Republic of the Philippines

City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT

COURSE MODULE in

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS

I. TITLE: LESSON 4: GUEST RELATIONS IN THE HOSPITALITY AND

TOURISM INDUSTRY

II. INTRODUCTION:

The epitome of a good personality is attested in good guest relations in the hospitality industry. Our
personality is mirrored on how we treat our guests (internal and external). Many people go on about how
important it is, but only a few maybe convinced that they have a pristine personality and are really good
at delivering it

This chapter’s objective is not to convince the reader which is the best idea in the performance of
guest relations but to give the reader, a choice, and a broad perspective, different avenues that can be
taken, choices, to find expression for the positive attributes of their personality, through guest relations
best suited for their respective lodging properties.

This article hopes to empower, lead and allow the readers to formulate their own unique brand of
guest relations, through the positive aspect of their own polished personality; in effect they solicit positive
responses through positive interaction. Personality development after all is a constant work in progress.

III. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

LO1. understand guest service in the tourism and hospitality industry;
LO2. define what guest relation is;
LO3. know the nature of guest relations; and
LO4. discuss guest relation skills

IV. LESSON PROPER

Definition of Guest Relations

Guest relations in the perspective of the hospitality industry, can be defined as a series of activities
designed to enhance the level of customer or guest satisfaction – and act that results in the realization or
solicitation of a positive experience derived from the acquisition of a product or service, the ultimate goal
is to meet if not to exceed guest’s expectations.

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA

 Customer Relations is a field of specialization. Many may claim that they are experts in this field but
then again, no one may claim that one knows everything about customer relations. In an ever changing of
customer, based on taste, wants and needs, one can only be assured of the fact that there is always
something new around the corner. The trick is to know how to keep up.

The Nature of Guest Relations

The predisposition of hospitality professionals and guests are shown in this simple diagram.
The guest simply has needs; the hospitality professional is simply trying to run a business. The
trick is, for the hospitality professional not to over-do, or over-step boundaries that places a
limitation in doing guest services, each side has a somewhat solid perspective on the subject
matter.

From the guest’s point of view, this is what is owed to them, degrees and variations may exist
specially in each individuals guest’s perspective on what is of value to them.

From the hospitality professional’s point of view, we simply want you to turn a profit without
losing an arm or a leg. Their movements are limited by the size of what they value most.

In Layman’s terms, the grid below simplifies what each side wants and the solution each may
or may not be willing to take.

YOU GUEST
WIN = LOSE
LOSE = WIN
LOSE = LOSE
WIN = WIN

In a YOU WIN and GUEST LOSE situation, should you end up winning an argument with a
guest, you may triumphantly shown your point to the guest, who scurries back to a corner
defeated. Oh, sure the guest deserves it, after all, the guest lied and wasn’t truthful to you, so you
should really stick it to them, where it hurts.

The mindset of winning and not compromising, can be good and yet the same time could be a
pitfall that makes you actually lose more value than what you have gained. You might have
gained financially in this little skirmish but you may have really lost. This cannot be counted by
a financial medium but can be quantifiable in terms of media mileage.

Let’s make it simple, guests get bad experience form their stay (bad being relative only to
guests point of view) which in turn the guests tell other people what you made them experience.
These other people tell other people and before you know it, it becomes a full blown pandemic,

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with your property on the receiving bad end, of course this may not always be the outcome but it
could be. There are guests and there are GUESTS, most are fair but some may be quite unfair,
literally.

A guest for instance gets a check for items missing from the minibar and the guest disputes
and refuses to pay for its entirety. This is a dilemma. How can you collect from a person who
does not want to pay? Some options come to mind such as, let’s insist that items were there in
the mini-bar when the guest checked in and now they are not there anymore when the guest
checked-out. This rather very naïve but in case you might have forgotten the guest just disputed
the amount stating, in fact that “NO, I DID NOT TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE MINI-BAR!”

What do you do? Blacklist the guy or better yet, call the police to deal with him. Questions
come to mind such as, is the lodging property willing to write off the charge? If the amount is
negligible, then perhaps it is possible, but what if you’re are dealing with a very large sum?

If you, the hospitality professional should lose, the question is how much value did you lose
and if you win, the question is how much value did you win?

If you appear to have lost, how much value did you really part with in favor of the guest?

Despite the benefits, many companies are still not fully exercising the use of tools and services
to align marketing, sales, and service to best serve the BIGGER PICTURE.

If YOU like to win, you may get the upper hand on the situation by convincing the guest, on
the perception of having a deal, but in most realities this may not be the case.

Reality check on this example:

Ever notice why minibar items are so darn right expensive, some properties have what they
call a 300% policy, the goal of which is to overcharge acan of soft drink which costs around
PHP25.00 to PHP 100.00 each. Why?

Let’s do the math, guest check’s out, minibar charge is PHP 400.00 for FOUR (04) cans of
soft drink, guest disputes the charge stating that they only took TWO (02) can and not FOUR
(04). Receptionist agrees immediately without batting an eyelash to write off PHP200.00 or
TWO (02) cans of soft drink from the guest’s bill.

Now how did that work for the property?

Well, basically a can of your favourite soft drink here only costs PHP 25.00, with the PHP
200.00 payment received from the guest basically covered the overall cost of FOUR (04) cans of
soft drink. In effect still you make a profit of PHP 100.00. The company did not lose anything
and as a plus gained the undying gratitude of a guest getting what they perceived to be

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a FIFTY (50%) PERCENT discount, at the very least everyone walks away happy, even if it is
only skin deep.

Guest Relation Skills

In the lodging industry, It is safe to say that our guests pay for our salary; therefore we must
also anticipate their needs and provide for them. Guests expect one or either of the following:

Teamwork

The problem with teamwork is that people are the hardest to get along with. Each tends to be
competitive with one another, and personal interests are often in the way.

Now, the problem here us getting everyone to work together, any successful organization must
learn to seamlessly interact with each and every component of his organization, from the lowest
to the highest, horizontal or lateral interactive communication, all with one singular
unidirectional goal, which they must not lose sight of, as every individual may have his or her
own idea of doing things, which may spawn disagreements in a multitude of levels.

TEAMWORK is the strength and backbone of any organization, the seamless interaction, and
singular focus of its team member will be the pathway to success, believe in your people and
make your people believe in themselves.

Job knowledge and Consistency

This runs on the assumption that more often than people care to admit, some areas or
departments in lodging properties often on more than one occasion does not know what the other
is doing. Simply placed in a perspective, the right hand does not know what the left hand is
doing. Although a simple “assembly line procedure can readily rectify this problem” by
improving methods in communication and policies which govern process and movements of
service.

A person cannot claim to know everything! When posed with a situation that solicits a
response which you have no knowledge of, the answer is just secondary, but the more important
question factor is how does one answer.

Did you give your guest a brick wall or a choice?

Simply saying, “I don’t know” or giving a blank stare will not do immaculate things for your
property’s image. This might come as a surprise for you but guest will appreciate honest straight
to the point answers, more so, even if you didn’t know the answer to their query, simply reply “ I
do not have that information with me right now but I can get it for you.”

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA

 Guest do not like brick walls in front of them, DON’T PROVIDE THEM WITH ANOTHER.
These walls may come in the form of an employee who does not have full or completed
knowledge of what you it is your organization is selling, thereby creating inconsistencies or
discrepancies in product or service turn out, the customer or guest ends up repeating themselves
in relating their concerns, like a squirrel running around the bush, and practically going
anywhere.

Remember, a positive aspect of your personality is that it is always interactive, proactive and
reciprocative.

Customers look to Front Line Personnel for inquiries that require answers, only to get none.
The objective here is not to ensure that as Front Line Personnel one must know everything, well,
if not everything at the very at least one must know how to acquire information for its
implementation. When one says no, you just put up a brick wall in front of the customer or guest,
ut if as hospitality professionals one finds out for the customer on how to make his “request” a
reality, then an alternative is presented, and not a brick wall. This way, it is more focused on the
fact that it shows you having the willingness to do something. The greatest sin in customer
service is not focused on the knowledge of your product only but also the short sightedness in
saying “no” or “I don’t know” to your customers. You create frustration in your customers which
in turn will make you lose them, for certain. One must be effective in this field, a good
foundation will complement on how and what kind of experience does one effectively deal with
customers or guests. In the hospitality industry a wide array of knowledge is needed to keep up
with the needs of your customers. This knowledge base will be a repository of information on
everything that may concern customer service and their needs, easily accessible to both. A
singular mind-set and knowledge base will empower staff members in doing their jobs without
losing sight of an organizations common goal. This may not only be limited to but may include
the following.

1. Operational Policy and Product Knowledge, these are guidelines and mechanics on how the
company works, usually established through a comprehensive training program. How can
Front Line Personnel sell products and services when they do not even know what it is they
are selling?

2. Market Segments, in as much operational policy and product knowledge go to the top of the
list, knowing which product to sell and who to sell to is equally important. One cannot sell
something to a person who does not need it or cannot afford it? Did you ever had a time
when you called up a customer service hotline that does not know anything about what in the
world it is that you are talking about? Well, welcome to the club!

3. Guests expect to have their inquiries answered promptly and expeditiously. In fairness, it
does not mean that you have to be a know-it-all. Plainly speaking, you simply do not know

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 everything, however, your behavior between your interaction and your guest, can be a factor
when it comes to addressing your guests’ needs.
4. Customers like to be in control of things or at least have the perception of control. A
company may establish empowerment to its customers by creating interactive measures that
allow the company to hear out or listen to what the customer feedback centers like an
interactive web-based customer feedback program, wherein you can heart out positive or
negative reviews about one’s product and/or services. Through this action you give the
customer voice to be heard and understood. This works also as a forum for new ideas,
elimination of redundant inquiries that would otherwise create unwanted bottle necks that
occur through manual inquiries. Usually through mediums such as email, telephone, voice
inquiries, and front of the house inquiries, not to mention customer feedback is a goldmine of
information.

5. Courtesy and empathy are feathers on your personality cap, an example to the testament of a
positive, proactive, interactive and reciprocal personality. The goal here is to capture the
customer’s perspective, concerning their needs, how does one sell something? Find out what
that customer needs and fill in that need. There is no way to deliver exceptional customer
experience if we do not know what our customers are thinking. This is most effective by
practicing feedback management at the point of interaction. What customers hate is having to
wait for results especially if it is concerning a complaint about a lodging property’s product
or service.

6. Implementation of a real-time feedback mechanism will allow your company to deliver much
needed action to your customers concerns. Realization in the completion or addressing of
customer concerns must be focused at the conclusions of every significant interaction, and to
hoteliers. This is a defining moment or truth.

7. What happens if there is no positive ending to this interaction? An escalation workflow

mechanism must be in place to escalate the problem to a person in authority which can
address the problem rather than disappoint that customer because of that first contact of your
inability to address their problem. To clarify, a secondary interaction with a higher authority
regulates the capabilities of the Front Line as escalation also translates to failure on their part
to address the issue effectively.

8. Empowering employees is geared in improving the customer’s experience, as a lodging

property is not summarily selling rooms, foods, beverages and other services. These are just
by products of what really is the hospitality industry’s main product. We are in the business
of selling experiences.

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA

9. Everyone wants respect; and believe it or not most of you may demand it but only a few of
you ever compromise in giving it away for free. Courtesy translates to respect. Walk for a
few steps in your guests’ shoes, to get that feel of things on what they may really need.

10. The approachability of your organization, the ease in which your guests are able to reach you
and reap the benefits which you can provide them is what sets the tone of a positive guest
encounter. Make your communication lines proactive, as this represents as a tether or a
lifeline to other respective departments in your company.

The reality of today’s hospitality business is all about choice or alternatives. Options
like their ability to reach you any time at their own convenience. There is an endless list on
methods of communication, ranging from mobile phones that do voice, SMS, internet data and
email to more traditional methods like fax or even letters, but these are the least of your concerns
in reaching out to your customers. More on the positive consistency or each time you gain
contact with them, this translates to more loyal customers which translate to more business.

LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMER. Consider the scenario; a customer/guest calls your

customer hotline and he gets a packaged voice prompt that runs him through gauntlet of
questions with a lot of selections, i.e. press one for English, press two for Taglish, and
eventually, after all the pressing and listening, provided that he did not make a mistake in which
button to push. Listening to your customers is important and give extra attention to the call they
make. Listening to your customers is a good service. Service is a product; you cannot sell a
product if you can’t get it to your customer.

Know How to Handle Complaints

We would like to think that hospitality professionals are like plumbers fixing leaks, and the
first rule in fixing a leak is to find out first where the source of the leak is coming from.
According to Michael L. Kasavana Ph.D. and Richard M. Brooks, CHA, in their book,
Managing Front Office Operations, they stated that guest complaints can be categorically
separated into four point of origin or categories.

Knowing where each (leak) comes from will boost your effectiveness in dealing with such
issues.

1. Mechanical
2. Attitude
3. Service
4. Unusual

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA

Mechanical

Complaints that fall under this category relate to hardware equipment that either breaks down
or malfunctions translating to complaints. These may range from electrical appliances,
machinery, plumbing, environmental controls and so on.

Usually, an excellent preventive maintenance program can manage problems originating

from complaints of this nature, however, should one may rear its ugly head one may displace or
replace the affected equipment, depending on whether it is attached to anything or if it is
transportable or movable depends entirely on which is more convenient for your guest.

For example

If the air-condition in a room is failing, you would think of changing the air-conditioning unit
if it is movable (not the case in centralized air-conditioning); however, you must first consider
the convenience and inconvenience such an endeavor will bring to your guest, elements of time,
considerations on, how long will it take to replace, when did the breakdown occur (in the middle
of the night while the guest is sleeping?) or will you just simply change the room for the guests?

Attitude

Among all complaints, attitude is one of the hardest to diffuse as this mainly deals with the person or
staff interacting with your customer or guest, nevertheless, this does not diminish your organizations
liability in the process.

Guests usually take attitudinal complaints personally, especially if they feel slighted or insulted by the
behaviour that was shown or directed at them. Even if the case may be an indirect form of contact such as
a guest overhearing staff conversations, depending on the topic the staff members are discussing, may
constitute attitudinal complaints.

As the case may be, it is a complaint which cannot be replaced but only compensated.

Service

Service is a product but unlike for example a beverage which does not agree with a guests’
taste, it cannot be returned.

For example:

A guest goes to your lodging property, uses the main door, but unfortunately the doorman
forgets to open the door for him, needless to say he doesn’t even greet the guest. You simply
cannot tell the guest to please go out again, so that the doorman can open the door and greet hm
properly. That would certainly be ridiculous.

In this scenario, a failure in service can only be addressed by making up with it by either not
repeating the incident again or making it up to the guest by giving a form of pacifier or

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compensation. Ironically a lodging property more often generates more service-related
complaints as its occupancy goes up and limits of its current standing manpower is tested to its
limitations.

The Unusual Complaint

Guests may complain about a lot of things and some of them may include awkward if not
unusual situations that may completely dumbfound or at the very least may sound new. Unusual
complaints are usually nothing fancy but are mostly characterized by the simple fact that the
lodging property simply cannot do anything about it, let alone control such a situation. You
would often receive a complaint concerning the weather for instance, a guest is upset about the
rain. It is not that you have direct line to God, that one could ask Him to hold off the downpour
until the guest finishes having breakfast al fresco. As a Front office Manager, you have had your
fair share of complaints concerning aesthetics, of how a room has been laid out or constructed,
one particular guest even complained about the direction of the bed and television set, that it was
bad fung sui that they were placed facing each other, nonetheless, your guests still expects you to
react and solve these problems (needs) expeditiously is not prudently but the very least that you
can do in resolving it is to just LISTEN. Believe it or not, some guests with unusual complaints
only need to be heard, their concerns taken seriously and not fall on deaf ears.

V. SUMMARY OF THE LESSON

Defined as the interactions and assistance between a business and the customers who
purchase its products or services, customer service plays a key role in a business's success. While
all businesses can benefit from positive customer service, it's particularly important for
hospitality businesses. The hospitality industry relies on exceptional customer service. Here are a
few reasons why all hospitality businesses should focus on improving their overall customer
service.

Why Customer Service is Important in the Hospitality Industry

To better understand the importance of customer service in the hospitality industry, you
must first look at the industry itself. The hospitality industry includes all businesses in which
customer interactions is a core component of their operations, including but not limited to hotels,
restaurants, bars, resorts, theme parks and tourist destinations. When hospitality businesses such
as these overlook the value of customer service, they typically attract fewer customers and
generate fewer sales.

Customer Services Affects 70% of all Purchase Decisions

Many factors affect whether or not a consumer will purchase a hospitality business's
products or services. Among the most influential, though, is customer service. According to a
McKinsey study, 70% of all purchase decisions are affected by customer service.

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Customers are Twice as Likely to Share a Negative Experience

Another reason customer service is important in the hospitality industry is because it

affects businesses' reviews. A report published by American Express suggests that customers are
twice as likely to share a negative experience about a business than a positive experience.

Why does this matter? It matters because people search for online reviews -- especially
for hospitality businesses -- before buying a business's products or services. If a hospitality
business acquires dozens of negative customer reviews, it will discourage other prospective
customers from visiting their establishment and buying their products or services.

Customer Service Differentiates Hospitality Businesses from their Competitors

The hospitality industry isn't without competition. There are tens of thousands of
hospitality businesses throughout the country and abroad. However, hospitality businesses can
differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering exceptional, positive customer
service. When a customer has an excellent experience with a business, he or she will remember
that business, thereby increasing the chance of future purchases.

Poor Customer Service Costs Businesses More than $1.6 Trillion

Hospitality businesses that offer poor customer service will experience fewer sales, both
from new and existing customers alike -- but you might be surprised to learn the true cost of poor
customer service. According to a study conducted by Accenture, poor customer service costs
businesses $1.6 trillion each year.

How to Improve Customer Service in your Organization

Hospitality businesses, in particular, thrive on solid customer relations. This makes customer
service training vital across the entire sector. If your customers are not satisfied with their
experience, this could have far reaching affects throughout your company.

VI. SELF PROGRESS TEST/ACTIVITY

Form a group in your class and create a script that focuses on guest relations in a
hotel, restaurant, and travel agency set up. Emphasize guest service, customer
complaint handling and other important aspects of guest relations in the tourism and
hospitality industry.
VII. ANSWER TO SELF-PROGRESS TEST/COMMENTS

After the activity, discuss in the class the significance of having guest relation
skills for future tourism and hospitality professionals as you.

10

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA

VIII. SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS AND MATERIALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ROSlL94tg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pM-beKX0Vk

IX. REFERENCES
Rodolfa, Bernardo Jr. et al. (2011). Leadership and Personality Development For Tourism
and Hospitality Professionals, Mindshapers Co. Inc., Intramuros, Manila

https://www.ahaworldcampus.com/b/customer-service-important-hospitality-industry

EUNICE G. PARCO, CFSM, MBA