles that is

(name). Please let me get him/her.

The diversity of guests makes it vital that all hotel

employees appreciate the differences in people
Most reputable hotels will put their employees
through diversity training, which teaches
employees that they mast understand and
appreciate the differences in people
Helping the employees overcome stereotypes
such as racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and others
helps to create a comfortable environment

A hotel by nature is a home away from home to

international guests
Using good customer service skills helps to put
these visitors at ease
Hotels should share a list of all multilingual staff
with front office managers
Where appropriate, extra collateral should be
provided in the guests native tongue
Verbal communication will be difficult and
nonverbal communication can be difficult due to
cultural differences

Managers should become involved in guest

complaints only after an empowered desk agents
attempted to resolve the issue first
A manager who involves themselves before the
guest agent has a chance to resolve an issue
defeats the purpose behind empowerment
Some guests may simply prefer to address to a
manager
Managers must lead by example by showing that
complaints are not a burden, but an opportunity
to improve service

All complaints should be investigated, evaluated,

and responded to

If the Front Office Manager is unable to resolve

the situation, it should be passed along to a more
senior manager

The escalation of an issue can and often should

go all the way to the general manager