“A” seems like a great place to start our tour through the Hospitality Galaxy, don’t you think?
What comes to mind when we consider the letter “A” in this context? ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act. Acoustics. Audio. However for this, the first of my blogs to cover the CWL Alphabetical Guide to the Hospitality Galaxy, I prefer to associate the letter with the most important “A”. Arrival.
Arrival and departure are the two most important components in a guest’s “life-cycle”.
Consider this scenario: you’ve spent considerable time and effort online researching a restaurant, resort or city hotel. Somewhere you have not visited before. Or, you’re planning a vacation to a hotel in a land you have only seen on TV. Maybe you’re returning to a restaurant, night-club, Bed and Breakfast or even your favorite city hotel. In your mind you have created this vision of either the new or the familiar. At the same time you have numerous silent questions. Questions that will only be answered upon Arrival.
Questions like:
- Will the hotel car meet me at the airport?
- Will there be valet parking?
- What will the view from the lobby lounge be like – will it be appropriate to meet my guests there?
- Will the facilities complement the local culture?
- Will the restaurant have my favorite table available – the one I requested?
- Will the check-in process go smoothly?
- Will the guestroom I requested be ready?
- Will my luggage arrive in my guestroom promptly?
- Will the B & B owners have in-depth knowledge of the surrounding area?
- And so on and so forth….
What sort of experience does a guest have if any of these and other Arrival expectations are not met? Positive or negative – both will impact on the remainder of the guest’s stay and influence their decision to return.
Imagine you have invited a business acquaintance out for a meal at your favorite restaurant. You have raved about the virtues of the restaurant to him, the vibe, the ambiance, the great view from your favorite table. You trust that this setting will “clinch the deal” you’ve been working on for quite some time now with this particular business acquaintance.
Upon Arrival you are informed that the table you requested – your favorite table – is un-available!
Horror! Anger! Why me? Why now? This cannot be! I booked this table a while back! This is bad! Maybe I will turn to the maître d’, he will recognize me from my previous visits and I’ll seek his help. He is off sick; oh this cannot be…..
What transpires next could make or break the situation, resulting in a positive or negative experience. Will you ever return to this restaurant?
If this Arrival situation and all other like it are not turned into a positive experience this guest may be “lost”. The remainder of their stay at your facility will be impacted. They’ll tell friends of their experience and/or “post” their feelings on the Internet.
What transpires upon Arrival is one of the most important aspects of the guest’s life cycle. It must always be a positive experience!
With proper training and staff “empowerment” a lot of these issues can be eliminated. But never under estimate the impact of “design”.
A classic example may be where the hotel’s porte cochere is not wide enough to take at least two vehicles, both with their doors open at the same time. There is very little the staff can do to stop the guest getting wet on a rainy day. Use umbrellas you may say. Yes, but don’t forget the valet drivers who are constantly climbing into and out of guests’ vehicles.
Is there sufficient “coat check” storage at a restaurant or a banqueting facility? And is it secure? Is the check-in desk easy to find upon arrival? How many times do you enter a hotel, only to look around trying to find where to check-in? If your table is not ready or there is a line up at a restaurant, is there somewhere to sit and wait, or have a pre-meal beverage?
If you don’t consider operational processes during design, the efficient running and success of the facility will be at risk. Ultimately affecting the “bottom line”.
Plan for success right from the start – appoint consultants who have in-depth experience and knowledge of the hospitality industry.